Toomey's Mardi Gras Beads and Party Supplies

Chattanooga Bakery has been making moon pies for over 100 years. The idea came when a Kentucky coal miner was asked what kind of sweet snack he would like to eat.  The story has it that the miner’s ideal snack was something with graham crackers and marshmallows and that it be “as big as the moon.”  No question about where it got its name, moon pie.

So what is the history of the moon pie as a popular Mardi Gras parade throw? Well, it’s lightweight, and it goes a pretty far distance when you throw it. So, if you get hit with a moon pie, it won’t hurt and a case of moon pies can go a long way in a parade budget.  But mostly, it truly is a favorite snack of people of all ages, and catching it at the parade makes it taste even better.  Moon pies are a must-have on any rider’s list.  Moon pies have been part of Mardi Gras in Mobile, Alabama since 1956.

The sweet snack is so popular in Mobile that the city’s New Year’s Eve celebration includes a Moon Pie Drop at midnight. A 12-foot-tall, lighted mechanical moon pie falls from a 34-story building. And the crowd enjoys a piece of the world’s largest moon pie weighing 55 pounds. No doubt this would be the perfect way to bring in the New Year for all you moon pie lovers.