Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Hard candy facts
Even devoted candy eaters may not realize the extensive history of their favorite treats.
In honor of Halloween and to smarten your sweet tooth, here is a bit of history on some of America's favorite candies:
1880s -- Candy corn is invented by the Wunderle Candy Company. However, in 1898, the Goelitz Confectionery Company started producing the Halloween favorite, becoming the number one candy corn producer of all time.
1893 -- Juicy Fruit Chewing Gum and Wrigley's Spearmint Chewing Gum are both created by William Wrigley Jr.
1886 -- Leo Hirshfield introduces the Tootsie Roll, which was coined from his daughter's nickname.
1900 -- The Hershey Milk Chocolate bar, often called, "The Great American Chocolate Bar," is created by Milton S. Hershey.
1906 -- Hershey debuts the silver foil wrap for which the Hershey Kiss is known.
1920 -- The Baby Ruth candy bar is introduced. The origin of the name, however, was not derived from Babe Ruth, the famous baseball player, but from President Grover Cleveland's daughter.
1923 -- The Mars family introduces a candy bar designed to taste like malted milk: the Milky Way candy bar.
1928 -- Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are created, becoming one of the best-selling candy bars of all time.
1930 -- M&M Mars launches the Snickers bar, named after a family horse. Snickers is currently the best-selling candy bar of all time.
1931 --The Valomilk candy bar is introduced, although it wasn't a purposeful creation. This candy bar was created when too much vanilla was added to a batch of marshmallow. Instead of hardening after it cooled, it became the "flowing center" of the Valomilk bar.
1932 -- M&M Mars debuts the MARS candy bar, which later becomes the Snickers Almond Crunch bar, with the recipe remaining exactly the same.
1932 -- M&M Mars introduces the 3 Musketeers bar. The original recipe called for three flavors: chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. In 1945, the formula was changed to exclude vanilla and strawberry portions from the recipe.
1936 -- An inventor of the cough drop, William Luden, creates the 5th Avenue candy bar.
1941 -- M&M's Plain Chocolate candies are created. In 2000, the name was shortened to simply, M&M's.
1949 -- Often referred to as "candy pills," Smarties candy roll wafers are created.
1954 -- Just Born, Inc. introduces the Marshmallow Peep, which debuted in the shape of an Easter chick.
1958 -- The classic Candy Necklace is created.
1960 -- Starburst Fruit Chews are created with the intention of designing a healthy candy.
1963 -- The Sweetarts join the market .
1978 -- Reese Pieces are introduced, due to the vast popularity of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
1979 -- The Twix Caramel Cookie candy bar is created by M&M Mars.
1981 -- Skittles are introduced in America after tremendous success in Europe.
Source: www.candyfavorites.com/shop/history_american_candy.asp
