The Kit Kat was introduced in August of 1935, by Rowntree’s, a candy company based in York, England. Today, it is owned by Nestlé, a world famous chocolate brand.

Kit Kats are a type of chocolate that is made up of three layers of wafers. The wafers are covered with a layer of chocolate inside and out. Each whole piece is considered a “finger.” Each package of Kit Kats usually has either one, two, or four fingers connected together.

The name of this delicious candy comes from the Kit Kat club, which is named after  Christopher Catling. Catling would hold a famous political and literary club in his London pie shop in the 17th century.

The red and silver design has maintained consistency since the Kit Kat’s debut except for one small period in time. In 1942, the wrapper was changed to blue to portray the change in recipe that resulted from a shortage of fresh milk. However, as availability of milk slowly increased, the red logo made its perpetual return in 1949.

Kit Kat became an international treat in the 1950’s. The brand started expanding to countries such as South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Television greatly expanded the brand as well. In 1958, advertising agent Donald Gillies from JWT of London introduced the classic phrase, “Have a break, have a Kit Kat,” in a few commercials and press campaigns. Today, it is the brand’s registered trademark.

Different countries around the world have different variations of the Kit Kat. Here in America, we have milk, white, or dark chocolate, along with a few seasonal flavors. But Japan has over 200 different kinds! Japan has exciting flavors such as soy sauce, corn, green beans, miso, cherry, green tea, and yubari melon. Japan even created a bakeable Kit Kat, which is covered in dough and filled with flavors such as pudding and cheesecake.

Kit Kats will always be at the top of my list. I absolutely love their chocolate taste that just melts in my mouth along with the crunchy, crispy wafers. As my teeth chew down onto the wafer, the chocolate fills my mouth. This makes the Kit Kat quite unique compared to other chocolates, which are usually either plain, with a nougat, with caramel, with peanuts, or some combination of those variations.

So after a long day of classes, “Have a break! Have a Kit Kat!”

Fun Fact: In the Untied States, the Hershey Company has special permission to produce Kit Kats.

Sources

http://breakwithkitkat.weebly.com/history-of-kit-kat.html

http://mentalfloss.com/article/69593/12-snappy-facts-about-kit-kat

https://www.oldtimecandy.com/collections/walk-the-candy-aisle-kit-kat

In 1940, Mike and Ike was first introduced to consumers, who instantly feel in love with the candies. It was created by the company Just Born, who also produced the famous marshmallow Peeps of Easter and those spicy Hot Tamales.

Sam Born is the founder of the Just Born company. Born first came to the United States from Russia in 1910. He made quite an impact in the candy making world- he invented the machine allowing for the automatic insertion of lollipop sticks into lollipops. Born was even given the key to San Francisco for such an accomplishment. He also is the great inventor of chocolate sprinkles!

Born moved to New York City to open his own little retail shop. In only six years, he became so successful that he was able to start his manufacturing business.

The fruity and chewy Mike and Ike candies are available in cherry, lemon, lime, orange, and (my favorite) strawberry flavors.

Now I know what you’re thinking- Mike and Ike was probably named after the owners or creators of the candy, right? Well… not exactly.

Although that is one theory, there are definitely a few other possibilities. One is that it is reference to Dwight Eisenhower. Another is that it is reference to a very popular vaudeville song at the time called “Mike and Ike (The Twins).” There was also a comic strip by Goldberg called “Mike and Ike (They Look Alike)” which was extremely famous around 1920, but faded away by the early 1940’s.

Some people even believe that the name alludes to the Matina brothers. These three brothers come from Hungary and were cast as three munchkins in the Wizard of Oz. Two of the three men were known as Mike and Ike and some suggest they were actually popular enough to have candy named after them.

Mike and Ike is my absolute favorite fruity candy of all time. The experience is unbeatable. With each chew, a burst of juice is spread around your mouth as the sweet yet tart flavors fill your senses. These yummy treats are at the top of my father’s list of favorite candies too.

Fun Fact: Mike and Ike is the best selling non- chocolate candy in movie theaters. Some theaters even sell individual 1.5 pound boxes of Mike and Ike candies!

If you love juicy, fruity candies, then you would surely love Mike and Ike!

Sources

https://www.thedailymeal.com/eat/who-are-mike-and-ike

https://www.dailypress.com/entertainment/food/sns-dailymeal-1866147-eat-who-are-mike-and-ike-20180110-story.html

http://mentalfloss.com/article/69293/10-sweet-and-colorful-facts-about-mike-and-ike

http://visionlaunch.com/who-invented-mike-and-ikes/

The Three Musketeers candy bar was introduced back in 1932 as the third candy created by the Mars Company. The original package contained three different flavored pieces of candy: chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. At the time it cost only a nickel for all three pieces.

During World War II, the United states decided to ration sugar. Because it was so expensive to make all three chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla flavors, the company decided to make only one. Starting in 1945, three Musketeers was sold as a single bar made with only the delicious chocolate nougat. The candy was marketed as so big that it was able to be shared with two friends.

On the 75th birthday of Three Musketeers, the company decided to come out with a limited edition mint flavor. This flavor, released in 2007, became such a hit that it is still being sold today.

Some of the other flavors experimented with in the early 2000’s include mocha, strawberry, cappuccino, French vanilla, cherry, orange, and raspberry. These were not as successful, however, and were only sold for a short period of time.

The two key components of the candy are chocolate and nougat. To make the special nougat, egg whites are whipped until they have a light texture with a specific frothiness. Sugary syrup is added to keep the foam maintained to a certain degree. Other flavors are then added to this frapp and the nougat is done. After this stage, it is shaped and dipped in a delicious chocolate coating.

Nougat was originally put into candy bars so it resembles the flavor and texture of ice cream. In fact, this is why, in the past, candy bars that contained nougat were often served frozen.

This yummy candy was always one of my favorites. Three Musketeers were always put inside  goodie bags after parties when I was a kid. I just could never get enough of the chocolates! I do have to admit, they may never have made it to the first place on my list of favorite candies, but they stayed a consistent second place all throughout my childhood. (The first place would always be taken by my beloved Milky Ways.)

Fun Fact: Outside of the United States and Canada, a Three Musketeers is called a Milky Way!

Sources:

https://foodimentary.com/tag/history-of-3-musketeers/

https://www.leaf.tv/articles/the-history-of-the-3-musketeers-candy-bar/

https://www.oldtimecandy.com/collections/walk-the-candy-aisle-3-musketeers

In York, Pennsylvania, Henry Kessler opened the York Cone Company  around 1920. Twenty years later, in 1940, peppermint patties came about. The new product was introduced to consumers in the northeastern United states, Indiana, Florida, and Ohio.

In 1972, the York Cone Company was bought by the Peter Paul Company and three years later the York Peppermint Pattie was nationally launched. In 1988 the company merged with Hershey to deliver customers the delicious peppermint and dark chocolate combination known and loved by all.

When the original cone company was founded in the early twentieth century, ice cream cones were a relatively new thing in the United States. In Europe, ice cream cones have been around much longer. They date back to the eighteenth century. The exact date of the ice cream cone’s in America is unsure. But, it was popularized at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904.

Before York Peppermint Patties were invented, peppermint covered with chocolate was not very popular. The quality was less than ideal and the peppermint was always mushy and soft. However, Kessler was able to figure out how to prevent the peppermint center from becoming gooey. His peppermint was always firm and crisp. In fact, each pattie would be tested and if they did not split evenly in the center when broken in half, the batch was not sent out to be sold to consumers.

Peppermint Patties are definitely at the top of my mother’s list of candies. She just can’t get enough of the dark chocolate and delicious cool tasting peppermint. When I was younger, I just couldn’t stand the candies. I always felt that the peppermint was too strong and it always hurt my mouth. I would have much rather have been eating a Milky Way! Every Halloween, after Trick or Treating, I would go through my huge bag of candy, taking out the Peppermint Patties and giving them all to my mother.

As I have gotten older, Peppermint Patties have grown on me. Although they are not my first choice of candy, I think they taste pretty darn good. If someone were to hand one to me, I would gladly pop it right into my mouth!

Fun Fact: National Peppermint Pattie Day is February 11th.

Sources:

https://www.hersheys.com/york/en_us/about.html

https://www.oldtimecandy.com/collections/walk-the-candy-aisle-york-peppermint-patties

http://www.truetreatscandy.com/the-story-of-the-peppermint-pattie-via-the-ice-cream-cone-plus-junior-mints-and-a-quick-peek-at-the-john-birch-society/

War Heads were invented in Taiwan around 1975. The Foreign Candy Company was the first to import the sour candy into the United States in 1993. In 1999, War Heads was referred to as a “$40 million brand.” Today, they are manufactured by Impact Confections.

A real warhead is the front of a rocket. This is what holds the explosives. The name of the candy is a pretty accurate description of what your mouth feels like as you eat it. War Heads are an extremely sour candy not for the weak. . It is nearly impossible for someone to eat War Head candies without making a sour face. The intensity is insane!

Each piece of candy is coated in a layer of malic acid, citric acid, and ascorbic acid. Malic acid is the same acid found in green apples, giving them their sour kick. The first minute of having the candy in your mouth requires serious dedication and lack of concern for the feeling in your mouth. Luckily, the sourness subsides after a little bit and you’re left with a sweet fruity flavor. The different kinds of War Heads on the market currently are black cherry, watermelon, lemon, blue raspberry, and apple.

On every package, there is a warning label, which reads, “WARNING: Eating multiple pieces within a short time period may cause a temporary irritation to sensitive tongues and mouths.”

I, personally, have never eaten a candy more sour than War Heads. I remember the very first time I tried a War Head. I was probably about eleven years old.  The concept of an extremely sour candy intrigued me, and all of my friends could not stop talking about this crazy candy. So, I took a piece and popped it into my mouth. Almost instantly I spit it right back out. Never in my life had I experienced such sourness. Watching my friends just keep them in their mouths, sometimes eating two at a time, baffled me.

In high school, I would buy bags of War Heads just so I could give them out to other people. I still could not eat them, but I thought it was so funny watching my friends eat them. The funny faces they made would make me laugh so hard.

War Heads are only for those whose mouths are not sensitive in the slightest and truly love extremely sour candy. If you choose to try them out, all I can say is “Good luck!”

Sources:

https://www.candyfavorites.com/blog/warheads-for-extreme-candy-eaters-only/

https://www.chron.com/life/health/article/The-science-behind-how-Warheads-are-so-sour-4901092.php

Introduced in 1907, Hershey Kisses are simply bite sized chocolate candies that are simply delectable. One reason why Kisses rose in dominance within the candy industry is because of Hershey’s ability for mass production. Not only that, but the chocolate used was innovatively inexpensive.

 The Wilbur Bud was a similar candy made of little chocolate drops in 1894. However, the Wilbur Bud was not made through mass production, but by physically molding the candy. For each candy made, melted chocolate was poured into a teardrop shaped mold and cooled in order for the liquid to solidify.

Hershey was able to speed up the process. The Hershey Company created a machine that could automatically create the teardrop shape with a nozzle. Each Kiss could be plopped, one after the other onto a conveyer belt. Hershey also was able to come to the conclusion that consumers may desire to individually hold the chocolates in their hands. In order to make this possible, the company decided to use a foil wrap for each miniature candy.

The Kisses were hand wrapped by factory workers until 1921. Afterwards, a machines with a foil plunger stamps the chocolates as they passed on the conveyer belt. In 1924, the tissue paper poking from the top of the Kiss was trademarked, and has been iconic ever since.

In the 1960’s, the Hershey Company became one of the very first candy companies to switch up its colors depending on the holiday. 1962 was the exact year that the Hershey Company first wrapped the Kisses in red and green foils for the Christmas season. In 1986, red and pink foils were used for the first time to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Today, foils come in a variety of patterns and colors celebrating holidays such as Easter and Halloween.

Hershey Kisses come in a variety of different chocolate flavors and fillings as well. My personal favorites are the dark chocolate Kisses and the milk chocolate Kisses filled with gooey caramel.  The kisses are without a doubt one of my favorite candies because I simply just love all things chocolate. The simplicity of the Hershey Kiss is what makes it so iconic. Just to have a single drop of Hershey chocolate is irresistible.

Fun Fact: If the Hershey Kisses produced each year were put in a single line, it would be over 300,000 miles in length.

Sources:

https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/lifestyle/2012/09/hersheys-kisses-fun-facts-and-recipes/

http://time.com/3707086/hershey-kiss-history-valentines/

After three years of research, the first filled candy bar was created. The Milky Way chocolate bar debuted in 1923. It was inspired by the popular chocolate-malt milkshakes of the time.  In fact, the first advertising slogan for the Milky Way was, “A Chocolate Malted Milk in a Candy Bar.”

Malted milk was first introduced as infant formula in the late 19th century. It was prized for its yummy taste and reputed health benefits. Malted milk was soon a key ingredient in the malted milkshake. The earliest advertisements for Milky Ways claimed that the candy had “more malted milk content than a soda fountain double malted milk!”

In 1926, the Milky Way candy bar was introduced in chocolate and vanilla flavors- each sold for five cents. In 1932, the Milky Way bar was sold as a two piece bar, but were separated indefinitely in 1936.

The vanilla Milky Way bar, covered in dark chocolate as opposed to milk chocolate, was renamed the Forever Yours candy bar. Forever Yours was discontinued in 1979. It was back by popular demand in 1989 and renamed the Milky Way Dark bar. Today, you may recognize this candy by the name given in 2000, which is the Milky Way Midnight bar.

The mass production of the Milky Way was originally made possible due to the fact that the candy was first filled with mostly nougat. Nougat is made just from eggs, sugar, and air, which is helpful in keeping costs low. As the years went by, more and more caramel was added to the Milky Way. Today, the Milky Way has a thick, gooey, stringy caramel filling. This is the very ingredient that makes it one of the most famous candy bars in America!

Growing up, my very favorite Halloween candy was always the Milky Way or the Milky Way Midnight candy bar. I would always separate those from the huge mass of Halloween candy I acquired with my friends. After going through the candy collected during the last couple hours, they’d be gone within the first hour of arriving back at home.

Midnight Milky Ways will always be the first thing I reach for when I decide to treat myself to a candy bar. The contrast between the sweet caramel and the bitter dark chocolate is simply irresistible.

Fun Fact: Theoretically, a Milky Way is a Snickers without peanuts, a Milky Way without caramel is a Three Musketeers, and a Three Musketeers without a nougat is a Hershey’s chocolate bar!

Sources:

http://mentalfloss.com/article/70206/10-gooey-facts-about-milky-way-bars

https://www.oldtimecandy.com/collections/walk-the-candy-aisle-milky-way

Smarties have been owned by the same family since its creation in 1949. Over 60 years ago, Edward “Eddie” Dee, an immigrant from England, founded the Ce De Candy Inc. and based the whole company on a candy designed not to melt when the weather was too warm. The factory was opened in Bloomfield, New Jersey, in August of 1949.

America’s favorite candy wafer roll was produced in a rented factory equipped with only two machines in the building. The company was moved to Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1959, and then finally Union, New Jersey in 1967. The Ce De Candy Inc. was renamed after 62 years, and in 2011 was finally called Smarties Candy Company, reflecting the  huge success of Ce De Candy Inc.

The success of Smarties was so great that an additional factory was opened in 1988 in Newmarket, Ontario. These Canadian smarties are imported to America whenever the demand is too large for just the single factory in New Jersey. Canadian Smarties are named Rockets. This is because there is already another candy made from chocolate that is named Smarties. Canada and the United States of America are the only countries in which Smarties are available for purchase and consumption.

Today, Smarties are made in Newmarket, Ontario and Union, New Jersey. They are being manufactured twenty four hours a day in six different colors. Smarties are available in the colors  orange, purple, green, pink, yellow, and white. Their corresponding flavors are orange, grape, strawberry, cherry, pineapple, and orange- cream.  Billions of Smarties rolls are produced each and every year.

Smarties are made free from peanuts, treenuts, milk, eggs, shellfish, fish, wheat, and soybeans. All products from the company are also gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan. The original ingredients of Smarties are: DEXTROSE, CITRIC ACID, CALCIUM STEARATE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, COLORS (RED 40 LAKE, YELLOW 5 LAKE, YELLOW 6 LAKE, BLUE 2 LAKE).

The Smarties Candy Company also likes to give back to the community. Each year, they allot a specific amount of candy for donations. The company tries to keep the donation candy specifically for requests made by the nearby communities situated in New Jersey.

I remember when I was a kid, Smarties were one of my very favorite candies. I would trade my lollipops for Smarties in a heartbeat. My cousin, Elena, happened to love Smarties so much, in fact, that they were the only candy she could eat without feeling sick. Just the taste of any other sweet, such as bubblegum flavored toothpaste, would make her nauseous!

Fun Fact: Smarties only contain 25 calories per roll.

Sources:

https://www.candyfavorites.com/a-smarties-history

https://www.smarties.com/faqs/

https://www.smarties.com/our-story/

Jolly Ranchers first appeared in 1949, when Bill and Dorothy Harmsen founded the Jolly Rancher Company. They  originally only sold products to the kids living in the area around Denver, Colorado. Harmsen purposely gave his company the friendliest name imaginable so it was as appealing as possible to consumers. At the time, the Jolly Rancher Company sold chocolates and ice cream in addition to the hard candies, but clearly one was more popular than the others. Ice cream wasn’t very popular in the cold Colorado winter months, so Harmsen decided to focus on the hard candies because they were popular year round.

In 1951, the production of candy was moved from Golden, Colorado to Wheat Ridge, Colorado. In 1966, the Harmsens sold the Jolly Rancher Company to Beatrice Foods, and then in 1983, Beatrice Foods was sold to the Leaf Candy Company. The Hershey Company bought Jolly Ranchers in 1996, and production was moved to Mexico and Canada.

The Hershey Company expanded the range of Jolly Ranchers to include the same delicious flavors in lollipops, drinks, jelly beans, chewy candy, sour candy, gummy candies, and candy canes. You can even find Jolly Rancher pillows, shirts, and lip glosses. Jolly ranchers are now sold in supermarkets and convenience stores all over.

Jolly Ranchers originally came in apple, grape, and Fire Stix flavors. Lemon, cherry, and pineapple were added later on. Eventually blue raspberry was included in the possible flavor options. Today the official flavors are watermelon, apple, grape, cherry, and blue raspberry. There are also special Jolly Ranchers for Halloween, Christmas, Easter, and Valentine’s Day, to make every holiday jolly!

I remember in elementary school, kids would go crazy for Jolly Ranchers. The favorite flavor among my friends in particular was blue raspberry, but my personal favorite was always cherry. Although hard candy hasn’t always been popular among young children, Jolly Ranchers always seemed to be the exception to this rule. Teachers would often bribe students into volunteering and participating in class through the one and only Jolly Rancher hard candy.

Believe it or Not: One time, cops from New York City arrested a couple of guys for carrying what the cops thought to be crystal meth, when after testing, it was found that the “crystal meth” was actually blue raspberry Jolly Rancher candies.

Sources:

https://www.candyfavorites.com/history-jolly-ranchers

https://jollyrancherhistory.weebly.com/history.html

“Saving enough soda bottles at  two cents a bottle was not easy when every kid in the neighborhood was looking for those bottles. Not many people drank soda, so it was difficult to get 3 bottles to make up enough for a 5 cent candy bar. Baby Ruth was my favorite, so to look for dropped pennies or a soda bottle was like treasure hunting with a wonderful treasure to receive. In such small hands a candy bar seemed really large. What a treat is was and I still love them today.”

 ~Evelyn from Connecticut

Baby Ruth is a chocolate candy bar filled with gooey caramel, crunchy peanuts, and a chewy nougat. Originally at only five cents per bar, it was half the price of other candy bars at the time. Because of this and its deliciousness, Baby Ruth quickly became one of the best- selling candy bars available on the market. After just five years of production, five million Baby Ruth bars were being sold each and every day.

Introduced in 1921, Baby Ruth was first named Kandy Kake, but the product is said to be revamped and renamed after the daughter of President Grover Cleveland, Ruth Cleveland. However, there are some who believe it is questionable that the candy was actually named after Ruth Cleveland and not Babe Ruth, the baseball star.

Baby Ruth suspiciously first appeared on shelves at the same time Babe Ruth became one of the most famous people in the United States. Critics find it hard to believe that the Curtiss Candy Company would name a candy bar after the daughter of a former president. Not to mention, Ruth Cleveland died of diphtheria from tonsillitis complications at the age of twelve in 1904, over seventeen years before the production of the Baby Ruth bar.

The Curtiss Candy Company stands by the belief that Babe Ruth did not become a star until long after the introduction of Baby Ruth in 1921. However, there are some key facts that dispute this statement. Prior to the 1920 baseball season, Babe Ruth established himself as a star outfielder and hitter on the New York Yankees. By fall of 1921, Babe Ruth had more press than the president of the United States, Warren Harding. Ruth became so famous that his salary was greater than President Herbert Hoover’s in 1930.

No matter where the origins of the name come from, one things for sure- the Baby Ruth candy bar is a delicious treat to be enjoyed for generations.

Fun Fact: The candy, Baby Ruth, has made appearances in movies such as The Goonies and Caddyshack.

https://www.oldtimecandy.com/collections/walk-the-candy-aisle-baby-ruth

https://www.candywarehouse.com/baby-ruth/

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/baby-ruth/

https://www.history.com/news/babe-ruth-v-baby-ruth

http://www.historyspaces.com/u-s-history/was-there-ever-a-real-baby-ruth/