Just In Time For Halloween – Famous Candy History (Name and Origin)
I’ll admit, I figured I knew most candy history because, well…I’ve eaten A LOT of candy in my life. But where did the names come from? There’s a couple in here that are REALLY surprising.
Candy History – A Sweet Lesson
• 3 Musketeers A reference to the Alexandre Dumas novel, because the candy was initially composed of separate milk, chocolate, and vanilla bars.
• Baby Ruth Not named in honor of baseball player Babe Ruth, but after Ruth Cleveland, the daughter of American president Grover Cleveland (wait…what?)
• Butterfinger The result of a 1928 contest held by the Curtiss Candy Company. The submission was by a Chicago man who described himself as a klutz. (I would’ve never guessed this one in a million years)
• Ferrero Rocher Invented by Michele Ferrero, who named the chocolate after the Roche de Massabielle, the site of a sighting of the Virgin Mary.
• Hershey’s Named after Milton Hershey and his Hershey Chocolate Company, which was originally known as the Lancaster Caramel Company. (okay, that one I knew)
• Jolly Rancher Traces the name of an ice cream store in Colorado, which was named with the intent of giving off a friendly Western aura. (and the candy would last the entire bus trip to middle school)
• Junior Mint A pun on the name of the 1940s Broadway play Junior Miss, meant to imply that this was a good candy to eat during movies or shows. (and I always thought it was simply a little mint)
• KitKat Although unconfirmed, the name is widely thought to refer to the Kit-Kat Club, a popular 1920s jazz venue in the West End of London. (for some reason I thought I knew that)
• M&M’s Originally a joint venture between businessman Forrest Mars and Bruce Murrie, who was the son of the president of the Hershey’s company.
• Milk Duds Milk refers to the large amount of milk in the confection, and they’re called duds because their maker couldn’t make them round. (so it was a mistake?)
• Milky Way Not named directly after our galaxy, but after malted milk, which was a popular drink when the candy was released in the early 1920s.
• Mr. Goodbar Named when Milton Hershey heard someone who said “that’s a good bar” as “Mister Goodbar” and liked the sound of it. (and the movie “Looking for Mr Goodbar was NOT based on this…or maybe it was?)
• PayDay Invented by the Hollywood Candy Company in 1932. When it was time to name the chocolate, it happened to be payday for the company. (glad it wasn’t “check for lice” day)
• Reese’s Created by former Hershey’s employee Harry Burnett “H.B.” Reese, who enjoyed naming his company after himself. (there you go)
• Skittles A word traditionally associated with the game of bowling. Historically has referred to a number of candy products, as well as recreational choices. (NEVER heard this)
• Smarties Named to encourage people to pursue an education. Also sold as “Rockets” in Canada to avoid confusion with the American version of Smarties. (okay, now I’ve got to go to Windsor and get some “Rockets”)
• Snickers Named in the 1930s after a favorite horse owned by the Mars family. Sold as the Marathon Bar in Britain to avoid the word “knickers.” (wait…what? The horse?)
• Sour Patch Kids Originally known as Mars Men in Canada but marketed as Sour Patch Kids in the US during the Cabbage Patch Kids craze in the 1980s. (again, trip to Canada time)
• Starburst Originally called Opal Fruits when it was made in Britain in 1960. Later renamed to Starburst for the American market.
• Swedish Fish A gummy candy whose first batch was exported from Sweden in the 1950s. The fish are an allusion to Sweden’s fishing industry.
• Toblerone A portmanteau of Tobler, the name of the founder, and torrone, a traditional Swiss nougat treat. (makes sense)
• Tootsie Roll Named after the daughter of the candy’s creator, Leo Hirschfeld’s five-year-old daughter, who was nicknamed “Tootsie.” (not the character from “Facts of Life”? bummer)
• Twix Probably a combination of the words twin and mix, although in Europe it was originally marketed as the “Raider.” (now I want to find a Raider bar…but if it’s like Raiders fan, it’ll probably hit you with itself)
Candy History – Now You Know
So there you go, some VERY interesting history notes in regards to candy. I’m hoping a teacher or two can shape this into an exciting lesson plan for the Halloween season. Or at least buy us some candy.
