A few facts about candy—short and sweet.
POP ROCKS. In 1956 a chemist for General Foods was looking for a way to make instant carbonated soda pop by trapping carbon dioxide in hard candy tablets. One afternoon he popped some of the experimental nuggets into his mouth…and felt them pop. No one at General Foods could think of a use for the substance, so it was shelved for almost 20 years. But in 1975 it was rediscovered and introduced as Pop Rocks—and became the hottest-selling candy in history. More than 500 million packets were sold between 1975 and 1980.
PEZ. Invented in 1927 by Eduard Haas, an Austrian antismoking advocate who marketed peppermint-flavored PEZ as a cigarette substitute. The candy gets its name from the German word for peppermint, Pfefferminze. Haas brought it to the United States in 1952. It bombed, so he reintroduced it as a children’s toy, complete with cartoon heads and fruity flavors.
CHARLESTON CHEW. Sometimes the names of candy bars come from the fads that are popular when they are introduced. The Charleston Chew was introduced during the Roaring Twenties, and was named after the latest dance craze, the Charleston.
BLACK CROWS. The Mason Candy Co. decided to introduce a new candy in the 1890s. The licorice-flavored gumdrops were supposed to be called Black Rose. But the printer misunderstood the instructions and printed the wrappers with the name “Black Crows.” He refused to redo the job, claiming it was Mason’s mistake. Rather than pay to reprint the wrappers, the folks at Mason decided to change the name of the product. Black Crows are still available by that name today.
The eagle is the national symbol of the USA…and Germany…and Poland.
MEXICAN HATS. When Mexican Hats candies were introduced by Heide (makers of Jujyfruits and Gummi Bears) they were called “Wet ’ems and Wear ’ems.” Kids were supposed to lick the candies (which are in the shape of hats) and stick them to their foreheads. Why the candy company wanted kids to wear the candies is unknown.
KRAFT CARAMELS. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, James L. Kraft started making caramels. He didn’t particularly like candy—he just needed another product for his cheese salesmen to sell. The candy succeeded because grocers wanted a summer substitute for chocolate, which melted in the heat.
THREE MUSKETEERS. Advertising in the 1950s suggested that the Three Musketeers candy bar got its name because it was big enough for three people to share. The truth is, it was originally made of three separate nougat sections: vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. Eventually, the strawberry and vanilla nougat sections were eliminated, leaving only the chocolate nougat.
Horse riding is believed to be at least 5,000 years old.