The name, “Jolly Rancher,” was chosen to connote a “hospitable western company.”

A favorite of young and old alike, National Hard Candy Day on December 19th, recognizes the sweet tooth in all of us.

• The first hard candies, such as lemon drops and peppermints, were likely prescribed as a remedy for stomach ailments.
• Hard candy became popular in the seventeenth century as sugar prices fell. Previously, hard candy was something that only the well-to-do could afford.
• By the mid-1800s, over 400 companies were manufacturing this popular treat.
• In 1847, the invention of the candy press made it possible to produce multiple shapes and sizes of candy at once.
• In 2015, Jolly Rancher surpassed Werther’s Original as the best selling hard candy. Other popular hard candies include Dum Dum Pops, Life Savers, Tootsie Roll Pops, and Charms Blow Pop.
• Less than two percent of the calories in the American diet are supplied by candy.
• Germans consume twice as much candy as Americans.
• 65% of American candy bars were introduced more than 50 years ago
• The actual flavor of circus peanuts is banana
• A Dutch man invented the first hard chocolate candy in 1844.
• The first chocolate candy bars were made by Joseph Fry in 1847 using bittersweet chocolate.
• Milk chocolate was first introduced in 1875 by Henry Nestle and Daniel Peter.
• In 1880 when rock candy enjoyed great popularity as a cough-cold remedy and delicious confection. In addition, vast amounts were used in salons. Every bar had its own creation of rock and rye to “cure their patrons’ colds” or at least make them forget they had a cold in the first place. Prohibition was not kind to the rock candy industry and of the original manufacturers, only Dryden & Palmer remains today.
• 200 million Skittles are produced each day.
• The sucker’s “mystery” flavor is always a mix of two flavors. It’s created when the machine switches to producing a new flavor.
• Americans over 18 years of age consume 65 percent of the candy which is produced each year.
• Some candies, such as lollipops, candy canes, gummy bears, gum drops, licorice twist and sour balls are free of fat and cholesterol, making them a healthier treat than many people realize.
• Americans eat 25 pounds of candy, per person, per year. The people of Denmark eat more than 36 pounds of candy per person, per year.
• A lollipop, which was invented by George Smith in 1908, was named after Lolly Pop, a racing horse.
• In 1949, Bill and Dorothy Harmsen founded the Jolly Rancher company. Getting its start in Golden, Colorado, the company sold ice cream, candy, and chocolate at local stores. The fun fact here comes in the name. Since these tasty hard candies were created in the west, Bill wanted them to represent the spirit of the people. The name, “Jolly Rancher,” was chosen to connote a “hospitable western company.”
• The “World’s Largest Lollipop” weighed 7,003 pounds and was created by Sees Candy on July 18, 2012 in Burlingame, California. That’s the weight of more than 11 grizzly bears, 3.5 Clydesdale horses, or more than one BMW 7 series!
• Sour Patch Kids, a modern candy staple, went through many name changes before landing on its current moniker. Initially, the colorful candies were called Sour Group Kids. Then, the manufacturer changed the name to Mars Men. Finally, in 1985, the sweets settled on their current name. “Sour Patch Kids” was meant to be evocative of the super-popular Cabbage Patch Kids taking the ’80s by storm.
• Pop Rocks, the little candies known for their ability to snap, pop and fizz when they interact with your saliva, have long been a source of intrigue — namely, for their ability to do a number on a bottle of soda. Pop Rocks themselves are made of common candy stock — corn syrup, sugar and fruit flavor — oh yeah, plus a secret ingredient: carbon dioxide. Factory workers add carbon dioxide to the candies while they’re still hot, which sets them up to pop when they hit your mouth.
• Top 5 best selling candies in the United States are:
  • 1. M&Ms
  • 2. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
  • 3. Snickers
  • 4. Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar
  • 5. Kit Kat
• M&Ms are the most popular candy in the world. M&M’s were first introduced commercially in 1941 by Forrest Mars, Sr.  Forrest got the idea for the candy after observing soldiers eating chocolate pellets with a hard shell during the Spanish Civil War.
• Snickers is actually the best-selling candy bar in the world. Mars Incorporated introduced Snickers candy bars in 1930. It was named after the Mars family’s favorite horse.
• Americans buy approximately 600 million pounds of candy for Halloween every year. If you’re not sure what exactly that looks like, consider this: The Titanic weighed about 100 million pounds. Now, picture six Titanic ships made of candy
• The word ‘PEZ’ comes from the German word for peppermint – PfeffErmintZ.

Sources:

National Day Calendar

Tropical Foods

Candy History

Candy Store

Candy Central

Just Fun Facts