Updated March 8, 2024
It’s National Gumdrop Day! Yes, we know it’s also President’s Day, but more on that later.
Gumdrops are a tasty, chewy candy made with gelatin and coated with sugar. Gumdrops can come in fruity flavors like grape, cherry, orange, and lemon or spiced flavors like cinnamon, clove, mint, and anise.
The spice drop color/flavor code is generally as follows, though can vary by manufacturer: orange is clove, yellow is allspice or sassafras, red is cinnamon, green is spearmint, purple is cardamom or anise, white is wintergreen or peppermint, and black is licorice.
Observed on February 15th, National Gumdrop Day recognizes a favorite candy of many: the gumdrop! There’s no question as to what to do. Eat gumdrops and eat as many as you want!
- 1682 – Frenchman Denis Papin discovers gelatin, a pure protein product, through research and experimentation.
- 1801 – Gumdrops were believed to have been invented by Percy Trusdale in 1801; however, many still debate about the history of gumdrops and how they came to be.
- According to articles after his death in 1948, Truesdell took the once hard, poorly flavored glob of sugar and turned it into the smooth, chewy delight we enjoy today.
- 1859 – The term “gumdrops” didn’t exist until 1859, when it appeared in the Illinois State Chronicle, as it was reported on a candy shop owned by George Julier.
- 1916 – Percy Truesdell founded and incorporated the P.S. Truesdell Candy Manufacturing Company. At his death, he became known as the Gumdrop King.
- 1930s – The phrase “Goody, Goody Gumdrops” was first popularized in the 1930s by a cartoon strip called Harold Teen.
- 1948 – The classic board game, Candy Land, invented in 1948, features both a Gumdrop Pass and a Gumdrop Mountain.
- 1955 – The Gum Drop song by The Crew-Cuts is released. Listen here
- 1959 – The use of the expression “goody gumdrops” as an alliterative exclamation of joy was first recorded in the 1959 novel Strike Out Where Not Applicable by British crime author Nicolas Freeling: “Buttered toast, and cherry cake, as well as Marmite. Goody, goody gumdrops.”
- 1960 – Haribo introduces the bear-shaped gummy in Germany — made out of licorice, they were called ‘dancing bears.’
- 1981 – The first gummy worm candy was introduced to the U.S. in 1981 by Trolli, a German confectionery brand, that, today, makes neon gummy crawlers.
- 2011 – the largest gummy bear on record was made in 2011 in Texas; weighing in at 81 pounds, it was 2 feet tall and 2 feet wide.
- 2014 – The largest gummy candy of any shape was made in 2014 in Germany; it weighed 1,128 pounds and 12 ounces, and took six days to set during refrigeration.
- 2017 – Kevin ‘L.A. Beast’ Strahle set the record in 2017 by eating 31 gummy bears in one minute.
- The most popular flavors are cherry, grape, orange, lemon, and spice flavors like clove, cinnamon, mint, and anise (licorice).
- Originally, gumdrops were flavored with spices: orange (clove), yellow (allspice), red (cinnamon), green (spearmint), purple (anise), white (wintergreen or peppermint), and black(licorice).
- The NASA Apollo Command modules were nicknamed “Gumdrops” because of its conical shape.
- Branch’s Candy holds the world record for the largest gumdrop which weighed in a little larger than 10 lbs. If you had eaten it you would have consumed 15,127 calories.
- Candy accounts for only 6% of the added sugar in the American diet. Soft drinks and juice account for 46%.
- Candy became widely available almost 140 years ago. Until then, people would make their own fudge or caramel at home.
- One serving of gumdrops is approximately 10 pieces. There are 21.2 grams of sugar in this serving, that’s almost 6 teaspoons.
- One gumdrop contains 17 calories.
- Brach’s Candy holds the world record for the largest gumdrop (in the traditional shape) at just over 10 pounds.
Sources:
Of course today is also Presidents day.
Presidents Day is a federal holiday which, in the United States, is observed on the third Monday in February.
This day is set aside, by more and more of America’s population, to honor all of the past United States presidents that have served our country. Two of our nation’s great presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, are brought to mind as we celebrate this day. Their birth-dates, which fall close to this same time, have been celebrated for decades and always will be.
Presidents Day is celebrated with public ceremonies in Washington D.C. and throughout the United States.
The origin of Presidents Day lies in the 1880′s, when the birthday of George Washington was celebrated as a federal holiday. In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Bill, which moved a number of federal holidays to Mondays. During the debate on the bill, it was proposed that George Washington’s birthday be renamed Presidents Day to honor the birthdays of both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Washington’s birthday is February 22nd and Lincoln’s birthday is February 12th. Although Abraham Lincoln’s birthday was celebrated in many states, it was never an official federal holiday. Following much discussion, Congress rejected the name change, however, after the bill went into effect in 1971 Presidents Day became the commonly accepted name.
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