Candy of Yesterday Produced by Candy Makers of Today
Candy has quite a history in the United States, with many brands and popular novelty items originating in the mid 1800s and early-to-mid 1900s. Most of the original producers are completely out of business or, in order to generate quick cash, sold their most popular candy brands to other companies. Popular candy items of the late 19th and early 20th centuries are still on the market, mostly due to acquisitions by large, long-running confectioneries but also from newer ones that have cropped up in the 21st century.
Some Chocolate Products of “Yesterday” Are Now Made by Hershey and Nestlé
Hershey: Among the many original items of the Hershey line, such as the original Hershey bar and Mr. Goodbar, the company produces 5th Avenue (Luden; 1936), Cadbury Creme Eggs and Cadbury Milk Chocolate (Cadbury; 1905), Good & Plenty/Good & Fruity (Quaker City Confectionery; 1893), Heath (L. S. Heath; 1928); Milk Duds (Hoffman/Holloway; 1926), Mounds and Almond Joy (Peter Paul; 1921/1946), Whoppers (Overland-Leaf; 1949), York Peppermint Pattie (York Cone/Cadbury;1940), Zagnut (D.L. Clark; 1930) and Zero (Hollywood Candy; 1940s). Chocolate isn’t the only thing Hershey produces, adding the Payday nut and caramel bar (Hollywood Candy; 1932/ Leaf Candy; 1988) to its line in 1996 upon the acquisition of the Leaf Candy Company. Hershey also makes Jolly Rancher hard candies (Jolly Rancher Company; 1949) and Twizzlers (Y & S Candies; 1845).
Nestlé: Popular candy favorites created or introduced by many other companies are now made by Nestlé, including: Baby Ruth and Butterfinger (Curtiss;1921/1932), Bit-O-Honey (Schutter-Johnson; 1924), Chunky (Silvershein/Wrigley; 1938), Goobers, Sno-Caps & Raisinets (Blumenthal; 1925/1927/1928) and Oh Henry! (Williamson; 1920). Nestlé owns Rowntree’s Confectionery of York, England; the company produces a range of mints, chewing gum, chocolate and non-chocolate candies, under the Rowntree brand. These candies are packaged and sold outside of the United States.
Like Rowntree’s, the company which is the original producer of Kit Kat and Rolo, many candy Items are sold under various brand names in different parts of the world. For example, the packaging is similar but Kit Kat bars and Rolo candies bear the Nestlé or Rowntree name in markets outside of the United States. Hershey is licensed to produce these items in America. Similarly, Nestlé owns the Oh Henry! candy bar brand and sells the line in the United States, but Hershey is licensed to sell it in Canada and other markets. Mars-owned Bounty chocolate coconut bars, once popular in the United States, are now only sold internationally.
More Candy Companies That Own Popular Brands
Consolidated Brands: In 1984, Anthony Forgione purchased a corn syrup company called American Maize which owned Mallo Cup; a chocolate marshmallow candy created by bill and Bob Boyer during the Depression of the 1930s. The Boyer brothers sold their company in 1969 to American Maize. Forgione added the Mallo Cup line to Consolidated Brands’ other candy lines which include Barton’s, Schrafft’s and other assorted chocolate novelties. The headquarters of Consolidated Brands is located in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
Farley’s & Sathers: Since its beginning in 2002, the Farley’s & Sathers company of Round Lake, Minnesota has acquired many top-selling candy brands including Bobs (McCormack Candy; 1919), Brach’s caramels, chocolates, hard candies and toffees (E. J. Brach; 1904), Chuckles (F.W. Amend/Paul Beich Candies; 1921), Fruit Stripe Gum (Beech Nut; circa 1962), Jujubes (Heide; 1920), Jujyfruits (Heide; 1920), Red Hot Dollars (Heide; 1930s), Now and Later (Phoenix Candy Co.; 1962) and RainBlo bubblegum (Leaf; 1940). Farley’s & Sathers owns the trademark and brand names to more than 65 products; a list that increases every year.
Necco: With the merger of three candy companies in 1901, the New England Confectionery Company dates itself to 1847 when Oliver R. Chase of Boston, Massachusetts created a lozenge cutter, the item used to make flat disk sugar wafers. With its headquarters in Revere, Massachusetts, Necco now owns a variety of candy favorites, in addition to its own Necco Wafers and Sky Bar lines, including Mary Jane peanut butter-molasses taffy (Charles Miller-Stark Candy; 1914), Clark Bar (D. L. Clark; 1917), Squirrel Nut Caramels (Squirrel Brand Co.; circa 1925) and the always popular “candy buttons.” Necco purchased the United States production rights to candy buttons (round, colored sugar dots on strips of white paper) in 1980.
Tootsie Roll Industries: In 1896, Leo Hirschfield developed the chocolaty-chewy candy he called Tootsie Rolls after a nickname given to his daughter, Clara “Tootsie” Hirschfield. In addition to its line of Tootsie Rolls and Tootsie Pops, the company owns Andes Chocolate Mints (Kanelos; 1921/Brach’s; 1987), Cella’s Chocolate Covered Cherries (Cella’s; 1864), Charleston Chews (Fox-Cross Candy; 1922), Charms Blow Pops (Charms Co.; 1970), Crows (licorice gumdrops; Von Au-Maison; 1911), Dots (fruity gumdrops; Mason; 1940), Dubble Bubble (Fleer; 1928), Junior Mints (Welch; 1949), Nik-L-Nip Wax Bottles (American Candy Co., early 20th century), Razzles (original company unknown; 1966; Concord Confections; 1986), Sugar Babies/Sugar Daddy (Welch; 1935/1932), Wack-O Wax Lips and Fangs (American Candy Co.; 1899). Tootsie Roll Industries is based in Chicago, Illinois.
Wrigley: In 2004, the Wrigley Company, known mostly for its chewing gum and mints, purchased the Lifesavers (Clarence Crane; 1912) candy brand from Kraft foods and has since increased the line with a variety of new flavors. In 2008, Wrigley was purchased by Mars, Incorporated. Wrigley’s headquarters are still in Chicago, and, although now a subsidiary of Mars, operates businesses separately from the parent company. As part of the transition, Wrigley now handles the non-chocolate items from Mars’ candy line including Skittles (Britain; 1974/U.S.- Mars;1979) and Starburst (originally called Opal Fruits; Mars; 1960).
In the Candy Jar … there are many, many sweet (and salty, too!) products sold today in stores and on the Internet. If you like certain types of chocolate bars, gumdrops, hard candies, sour balls, jawbreakers, candy buttons, caramels, peanut butter chews, root beer barrels, pixy stix, jelly beans, wax lips and teeth, candy cigarettes, candy necklaces, circus peanuts, bubblegum … just about anything (the list can go on and on) … you are not alone; it is fun to go “walking in a candy wonderland.” Got a sweet tooth? Candy is dandy!
Sources
Hershey
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