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UPDATE: We’ve extended our special giveaway through Friday. So, you’ve got the rest of today to wow us with your candy trivia and win a Gummi Light, mental_floss t-shirt and/or the rest of my Halloween candy (see below).
Halloween is all about getting free stuff. So in that spirit, let us tell you about our special Halloween giveaway. The virtual trick-or-treater who brings us the most fascinating piece of candy trivia wins an incredibly cool Gummi Light (retail price: $125), courtesy of the nostalgic home furnishings designer Jellio. And we’ll throw in the mental_floss t-shirt of your choosing.
The contest ends at noon Eastern 11:59pm Pacific Time on Friday. Mario Marsicano – the proprietor of Jellio – will select the winning trivia tidbit over the weekend.
You can enter up to four times, in separate comments. Good luck!
Read on for great reader-submitted candy trivia, and another picture of the Gummi Light. PLUS, we just sweetened the deal.
In addition to awarding a Gummi Light and free shirt to the best candy-trivia supplier, one lucky participant can win all of Jason’s leftover Halloween candy! We’ve picked a random number (call it ‘x’). If you leave comment number ‘x,’ you win! We’ll wrap your candy in a free mental_floss t-shirt, too.
Comments (152)
Comment
Trick or treat!!
In 1977 a huge rumor was started that Bubble Yum contains spider parts (eggs, legs, webs)… which is not true… I hope.
posted by Diane on 10-31-2007 at 9:31 am
A huge supply of liqcorish (cant spell..meh) was found in King Tuts tomb.
posted by Diane on 10-31-2007 at 9:36 am
Chocolate candy bars top the list as the most popular candy for trick-or-treaters with Snickers #1.
posted by Diane on 10-31-2007 at 9:43 am
Halloween candy sales average about 2 billion dollars annually in the United States
…ok thats four for me. Im done :)
posted by Diane on 10-31-2007 at 9:43 am
Mars and Bounty bars were found in the farmhouse near the hole Saddam Hussein was found in when he was captured by U.S. forces (how weird is it that he had a Bounty bar?)
posted by sd on 10-31-2007 at 9:48 am
The red dye used in many candies, carmine or carminic acid, is derived from crushed beetles. YUM!
posted by Jen on 10-31-2007 at 9:48 am
the Snickers bar was named after Frank and Ethel Mars’ family horse. The original Snickers bars were sold for a nickel in 1929
posted by sd on 10-31-2007 at 9:50 am
Betsy Ross was the only human ever made into a PEZ dispenser
posted by sd on 10-31-2007 at 9:51 am
sd Says:
October 31st, 2007 at 9:51 am
Betsy Ross was the only human ever made into a PEZ dispenser
Actually, in the 1976 (to coincide with the bicentennial of the US) the historic series featured 3 “human Pez” figures. Betsy Ross, Daniel Boone, and a figure called “Captain” which is actually Paul Revere.
In 2006, Pez released a 3 pack of the bike builders of Orange County Choppers.
And, earlier this year, after appearing in the movie The Client, Pez released a 3 pack that included 3 Elvis Pez dispensers. Young Elvis, Military Elvis, and the classic Vegas Elvis.
posted by Jason Adams on 10-31-2007 at 9:56 am
Lifesavers: Clarence Arthur Crane developed a line of hard mints but didn’t have the space or machinery to make them. He hired a pill manufacturer to press the mints into shape. The pill manufacturer found that the pressing process worked much better when the mints were stamped with a hole in the middle.
Crane named them Life Savers because they looked like the life preservers that were coming into use after the titanic disaster.
posted by Drew on 10-31-2007 at 9:58 am
If you eat pop-rocks and soda your stomach will explode. I’m serious, the son of my cousin’s brother’s sister’s aunt told me.
Another not so well known fact about Halloween candy:
Apples do NOT equal Halloween candy. Maybe that’s better known now, but back in my day it seemed like all of the parents thought they were. Not so good when you are a 6 year old with a sweet tooth.
posted by Drew on 10-31-2007 at 10:02 am
Actually, when PEZ released the historic figure collection in 1976 to coincide with the bicentennial of the US there were 3 “real” PEZ dispensers. Betsy Ross, Daniel Boone, and a figure named “Captain” which was actually Paul Revere.
Additionally, last year PEZ released a 3 pack modeled after the bikers from Orange County Choppers.
Earlier this year, PEZ added a 3 pack of Elvis after a PEZ dispenser appeared in the movie The Client. The three Elvis dispensers are Young Elvis, Military Elvis, and the classic Vegas Elvis.
So, the total “real” PEZ dispensers is actually 9.
posted by Jason on 10-31-2007 at 10:02 am
The inventor of blow pops was inspired to make candy after a halloween when all he received was a helmet full of mashed potatoes.
posted by Jeremiah on 10-31-2007 at 10:08 am
The Arabs are often credited with inventing caramel. But an early use of the hot, sticky substance was not so sweet: Women in harems applied it as a hair remover.
posted by mo on 10-31-2007 at 10:11 am
Oldest candy company is America is Ye Olde Pepper Candy Companie in Salem, Massachusetts dating back to 1806
posted by JaneM on 10-31-2007 at 10:12 am
Early American chocolate-makers often touted their products’ nutritional value. During the Depression, candy bars had such names as Chicken Dinner, Idaho Spud and Big Eats. The Hershey’s chocolate wrapper once carried the slogan “More sustaining than meat.”
posted by mo on 10-31-2007 at 10:13 am
Candy generally contains sugar, and sugar can lead to damaged teeth. However, it’s not the sugar itself that damages the teeth. Several types of bacteria, particularily Streptococcus mutans are present in the mouth, and these feed on sugar.
posted by karissa on 10-31-2007 at 10:14 am
Hotlix Habanero candy lollipops - made with Sugar, Corn syrup, Habanero. They also have jalepeno lollipops for the faint of tongue.
posted by JaneM on 10-31-2007 at 10:16 am
When Standard Brands Company, owner of Curtiss Candy Company, was acquired by Nabisco in 1981, they realized they had somehow lost the original recipes for the Baby Ruth and Butterfinger candy bars. No one at the old Curtiss factory remembered how to make the candy bars, and Nabisco had to develop new recipes that customers would accept
posted by karissa on 10-31-2007 at 10:17 am
Baby Ruth candy bars were not named for Babe Ruth (as commonly thought) but rather Grover Cleveland’s daughter.
posted by wonderkim on 10-31-2007 at 10:21 am
When one of those plastic pumpkin totes is filled with candy on Halloween, it’ll contain just over 4,600 calories. To work that off, you’d have to swim for two hours straight in the ocean, then punch a heavy bag for over two hours straight, rake your lawn for three and a half hours, and finally run a 5-k race about three times (or other activities of your choice).
posted by mo on 10-31-2007 at 10:21 am
Making candy at the turn of the last century wasn’t the highly mechanized, year-round activity it is today. Candy was manufactured seasonally from March through November.
posted by mo on 10-31-2007 at 10:24 am
The famous Monty Python “Crunchy Frog” sketch refers to ” . . . only the finest baby frogs, dew picked and flown from Iraq, cleansed in finest quality spring water, lightly killed, and then sealed in a succulent Swiss quintuple smooth treble cream milk chocolate envelope and lovingly frosted with glucose”
Turns out the Edible Frog (Rana esculenta) is one of eight amphibian species found in Iraq.
posted by Andrew W on 10-31-2007 at 10:25 am
Although its tricolor design was considered revolutionary for its time, their shape was also a big selling point for the mostly agrarian population of the early 1900’s. So popular was candy corn that companies tried other vegetable shapes including turnips. The Goelitz Candy Company even had to turn orders down for lack of production capacity.
posted by mo on 10-31-2007 at 10:27 am
Ninety percent of parents admit to occasionally dipping into their offspring’s’ stash, according to the National Confectioners Association.
posted by mo on 10-31-2007 at 10:30 am
cotton candy was originaly used for Easter decorations…confectioners in Europe spun sugar nests for looks, and due to its rareness and being very expensive it was often spun in silver and gold for elaberate dessert presentations for the extremly wealthy.
posted by chad on 10-31-2007 at 10:38 am
Sam Born, founder of Just Born, the company that makes peeps, also invented the Born Sucker Machine which mechanically inserted sticks into lollipops. Born is also responsible for many other mechanical candy-making contraptions, but this one has the best name.
posted by Marsha G on 10-31-2007 at 10:38 am
Hershey’s Kisses get their name from the sound and motion of the machines that produce them. It looks and sounds as if the machine is kissing the conveyor belt as it moves along. Just to add a bit more trivia to the answer, Hershey plants in the United States have the capacity to make 33 million Hershey’s Kisses a day (that would make 12 billion in one year).
During World War II, production of Hershey’s Kisses was halted. Not because of a shortage of chocolate, but because the signature aluminum foil packaging was rationed
posted by QT 314159265 on 10-31-2007 at 10:38 am
The great band Squirrel Nut Zippers were named after the toffee “penny” candy which the band was eating while trying to come up with a name. They wrote to the company in New England, still owned by an individual who asked his employees what they thought. They listened to the music and gave him an enthusiastic “go ahead.” Where I grew up in the Midwest, they were called Squirrel Nut CHEWS, since “Zippers” were considered much too risque!
posted by winthebig on 10-31-2007 at 10:39 am
The brown center in Junior Mints Inside Outs is actually the same thing as the white cream in the regulars…it’s not chocolate…but rather brown mint.
posted by wonderkim on 10-31-2007 at 10:40 am
marshmellows are the earliest confections known to mankind…marshmellows and liquorice were first used as medicine
posted by chad on 10-31-2007 at 10:41 am
In the 30s Admiral Bird took 2.5 tons of NECCO wafers (the most underrated candy out there) with him to the South Pole. it equaled almost a pound per week per man for 2 years.
posted by steve h on 10-31-2007 at 10:42 am
Milk Duds are called “duds” because they were originally supposed to be perfectly spherical but the candy makers couldn’t perfect the process and could only come up with the flattened sphere shape– a bunch of duds.
posted by steve h on 10-31-2007 at 10:47 am
Wint-O-Green Life Savers are known for their ability to produce bright sparks when bitten in a dark room, due to triboluminescence produced by an electrical charge produced by grinding wintergreen or clove oil and sugar together.
posted by Jessie on 10-31-2007 at 10:50 am
despite all the urban legends and folk lore….no child has ever died or been seriously injured by halloween candy picked up by trick or treating.
posted by chad on 10-31-2007 at 10:54 am
Kit Kat bars have many regular and limited edition flavors all over the world- especially in Japan. Some of the strangest flavors that appear there are pineapple, green tea, and wine.
posted by Kelly on 10-31-2007 at 10:55 am
Peeps come in many shapes and colors, for Easter as well as most holidays. However, red peeps are only available at Target stores.
posted by Kelly on 10-31-2007 at 10:56 am
There are two legends about the origin of Oh Henry! candy bar’s name- the writer O. Henry, or a young flirt who frequented the Williamson company, where it was made. Additionally, in the 70’s an effort was to re-position the bar to be in honor of Henry “Hank” Aaron.
posted by Kelly on 10-31-2007 at 10:57 am
For the duration of his presidency, Ronald Reagan slept with a roll of Life Savers candy under his pillow to bring good luck.
posted by richel on 10-31-2007 at 10:57 am
Back in the 80s you (briefly) could buy a candy named “Dingleberries.” I remember seeing it once in a convenience store — it was in the form of a long tube, similar to how Mentos are packaged.
John Waters featured them on a David Letterman appearance back in 1986. If you do a Google search on the terms John Waters Letterman Dingleberries it should be your first result. Go to the last minute of the clip for the unfortnately-named product’s brief and probably only network appearance.
posted by Anonymous Coward on 10-31-2007 at 10:58 am
For the duration of his presidency, Ronald Reagan slept with a roll of Life Savers candy under his pillow for good luck.
posted by Harvest on 10-31-2007 at 11:00 am
If all the Cadbury Creme Eggs made each year were stacked one on top of each other they would stretch around 12,000 miles.
posted by Kelly on 10-31-2007 at 11:03 am
Forrest Mars Sr. invented the recipe for M&M’s during the Spanish Civil War. Mars saw soldiers eating pieces of chocolate covered with a hard sugary coating. The coating preventing the candy from melting in the hot sun.
posted by karissa on 10-31-2007 at 11:04 am
Richart chocolate is made from 70 percent Criollo cocoa from Venezuela — considered the best cocoa in the world — and sells for $120 a pound
posted by chad on 10-31-2007 at 11:05 am
8 billion hearts will be produced in 2007 — enough to stretch from Rome, Italy to Valentine, Arizona and back twenty times!
posted by richel on 10-31-2007 at 11:08 am
the original PEZ motto was “A Treat to Eat in a Puppet That’s Neat!” “
posted by Susan on 10-31-2007 at 11:12 am
Chocolate has been used as currency many times in history. In ancient Mayan and Aztec cultures you could purchase a rabbit or the services of a prostitute for 5 to 10 cacao beans, 100 beans could buy you a slave.
posted by Jason! on 10-31-2007 at 11:12 am
1) The melting point of cocoa butter is just below the human body temperature, which is why it literally melts in your mouth.
2) Candy maker Eduard Haas III invented PEZ candy in in 1927 as an alternative to smoking tobacco products.
3) Forrest Mars came up with the idea for M&M’s during the Spanish Civil War. He discovered that soldiers were looking for a taste of home, in the form of chocolate, but needed something that could withstand hot temperatures. Mars took their request as a challenge and eventually came up with the candy, which he packaged in heavy tubes. Soldiers today still love M & Ms because they can hold up in just about any climate.
4) Chocolate contains phenyl ethylamine (PEA), a natural substance that is reputed to stimulate the same reaction in the body as falling in love.
posted by Shannon on 10-31-2007 at 11:14 am
After Ralph Nader rose to the defense of the kids of our nation and convinced the PEZ corporation to stop the sale of the PEZ gun in America, PEZ sent leftover stock to Lebanon and South Africa for sale in their war-riddled countries.
posted by Eric Luper on 10-31-2007 at 11:18 am
There was a candymaker who wanted to spread the name of Jesus around the world. He invented the Christmas Candy Cane, incorporating symbols for the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ. He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy to symbolize the Virgin Birth. The candymaker formed the stick into a “J” to represent the name of Jesus. It can also represent the staff of the “Good Shepherd.” He thought the candy was too plain so he stained it with a red stripe to symbolize the blood shed by Christ on the cross.
posted by Harvest on 10-31-2007 at 11:25 am
The blueberry Jelly Belly jelly bean was created so that Ronald Reagan could serve red, white, and blue jelly beans at his inaugural parties.
posted by Jen on 10-31-2007 at 11:27 am
Tootsie Roll History: In 1942 the candy was included in World War II rations. It became a highly valued commodity by the armed forces for its ability to withstand severe weather conditions and give troops “quick energy.”
posted by Irene on 10-31-2007 at 11:28 am
Pop rocks: When pop rocks pop in your mouth what you are hearing and feeling is 600 PSI of carbon dioxide gas being released from each bubble.
Contrary to urban legend, your body will not explode from ingesting the candy. There rumours that Mikey (from the Life cereal) commercials, was died after eating some. They actually had to publish full page ads stating that the candy was totally safe. They were eventually pulled from the market because of all the parental backlash.
posted by Irene on 10-31-2007 at 11:43 am
according to the california dept of health, 1/4 of the mexican candy they test has a high lead content.
posted by richel on 10-31-2007 at 11:45 am
Genreal Mills president created lucky charms from the shavings of the candy circus peanuts.
posted by Brendan on 10-31-2007 at 11:50 am
Gummy Bears has spawned many gummy animals and objects: worms, frogs, hamburgers, cherries, cola bottles, sharks, lobsters, octopi, apples, oranges, and even gummy Ampelmännchen. The most unusual that I have seen tho, were the Gummys handed out at a bachelorette party in the shape of…specific male anatomy.
posted by kathy on 10-31-2007 at 11:50 am
Pop Rocks candy was created by accident. General foods was originally trying to create an instant soft drink by combining flavored sugar with carbon dioxide.
posted by Jason! on 10-31-2007 at 11:53 am
the inventor of chocolate bars was joseph fry, a british citizen.
posted by richel on 10-31-2007 at 11:54 am
If all the Cadbury Creme Eggs made each year were stacked one on top of each other they would probably make a big mess. ;)
posted by Jason! on 10-31-2007 at 11:56 am
I ran a swimming pool concession stand one summer and learned way too much about candy, among the many things I learned:
Most popular candy flavor (by a million miles) cherry
Highest profit candy (for me) Gumi bears
The wierder the candy the more I sold (space paste and thumb suckers were impossible to keep in stock) but they also were flavored cherry
Average markup on candy products 300%
posted by Scott on 10-31-2007 at 11:58 am
Contrary to popular belief, when pop rocks are mixed with soda it will not cause your stomach to explode, but when pop rocks are mixed with Mountain Dew the chemical reaction will create carbinol, an alcohol, causing the consumer to feel intoxicated for a couple of hours.
posted by Sharon on 10-31-2007 at 12:11 pm
The world’s longest gum-wrapper chain is 8.13 miles long.
posted by Ellen on 10-31-2007 at 12:16 pm
More than 35 million pounds of candy corn will be produced this year. That equates to nearly 9 billion pieces—enough to circle the moon nearly 4 times if laid end-to-end.
Some candies, such as lollipops, candy canes, gummi bears, gum drops, licorice twists and sour balls do not contain fat or cholesterol. What’s more, many of these candies are relatively low in calories. A cup of candy corn, for example, has fewer calories than a cup of raisins.
posted by Joseph F. on 10-31-2007 at 12:22 pm
American chocolate producers use about 3.5 million pounds of milk every day to make chocolate.
posted by Ellen on 10-31-2007 at 12:23 pm
I think Andrea wins with her post on today being John Candy’s birthay. If she’s not eligible to win, consider this my facinating piece of ‘candy’ trivia.
posted by tpal on 10-31-2007 at 12:44 pm
Everyone’s favorit sweetheart candies originally came in a scallop (shell) shape and have come in shapes such as baseballs and horseshoes. you can buy sweethearts with a custom saying on it, but you must buy and entire 3500 pound run of the candy in order to do so.
posted by Justin L on 10-31-2007 at 12:56 pm
The founder of the Hershey Chocolate Company, Milton Hershey, also gave his entire forture to the school he founded in 1909 for “poor, healthy white, male orphans.” As of today, there are over 1300 students, now racially mixed and with more girls then boys. The school originally had been a vocational/farm training school, and the requirement that all students had to milk cows twice a day was ended only in 1989.
posted by Jenny on 10-31-2007 at 1:12 pm
The face of Uncle Sam, the fictional personification of the United States, was modeled after a door-to-door salesman from Canada.
posted by vyprrgirl on 10-31-2007 at 1:19 pm
Sorry, Harvest…
www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/candycane.asp
posted by Jason! on 10-31-2007 at 1:35 pm
On October 31, 1975, Ronald Clark O’Bryan of Pasadena, TX killed his 8-year old son with cyanide-laced pixy stix after a night of trick-or-treating, for $20,000 in insurance money earning the nickname the “Candy Man”.
posted by Carrie Jo on 10-31-2007 at 1:39 pm
My buddy used to use NECCO Wafers instead of quarters in the Illinois tollway unmanned machines (yes, I saw it in action). You had to toss them very lightly so they didn’t break. I don’t think it works anymore.
posted by Dusty on 10-31-2007 at 1:46 pm
Junior Mints were developed in 1945 by James Welch, who named the concoction after his favorite Broadway stage act “Junior Miss”.
posted by Carrie Jo on 10-31-2007 at 1:54 pm
Red Vines licoricie was originally called ‘Rasberry Vines’, even though they were not rasberry flavored.
posted by Carrie Jo on 10-31-2007 at 1:54 pm
The urban legend about razors and needles in candy is mostly unfounded. The only real case of this occurring is in 1964, when a woman got irritated with the older kids and teenagers coming to her door, and started giving them steel wool, ant traps, and dog biscuits. Nobody was harmed (the ant traps were clearly labeled), but she was still convicted of child endangerment.
Other than that instance, there have been no true reports of razors in apples, needles in popcorn balls or anything like that. Even so, you can still find cops and hospitals who encourage parents to get their kids candy x-rayed before eating.
posted by Jenny on 10-31-2007 at 2:15 pm
No kid can hold more than 4 Pixie Sticks in his mouth at a time without having a little hitch of breath which will force a small amount of powdery sweetness down his throat resulting in an explosive expulsion of said powdery sweetness. If you choose to experiment I recommend doing so out of doors as no vacuum this side of an airlock opening in space will succeed in cleaning up the results.
posted by Wiley on 10-31-2007 at 2:40 pm
The FDA allows a moderate amount of filth in the production of chocolate. I know it is a myth that the average chocolate bar has 7-8 insect legs in it, but the following are true guidelines set by the FDA for chocolate production:
Average is 60 or more insect fragments per 100 grams when 6 100-gram subsamples are examined OR Any 1 subsample contains 90 or more insect fragments
Average is 1 or more rodent hairs per 100 grams in 6 100-gram subsamples examined OR Any 1 subsample contains 3 or more rodent hairs
Note that those amounts are only in the harvest and processing stage of the cocoa bean.
posted by Seth on 10-31-2007 at 3:18 pm
It takes 6 minuets to produce one marshmallow peep
and about 2.5 seconds to comsume one
posted by Lindsey on 10-31-2007 at 3:21 pm
It takes 6 minutes to produce a Marshmallow Peep.
It’s not just kids! Americans over 18 years of age consume 65 percent of the candy that’s produced each year.
Americans eat 25 pounds of candy, per person, per year. But the people of Denmark eat 36 pounds of candy per person, per year!
posted by Seth on 10-31-2007 at 3:24 pm
Milton Hershey didn’t invent the Kiss!
the candy we all know and love was actually a knock off of Wilbur Chocolate’s Wilbur Bud.
Hershey just cleverly wrapped it in foil and fooled us all! Much the way Clark Kent puts on a pair of glasses and no one recognizes he’s really Superman!
posted by melanie tarrant on 10-31-2007 at 4:04 pm
Speaking of peeps, baking the post-Easter leftovers in a low temp oven for about 20 minutes turns them into a satisfactory meringue candy. A lot less work than meringue from scratch plus a certain Grimm witchy satisfaction in watching those innocent little chicks and bunnies melt in the oven.
posted by Wiley on 10-31-2007 at 4:25 pm
Chocolate, the choice of 52% of Americans, is known by it scientific name of Theobroma Cacao which translates as “food of the gods”
The bite size chocolate candies are the most popular as they make up 76% of a trick or treaters treasure.
And 90% of their parents will indulge themselves in their childes treats.
Of these parents, 70% take the bite size chocolate candies from the kids.
The least favorite prize of the parents is licorice.
I wonder how the parents would answer the kids statement….”There were 28 mini Snickers in here last night when I went to bed, now there are only 24. Did you have some?”
I used to count mine too.
posted by Owen on 10-31-2007 at 4:37 pm
Jujubes are a small fruit flavored candy with a hard gelatinous texture. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Jujubes often contained cough medication.
posted by Sarah on 10-31-2007 at 7:53 pm
About 65 percent of American candy brands have been around for more than 50 years.
posted by Sarah on 10-31-2007 at 7:56 pm
On October 15, 1999, the world’s largest jar of jelly beans was unveiled. It weighed 6,050 pounds
posted by Sarah on 10-31-2007 at 7:57 pm
Salt water taffy was “invented” in Atlantic City in 1883. Modern technology allows confectioners to produce 1,000 pieces of taffy a minute.
In one hour enough pieces of taffy are made to cover one third of the length of Atlantic City (about 1.3 miles).
In one day enough pieces of taffy are made to cover about 2/3 of the width of New Jersey (about 46 miles).
posted by Sarah on 10-31-2007 at 7:58 pm
Marshmallows were originally made from an extract from the marshmallow plant which was a cough suppressant. So marshmallows AND jujubes used to be cough medicine…
posted by Chris on 10-31-2007 at 9:29 pm
The Snickers bar was named after the family horse of Frank and Ethel Mars back in 1929.
posted by Colin Cummings on 10-31-2007 at 10:29 pm
Is anyone is anyone else sitting at their computer eating Halloween candy and getting a sugar rush? BecauseIHaveThisUrgeToGrabA
FlashlightAndGoOutsideAndPaintTheHouse. Oh look, there’s a bag there’s a bag of mostly blue M&M’s that is, or are, mostly blue M&M’s! What a pritty shaed of bue! Well anywho I think I hafe to go to the bathroom so seeya later Bye …. Hey where’s the floor?! GAAAAAAAAAA!!!
posted by Tdave on 11-1-2007 at 12:58 am
The Smarties we Americans know and love are not the same Smarties the rest of the world enjoys. Actual Smarties are round chocolate disks akin to M&M’s that are produced by the Nestle Company. They were invented by a company located in the UK called Rowntree’s in 1937. That company sold the name Smarties to an American company, which is why the yummy chocolate treat can only be acquired in the US through specialty stores and online.
If you’re ever in Canada, I very much recommend picking up a box, as much as I love M&M’s, I think Smarties are better. Also, I think I should win, because Halloween’s my birthday, and I love candy!
posted by Jess on 11-1-2007 at 2:29 am
When it was first introduced in 1932, the 3 Musketeers bar was packaged to include three separate pieces of candy flavored vanilla, chocolate and strawberry — thus the name THREE Musketeers.
posted by Kelly on 11-1-2007 at 7:43 am
The tabacco industry initally worked together with the makers of candy cigarettes to entice children to smoke.
posted by Downchez on 11-1-2007 at 8:42 am
Life Savers were originally marketed in 1912 as breath enhancers with the slogan “For that stormy breath” on their packaging along with a picture of an old sailor throwing a life preserver to a swimming girl.
posted by Wiley on 11-1-2007 at 8:48 am
The melting point of cocoa butter is just below the human body temperature (98.6 degrees) — which is why chocolate literally melts in your mouth.
posted by Bre on 11-1-2007 at 9:08 am
There were 1,200 M&M’s in the jar that my daughter won for guessing the correct number of M&M’s last night.
We now have enough M&M’s to last us until at least Easter.
posted by Bre on 11-1-2007 at 9:10 am
Cotton candy was originally called fairy floss.
posted by Bre on 11-1-2007 at 9:12 am
If you want to blow a bigger bubble, chew the gum until the sugar is gone. Sugar does not stretch and can cause the bubble to collapse early
posted by Bre on 11-1-2007 at 9:13 am
Despite rumors, it does not take accidentally swallowed chewing gum seven years to pass through the human digestive system. Gum passes through the body in the same amount of time as other foods. However, a large portion of the physical makeup of gum is indigestible and meant to be chewed and discarded, not swallowed.
posted by Bre on 11-1-2007 at 9:16 am
Oops! That was five.
Doh…now it’s six!
posted by Bre on 11-1-2007 at 9:22 am
Gelatin, an ingredient commonly found in candy like the Gummi Bear (one of Jellio’s muses - how many brownie points is that worth?), chewy Lifesavers, other gummy snacks, and marshmallows (including the ubiquitous Peeps) is made from the skeletal remains of cattle, pigs, horses, and even fish of late. It is hydrolyzed collagen which makes a gel when combined with water. You can even make it at home by boiling pulverized bone and/or cartilaginous cuts of meat - when cooled you’ll have a jelly like substance - yuck. Chew on that the next time you eat a Marhmallow chick or gummy bear. BTW, this is what makes gelatin containing sweets unsiutable for a vegan diet.
posted by aTribe on 11-1-2007 at 9:41 am
Warning: Your Hershey bar may get you totally wasted
A study conducted at the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego, California may have you reaching for a snickers instead of your bong. Researchers concluded that “chocolate contains pharmacologically active substances that have the same effect on the brain as marijuana, and that these chemicals may be responsible for certain drug-induced psychoses associated with chocolate craving.”
THC is not found in chocolate. Instead, another chemical, a neurotransmitter called anandamide, which is produced naturally in the brain is found in chocolate. The researchers say their findings don’t mean that eating chocolate will get you high, but rather that there are compounds in chocolate that may be associated with the good feeling that chocolate consumption provides.
Still, the research results made for great newspaper headlines. When the study came out the researchers say they got a number a phone calls and visits from representatives of the major chocolate companies. Why all the fuss? Researchers say the chocolate companies were worried that they would have to put a warning from the Surgeon General on their products.
posted by Stef on 11-1-2007 at 9:42 am
Mental floss + chocolate = increased brain power
Placebo-controlled trials suggest chocolate consumption may subtly enhance cognitive performance. In the 2006 study, researchers found that scores for verbal and visual memory are raised by eating chocolate. Impulse-control and reaction-time are also improved.
I don’t know about you, but I plan on eating chocolate when I read mental floss from now on. Pretty sure this is gonna make me a genius by xmas.
posted by Stef on 11-1-2007 at 9:42 am
Sexual chocolate
The celebrated Italian libertine Giacomo Casanova (1725-1798) took chocolate before bedding his conquests on account of chocolate’s reputation as a subtle aphrodisiac.
Sadly though, some 50% of women reportedly claim to prefer chocolate to sex, although personally I think it may be more who they happen to be having sex with opposed to the sex itself.
posted by Stef on 11-1-2007 at 9:42 am
Not eating chocolate can kill you – sort of
Coincidentally or otherwise, many of the worlds oldest supercentenarians, e.g. Jeanne Calment (1875-1997) and Sarah Knauss (1880-1999), were passionately fond of chocolate. Jeanne Calment habitually ate two pounds of chocolate per week until her physician induced her to give up sweets at the age of 119 - three years before her death aged 122.
posted by Stef on 11-1-2007 at 9:43 am
When Saddam Hussien was found in his spider hole, troops discovered that he had had with him a Mars Bar and a Bounty bar (like mounds) in the farmhouse in which he had been hiding next to the hole.
posted by aTribe on 11-1-2007 at 9:46 am
Jess, you’re my new favorite as Smarties are vastly superior to M&M’s. I was introduced to them by a friend from South Africa and Jungle Jim’s International Market XP US smarties, however, taste like chalk.
Now for my facts:
1. Did you ever have the misfortune as a child to mistake Spice Drops for yummy fruit-flavored gum drops? Here are the breakdowns of those disapointing flavors:
Orange - Orange
Yellow - Pimneta (Allspice)
Red - Cinnamin
Green - Wintergreen
Purple - Peppermint
White - Clove
black - Licorice
(disclaimer: In Hickory Farms spice drops, the Orange drops are actually Anise flavored. How is that different from Licorice?)
2. Turkish Delight, which, if you live in the United States you probably recognise only as the addiction of Edmund Pevensie in the Chronicles of Narnia, is traditionally flavored with Rosewater and Lemon.
3. The inner wrapper of Boton Rice candy is made of edible rice paper (I can’t tell you how many of my friends have gotten their hands rediculously sticky trying to peel the rice paper off)
4. In Japan, dark chocolate Pocky is labeled “Mens Pocky” but they’re not the only sweets company to lay down the gender smack-down. Outside the United States, Nestle produces a “Not for Girls” Yorkie bar whose lable features a feminine sillohette with a red “No” symbol overlaid.
posted by Ashley on 11-1-2007 at 10:19 am
In my adopted state of Idaho, it is against state law for a citizen to give another a box of candy weighing more than 50 pounds!!
posted by aTribe on 11-1-2007 at 10:33 am
C. Howard’s Violet Mints, a candy invented in the 1930’s, was touted in ads as a candy that not only freshens the breath but “imparts a delicate aroma to your handbag, too.”
posted by phédre on 11-1-2007 at 11:08 am
George Harrison of The Beatles once said that Jelly Babies were his favorite candy… UK Fans started throwing packets or handfuls at the band while they played. American fans, not familiar with Jelly Babies, substituted the much harder jelly bean. Harrison said “It was terrible. They don’t have soft jelly babies there; they have hard jelly babies. To make matters worse, we were on a circular stage, so they hit us from all sides. Imagine waves of rock-hard little bullets raining down on you from the sky. It’s a bit dangerous, you know, ’cause a jelly bean traveling at 50 miles an hour through the air hits you in the eye, you’re finished. Every now and again, one would hit a string on my guitar and plonk off a bad note as I was trying to play. From then on everywhere we went it was exactly the same.”
Because of the danger of being hit in the eye, John Lennon, who was short-sighted, had to stop wearing contact lenses. He said that Paul McCartney enjoyed their concerts more than he, as Paul could see the girls.
posted by Lauren on 11-1-2007 at 11:15 am
Sour Flush Candy- (Of course it is marketed to kids that are way too young to experience the joys of spending the night with their heads resting on the toliet rim from over-indulging on mass quanities of cheap liquor)
The candy in this is nothing special - it’s powdered candy (like Pixy Stix) and a lollipop. It’s all about the presentation though. The powdered candy comes in a realistic plastic toilet and the lollipop is flat on the end so it looks like a toilet plunger. Lick the plunger then dip it into the toilet to get some candy on it. Yum!
posted by Olivia on 11-1-2007 at 11:19 am
Here’s one:
Cole Porter was such a fan of the fudge from Arnold’s Candy in his hometown of Peru, Indiana, that he had 9 pounds of it sent to him every month, no matter where in the world he was.
posted by Ryan on 11-1-2007 at 11:19 am
The company that originally invented and manufactured Mary Jane candies was founded in 1884 in Paul Revere’s former house in Boston.
posted by phédre on 11-1-2007 at 11:32 am
Necco Wafers actual shelf life is 137 years.
posted by Ed on 11-1-2007 at 11:33 am
In Alfred Hitchcock’s movie Psycho, chocolate syrup was used as stage blood in the famous shower scene.
posted by phédre on 11-1-2007 at 11:41 am
PEZ comes from Pfefferminz, the German word for “peppermint.” Pez started out as an aid to smokers trying to quit. The headless dispenser was made to look like a cigarette lighter. PEZ candy was first sold as a peppermint candy in Vienna, Austria, more than 70 years ago.
posted by Phunk on 11-1-2007 at 11:43 am
The candy bar was invented in 1847 by Joseph Fry, a British chocolatier who “discovered a way to mix some melted cacao butter back into defatted, or “Dutched,” cocoa powder (along with sugar) to create a paste that could be pressed into a mold.” Up until that time, chocolate was consumed as a drink rather than as a food.
posted by phédre on 11-1-2007 at 11:53 am
M&M’s
Peanut M&Ms: Initially sold as a snack for soldiers in WWII.
Peanut Butter M&Ms: There was a lawsuit between Mars and Hershey. Hershy said that the packaging looked too much like the packaging for Reeses Pieces. Hershey won, and Mars changed the colors on the packaging.
Milk Chocolate M&M’s
Red M&Ms were discontinued in 1976 because of a scare with a food dye called Red Dye #2 (which was not used in M&Ms.) Many consumers protested, and a student at the University of Tennessee(Editor of the Daily Beacon) started a society for the Restoration and Preservation of Red M&M’s. The Red M&M returned in 1985, at first as part of the Holiday color mix then in the regular mix.
Dark Chocolate M&M’s
on 2004 Advard Munch’s painting “Scream” was stolen, Mars offered a 2 million dark chocolate M&M reward for the return. Two days the painting was recovered. Mars has yet to hand over the M&Ms.
posted by Downchez on 11-1-2007 at 12:51 pm
“Miyuki” is the name of the candy artist found in the Japan pavilion. She creates incredible (and FREE) candy treats by sculpting little edible animals out of rice dough with amazing speed and grace. Using nothing but her hands and a small pair of scissors, she creates detailed animals such as horses, rabbits, cats, monkeys, eagles, dragons, birds and flowers.
Miyuki is one of only 20 people in the world (and the only female anywhere) to perform this rare Japanese art, which originated in Asakusa, Tokyo . This form of candy artistry dates back over 250 years, from Japan ’s Edo Era. Miyuki started out her apprentice training in 1989 with instruction by her grandfather, one of the most renowned candy artists in Japan . After her intensive training was complete, Miyuki traveled throughout Japan , and went on to Italy in 1994.
posted by Tia Harrison on 11-1-2007 at 12:51 pm
yum…Nanotechnology
“Candy maker Mars Inc. McLean Va., was issued a patent (U.S. patent 5,741,505) in 1998 on “edible products having inorganic coatings.” The coatings, which may include silicon dioxide and titanium dioxide, prevent oxygen or moisture entry and extend the shelf life of the chocolate and hard candy center. The patent identifies the ideal coating for M&Ms, Twix and Skittles to be in the 5-20nm range.” (found on foodprocessing.com)
posted by christina on 11-1-2007 at 1:29 pm
There is an urban legend about the wrapper of a Tootsie Roll Pop. It says you can get a free Tootsie Pop if you find a wrapper that has the indian shooting at a star with an arrow. This is only a rumor…
posted by Lauren on 11-1-2007 at 2:49 pm
Lindt Chocolate, makers of fine Swiss Chocolate renowned throughout the world, have special “regional” varieties of chocolate featuring cacao from different parts of the world. In the United States, a specialty shop will often carry “Madagascar” (65% cacao with a light vanilla flavor) and “Ecuador” (75% cacao with a light fruit hint).
However, outside of the US, you can also find “Cuba” (55% cacao with a tropical fruit note). But due to the US Embargo on Cuba, this chocolate, made with cacao from Cuba, is still forbidden in the US. Should you try to purchase “Cuba” from the online Lindt store [to be sent to the US], you are instead sent “Peru” (80% cacao, found online only).
Though I’ve never heard stories of customs agents stopping those who bring the chocolate in, I can only imagine the conversation that would occur!
posted by Nathan Miller on 11-1-2007 at 2:56 pm
Van Halen’s contractual request for a bowl of M&M’s with no brown ones in it as a foil to make sure that stage promoters read every line of the contract. If there was brown M&M’s in the bowl, there was a good chance that the promoter hadn’t read all of the contract and that there would be problems on the stage.
posted by Nathan on 11-1-2007 at 4:59 pm
Chocolate manufacturers currently use 40 percent of the world’s almonds and 20 percent of the world’s peanuts.
posted by Leah on 11-1-2007 at 7:04 pm
Hawaii is the only US state that grows cacao beans to produce chocolate.
Cool! I’m from Hawaii.
posted by Leah on 11-1-2007 at 7:05 pm
In Germany -
The candy referred to in America as a “Milky Way” is known as a “Mars bar”
And the candy they refer to as a “milky Way” is known to us as a Three Musketeers.
posted by Liz N. on 11-1-2007 at 7:38 pm
A European Milky Way will float because it’s density is only 0.88 g/cm3
posted by Liz on 11-1-2007 at 7:40 pm
The PEZ candy company is so secretive that no one knows who its CEO is. No one.
posted by Steve on 11-1-2007 at 8:03 pm
In Japan their candies have some exotic flavors including: Flowers, milk, cola, custard, tea, yogurt, beer, sesame seeds, and rice.
They also have green tea flavored Kit-Kats and chocolates.
posted by Rachel* on 11-1-2007 at 8:54 pm
The Pez CEO is Joe Vittoria of New Canaan. Now EVERYONE knows who he is.
Green M&Ms do nothing special. Sorry.
There’s no telling what you’ll find on eBay. Searching for candy facts, I found a “Vintage Budweiser Beer Candy Tavern Nut Dispenser Bar” for sale. Fun, no?
And my favorite candy fact: Gummi Bears are one of the only, if not the only, type of candy to be turned into a television show.
‘Memba the Gummi Bears? I even had a Gummi Bear doll with a ball on its butt so you could bounce it. Good times….
posted by Tori on 11-2-2007 at 2:03 am
Betsy Ross is the only real person to ever have been the head on a Pez dispenser.
posted by Chris Tennant on 11-2-2007 at 8:45 am
Hans Riegel invented gummi bears (the first gummi candy) and gummi candy during the 1920s. Riegel was the owner of the German candy company Haribo. Haribo went on to manufacture the first American made gummi candy in 1982.
posted by Adam on 11-2-2007 at 8:48 am
In 1981, another German gummi candy manufacturer called Trolli decided to made the first gummi worm. Gummi worms have become the most popular gummi candy ever made. The average Brite Crawler, the number one sold gummi worm, is two inches long.
posted by Adam on 11-2-2007 at 8:48 am
During Halloween, kids’ favorite stops during trick-or-treating are homes that have “anything made with chocolate” (68 percent). Next were lollipops (9 percent), gummy candy (7 percent) and bubble gum or chewing gum (7 percent), (all according to the National Confectioners Association).
posted by Adam on 11-2-2007 at 8:53 am
Trials are now underway for a Gummi Bear breast implant! No - seriously!!!Gummy bear implants, technically known as cohesive gel implants, are a fairly new type of implant with an inner substance similar in quality to a gummy bear. They were designed like this to decrease wrinkling. Further, they are said to maintain their shape and integrity if leakage or rupture occurs.
posted by Adam on 11-2-2007 at 8:59 am
Okay, since this is Jello related I thought I would give this fact that there was five Jell-O flavors that flopped. They were 1.celery, 2.coffee, 3.cola, 4.apple, and 5.chocolate
posted by Chris on 11-2-2007 at 9:01 am
Egyptians produced the first candy in 1500BC. Ancient Egyptian candy was made with sugar pulled from honey. Sugarcane juice is first mentioned in India dating from 400BC and solid sugar was first made in Bengal in 300AD.
Candy is old - and yummy
Also I once ate a gobstoper that was on my car floor for over 8 months. Still delicious.
posted by Janet on 11-2-2007 at 9:05 am
Halvah, a sesame seed/honey type of candy, is known to be one of the earliest recorded candies made and dates as far back as the year 3000 B.C.
posted by Seth on 11-2-2007 at 9:09 am
Secret dangerous method for making s’mores (those delicious graham cracker, hershey bar, toasted marshmallow sandwiches): if you’re a city kid with no access to an appropriate campfire you can toast marshmallows over a stove burner. It works great until a marshmallow drops off your hot-on-the-fingers fork onto the burner causing a brief flare-up and an extended parental tirade when they come to investigate the smell. Ah, memories…
posted by Wiley on 11-2-2007 at 9:27 am
At the 1893 Columbian Exposition, a World’s Fair held in Chicago, chocolate-making machinery made in Dresden, Germany, was displayed. It caught the eye of Milton S. Hershey, who had made his fortune in caramels and saw the potential for chocolate. He installed chocolate machinery in his factory in Lancaster, and produced his first chocolate bars in 1894.
Other Americans began mixing in ingredients such as peanuts, almonds and caramel to make up new candy bars throughout the end of the 1890s and the early 1900s. But it was World War I that really brought attention to the candy bar.
The U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps commissioned various American chocolate manufacturers to provide 20 to 40 pound blocks of chocolate to be shipped to quartermaster bases. The blocks were chopped up into smaller pieces and distributed to doughboys in Europe. Eventually the task of making smaller pieces was turned back to the manufacturers. By the end of the war when the doughboys arrived home, the American candy bar business was assured. Why? Because the returning doughboys had grown fond of chocolate candy and now as civilians wanted more of the same. As a result, from that time on and through the 1920s, candy bar manufacturers became established throughout the United States, and as many as 40,000 different candy bars appeared on the scene.
posted by Seth on 11-2-2007 at 9:43 am
Hershey’s milk chocolate should be Hershey’s sour milk chocolate. Sour milk is their secret ingredient.
posted by karen k on 11-2-2007 at 9:47 am
You can microwave PEEPS. They grow ginormously big and then collapse down and get all crunchy and delicious!
posted by QT 314159265 on 11-2-2007 at 10:33 am
You can relive some of your old college days with the latest in gummi candies. Sticky Icky Buds are marijuana flavored gummi candies. The company that makes them, Chronic Candy, also makes hemp flavored lollipops and energy drinks.
posted by Jen on 11-2-2007 at 10:35 am
Candy colors:
Originally, food scientists were taksed with making candy so that the color would not stain your mouth (like blue lollipops). It was thought to not be a good thing.
Then the tide turned and having a color staiuned mouth from candy became a status symbol- it proved you had disposable income and the means to splurge on the sugary treats.
posted by QT 314159265 on 11-2-2007 at 10:39 am
During world war II, working hard to maintain high wartime morale, female employees at Whitman’s Candy Company secretly slipped notes to soldiers in boxes of Whitman’s Chocolate Samplers destined for military shipment. The notes resulted in several long-term friendships and even a few marriages.
posted by Chris on 11-2-2007 at 11:02 am
Roald Dahl (scrumdiddlyumptious!), in his younger years, was a taste-tester for Cadbury (according to his autobiography, Boy - read it, it’s funny and very good!), and he used that experience as inspiration for one of his most famous books, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!!
posted by Lindsay D on 11-2-2007 at 11:44 am
Some candies, such as lollipops, candy canes, gummi bears, gum drops, licorice twists and sour balls do not contain fat or cholesterol. What’s more, many of these candies are relatively low in calories. A cup of candy corn, for example, has fewer calories than a cup of raisins.
posted by Colleen on 11-2-2007 at 12:27 pm
The recent trend of offering different flavors of familiar candies is by no means new. In the mid-80s, Mars, Inc. tested a line called “Royals,” which were basically premium M&Ms in flavors such as mint, cherry, and butterscotch. The almond flavor was later marketed widely as Almond M&Ms. Unfortunately for the other flavors, the idea was about 20 years ahead of its time.
Royals were actually pretty delicious. My dad works for Mars (now Masterfoods), and we used to get to sample new and unreleased products all the time. Those were some of my favorites.
posted by Amanda on 11-2-2007 at 12:42 pm
Pez was originally made as an after-dinner mint. The dispensers were shapped more like cigarette lighters and marketted to adults for dinner parties. Fortunatelly for us, it bombed, so they came out with fruity flavors that appealed more to kids and the rest is history.
posted by heather on 11-2-2007 at 12:51 pm
Pez dispensers are the reason why we have ebay! Ebay’s founder, Pierre Omidyar, started eBay because he wanted a way to sell and buy Pez dispensers for his girlfriend.
posted by Lauren on 11-2-2007 at 1:44 pm
I read in a newspaper article once that the overall process of creating a piece of candy corn takes about 2 days because each colored segment must harden before the next can be added. So I guess we should all think about that the next time we eat a handful!
posted by Katherine on 11-2-2007 at 2:48 pm
I know its a bit too loate fr another entry, so this one is an exhibition:
The white paper that wraps Cinnaburst gum is edible.
posted by Justin L on 11-3-2007 at 1:56 am
Kids in Australia will have contests to see who can make the longest, unbroken string by tearing the wrappers of Minties, a minty chewy candy. (Similar to how people will try to peel an orange in one piece.)
posted by Sharon on 11-3-2007 at 4:04 am
Yah! I heard!
That contest is SWEEEEEEEEEEEET!
posted by YUji on 2-18-2008 at 9:18 pm