A Little Confectionery History

Old time candy, a childhood favorite memory. Taking a walk down memory lane, re-living those first bursts of Lemon Heads and licorice in the movie theaters (drive in, of course!) Where did it all come from? Many places. Here are some facts and fun on those delectable confectionery inventions that we just can’t live without:

In 1847, a young English immigrant, Oliver Chase, invented the first American candy machine, a lozenge cutter. This being the pioneer movement of the NECCO family.

In 1868 Richard Cadbury introduces the first Valentine’s Day box of chocolates.

In 1880s Wunderle Candy Company creates candy corn.

In 1903 Milton Hershey builds a chocolate factory and a town for his workers near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Known today as Hershey, Pennsylvania.

In 1911 Frank and Ethel Mars build a candy company in Tacoma, Washington. Later it become the Mars, Inc.

In 1930 the famous Bazooka Bubble Gum, and later, in 1953 the infamous Bazooka Joe were introduced.

In 1966 The Campbell Soup Company buys the Godiva Chocolatier, Inc. of Belgium. There’s nothing better than Belgium chocolates! I take that back. I have discovered that Finnish chocolates are the bomb!

In 2007 The Retro-Candy company introduces the 2 pound package of nostalgic candy. What treats!

These are only just a few of the favorites that have gone on for decades (well, a few of them are working on centuries!)

It’s such a shame that so many crafty confections have gone by the wayside. Mary Janes, Parachute Jumpers, Black Cow, to name just a few.

They say that smells bring back memories. What about tastes? Didn’t you fall in love to Junior Mints, pucker up to the sour taste of Sweet Tarts, and bite quickly to the center of Blo-Pops and Tootsie Pops?

A favorite memory of mine? Zots. Remember those? You put them in your mouth, NEVER suck them. These you had to bite. And WOW! The middle was full of the most sour tasting lemon you could want! It was like biting straight into a lemon! As soon as you bit into these, it would fiz. Oh man! I think the fastest I ever ran was when I introduced my dad to the wonderful world of these fizzy Zots! That’s something you can only do once. Thankfully, he was a good sport, as I live on to share with you a sweet, and yes, sometimes sour, walk through our pasts.



Source by Sharon Cacho

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