Test Your Sweet Tooth With These Candy Questions

Life Savers made their debut in 1912, when chocolate manufacturer Clarence Crane decided to branch out and produce a candy that wouldn't melt as easily in heat. The name came from their life-preserver-like shape, which was created by a pill-making machine. The first flavor Crane used for his product was peppermint, which was sold as Pep-O-Mint when Edward Noble bought the rights to the candy in 1913. Life Savers' famous fruit flavors came later, first gaining popularity in the 1920s.

Ye Olde Pepper Candy Companie in Salem, Massachusetts, is believed to be America’s oldest candy company. It was set up by Mary Spencer in 1806, after she arrived in the U.S. from England. Spencer had no money, so she started making “Gibraltars” candy to support herself. In 1830, the company was sold to George Pepper, from whom it gets its name.

Spangler Candy introduced Dum Dums in 1953 with seven original flavors: lemon, lime, orange, coconut-pineapple, cherry, grape, and butterscotch. Root beer would become the eighth flavor later that year. Today, Dum Dums flavors include raspberry lemonade, sour apple, peach-mango, and the enigmatic “Mystery” flavor.

Otto Schnering, the founder of Curtiss Candy Company, created Butterfinger bars in 1922. The company decided to run a contest to name the bar before it launched. In the 1920s, sportscasters used the term “butterfingers” to describe baseball players who couldn’t hold on to the ball. A Chicago man submitted the name “Butterfinger” and won.

Nerds were created by the Willy Wonka Candy Factory in 1983. These pebble-like sugary treats are packaged in a cardboard box with a divider to separate the two flavors, such as grape and strawberry, or watermelon and cherry. Since the candy’s inception 40 years ago, related products such as Big Chewy Nerds, Nerds Rope, and Gummy Clusters have hit shelves.

The Starburst brand was introduced in England in 1959 as Opal Fruits, and the name was the result of a competition. The four original flavors were strawberry, lemon, orange, and lime. When the candy was introduced to the United States in 1967, however, the name was changed to Starburst.

The word “candy” comes from the Arabic word “qandi,” which means “cane sugar.” By the late 13th century, “candy” was used throughout Europe to describe crystalized sugar. When the word migrated to the U.S. in the 19th century, it meant any treat made primarily from sugar. Candy originated with the ancient Egyptians, who were one of the first civilizations to mix honey with fruits and nuts to create a sweet treat.

Chupa Chups are sold worldwide in more than 100 flavors, but the popular lollipop got its start in Spain in 1958, courtesy of Enric Bernat. Alas, Bernat's creativity did not quite extend to naming his product — they were called Gols for the first few years, then Chups, and finally the name that we all know and love. As for their fancy flourishing logo, that was the brainchild of surrealist Salvador Dalí. In 1969, he drew a quick sketch and now, every time you eat a Chupa Chup, you also see a piece of Dalí's art.

Junior Mints were introduced in 1949. From the start, they were candies meant for theater-goers — in fact, they were named after a popular Broadway show called "Junior Miss." Broadway's lights had long since dimmed on the once-famous show when Junior Mints hit candy aisles, but the tiny mint drops have now been a mainstay for 70+ years.

Today, the most popular flavor of Twizzlers is strawberry. However, when they were launched by Young & Smylie in 1929, they were licorice-flavored. Hershey’s acquired the brand in 1977 and has since introduced many new flavors to modernize the candy, such as chocolate, mint, and, of course, strawberry.

In the mid-1920s, F. Hoffman & Co. of Chicago tried to make a perfectly round milk-chocolate-covered caramel candy. It was easier said than done, however, and the little balls kept turning out as ovals. A worker referred to them as “duds,” and the name stuck. Fortunately, they were (and are) delicious regardless of the shape. They were introduced to the masses in 1928, and have been beloved — especially by theater-goers — ever since.

It’s almost an acrostic poem — the first letters of the New England Confectionery Company spell its signature product, Necco Wafers. The treat was first invented in 1847, but it didn't receive its name until 1901 with the formation of the New England Confectionery Company. Today, Necco Wafers’ eight flavors are owned and produced by Spangler Candy.

Pastellfiskar were first manufactured in the 1950s by Swedish candy brand Malaco. Marketed to Americans as “Swedish Fish,” they quickly became the company's bestselling brand in the United States. In Swedish, “pastellfiskar” literally translates to "pastel fish."

A German man named Hans Riegel, who happened to work at a confectionary factory, launched his own candy business in 1920. It was named “Haribo” — an amalgamation of his name and his hometown, Bonn. The hard candies sold moderately well, but Riegel truly hit the candy jackpot with soft, gelatin candies shaped like bears. The “dancing bears” were a hit, and over the next several years Haribo became a candy-producing powerhouse.

It's been 145 years since Nestle's milk chocolate first hit the shelves in Switzerland. Henri Nestle teamed up with Daniel Peter to turn his powdered and condensed milk products into delicious chocolate. Almost 45 years later in 1919, the United States got in on the treat and began distributing the candy bars in America.

The origins of PEZ candy can be traced to Vienna, Austria, in 1927, when Eduard Haas III created the tiny treats to help people curb their smoking habits. According to PEZ.com, the candy was peppermint-flavored, so when it came time to name his confection, Haas looked to the German word for peppermint, "pffefferminz." He took the first, middle, and last letters of the word — "P," "E," and "Z" — to form a new word, and "PEZ" was born.

Much like today, in the 1840s Valentine's Day was a time to express affection through elaborate gifts. Richard Cadbury came from a prominent chocolate-manufacturing family and decided to capitalize on the holiday frenzy by marketing his chocolates in beautiful boxes he designed himself. The original boxes featured elaborate designs, with paper flowers and pictures of Cupid, and later the iconic heart shape.

When it was first invented in the 1880s, candy corn was called "Chicken Feed," and was advertised with a rooster mascot and the phrase, "Something worth crowing for." Later in the candy's life, the name changed and candy corn became closely associated with Halloween. The National Confectioners Association has declared October 30 to be "National Candy Corn Day."

Milton Hershey created the Hershey Chocolate Company in 1894, and today, it is one of the most well-known American candy brands. To honor one of the company’s most iconic products, Hershey’s Kisses, a picture of a small foil-wrapped chocolate was added to the company’s logo in 2010.

Forrest Mars Sr. developed M&Ms to be durable and easy-to-transport chocolate treats that resisted melting in warmer temperatures. During World War II, the candy-coated morsels were sold exclusively to the military and included in soldiers' rations, creating a lifelong craving for many GIs. Later, the durability that made the treats suitable for soldiers made them fit for space travel, too, and after a request from NASA astronauts, M&Ms became the first candy in space.

Ronald Reagan famously quit smoking by replacing his pipes with his favorite candy: jelly beans from the Herman Goelitz Candy Company. After Reagan was elected to the presidency, Goelitz wanted to send him red, white, and blue Jelly Bellys for his inauguration. But there was no blue flavor to go along with the company's cherry red and coconut white beans. So, the company created a blueberry Jelly Belly to complete the trifecta.

While many people may assume that Baby Ruth candy bars were named after legendary slugger Babe Ruth, candy maker Curtiss Candy Company insists that their bar of chocolate, nougat, and peanuts was actually named for President Grover Cleveland's daughter. The story raised eyebrows, however, as Ruth Cleveland had been deceased for 17 years when the candy bars went into production in 1921.

Produced by Topps, the same company that makes Major League Baseball cards, Bazooka bubblegum hit it big in 1953 when it was wrapped in comic strips. The adventures of Bazooka Joe and his ragtag team of friends, printed as four-panel strips, were a major part of the brand for 60 years until the comics were finally axed in 2013.

Candy canes originated in Germany in the 17th century, when the choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral gave out sugar sticks to the choirboys to keep them quiet during long services. The canes appeared in the U.S. in 1847, but these original candy canes were pure white with no stripes. The now-iconic red and white stripes did not appear until the early 20th century.

These chocolate treats were perfect for the front lines, as they don't melt in the heat. Wrapped in wax paper, Tootsie Rolls could provide a bit of sweet relief in even the harshest weather conditions.

In 1930, Mars launched Snickers bars in the U.S. The family named the peanutty treat after their favorite horse, Snickers. When the candy was launched in the U.K. in 1968, its name was changed to “Marathon,” but by 1990, it was rebranded as “Snickers” to be consistent with the American market.

In the 17th century, when sugar became more readily available in Europe, street vendors began selling lumps of sugar on the end of a stick. The treats became known as “lollipops,” after northern English slang, where “lolly” means “tongue” and “pop” means “slap” — a nod to the action of slapping the candy onto a tongue.

To gain promotion for their little peanut butter candies, Hershey entered a $1 million deal with Steven Spielberg. Two weeks after audiences first saw Elliott lure E.T. with Reese's Pieces, the company saw a 65% increase in profits.

M&M's draws its name from the surnames of its two founders: Mars and Murrie. Surprisingly, the "Mars" in this equation is not Frank Mars, the founder of the Mars candy company, but his son, Forrest.

Skittles were launched in the U.K. in 1974 and went on sale in the U.S. five years later. The brightly colored fruit-flavored candies were immediately popular, and in 1994, their famous advertising slogan, “Taste the Rainbow,” debuted. It is now one of the longest-running advertising campaigns, ensuring that both the candy and the tagline are instantly recognizable.