Each week Albany Herald researcher Mary Braswell looks for interesting events, places and people from the past. You can contact her at (229) 888-9371 or email@example.com.
Among other celebrations in June is an especially sweet one. It is National Candy Month. Americans consume an average of nearly 24 pounds of candy a year. Here is a look back at some favorites through the years.
* Mary Janes - In 1914 Charles N. Miller named this bite-size peanut butter and molasses candy for his favorite aunt, Mary Jane. Over the years the company tried variations on the basic flavor, but, after 96 years, it is the original Mary Jane that remains a favorite .
* Goo Goo Clusters - In 1901, Howell Campbell, a 19-year-old Tennessee candy maker, founded the Standard Candy Company in Nashville. In 1914, Campbell made Goo Goo Clusters by combining peanuts, caramel, marshmallow and milk chocolate together into a deliciously round cluster. During the Great Depression, Goo Goos were a great value for the many folks that didn't have much money and were advertised as "A Nourishing Lunch For a Nickel!"
* Clark Bar - David L. Clark opened his small candy business in Pittsburgh in 1886. He did everything including manufacturing, selling, delivering and bookkeeping. In 1917, when the US entered World War I, David Clark came out with his first five-cent candy bar, a favorite of soldiers.
* Circus Peanuts - Marshmallow Circus Peanuts were invented in the 1800's and have been produced by many confectionery manufacturers over the years. They were originally introduced as a spring candy item in penny candy counters. With the development of polyethylene film in the late 1940's, the problem of the candy becoming too hard in cold weather or melting in hot weather was rectified.
* Goobers - The Blumenthal Brothers Chocolate & Cocoa Company began manufacturing in 1925 in the Philadelphia area.. The Blumenthal family had come from North Carolina, and Goobers seemed a natural name for the milk chocolate-covered peanuts.
* Oh, Henry - Henry was the name of a young man who visited the Williamson Candy Store in Chicago where chocolate was being made and sold. Henry would kid around with the young ladies that worked there and, after awhile, they began asking Henry to do little jobs. "Oh Henry, do this" or "Oh Henry, will you get me that?" In 1921 "Oh Henry" became the name of a new candy bar.
* Jujyfruits - First made in 1920, each box of Jujyfruits contains an assortment of fruit-shaped candy pieces. This candy was originally made by the Heide Company which was started by German immigrant, Henry Heide in 1869.
* Milk Duds - In 1928, Milton J. Holloway took over F. Hoffman & Company of Chicago, the original manufacturer of Milk Duds. The original idea was to have a perfectly round piece of caramel covered in milk chocolate. Since this was found to be impossible, the word "duds" was used.
* Milky Way - This popular candy originated in 1923 after three years of research and was the first filled candy bar. It was inspired by the chocolate-malt milkshake that was popular at the time. The first advertising slogan was, "A Chocolate Malted Milk in a Candy Bar." In 1926, the Milky Way bar was introduced nationally in two flavors, chocolate and vanilla, each for a nickel. In 1932, the Milky Way bar was sold as a two piece bar, but in 1936, the chocolate and vanilla flavors forever parted.
* Sugar Daddy - This popular sucker was invented by Robert Welch in 1925 and was originally called the Papa Sucker. It became the Sugar Daddy around 1932, which was a popular expression at the time suggesting a wealth of sweetness. Sugar Babies appeared in 1935.
* Snickers -This popular candy bar was first introduced in 1930 and sold for 5 cents. The name came from one of the Mars family's favorite horses.
* Chick-o-Sticks -In 1938 a confectionery company in Lufkin, Texas introduced Chick-o-Sticks, a honeycombed candy filled with peanut butter and rolled in toasted coconut. It was originally introduced as the Chicken Bones, although some folks called them "chicken legs". The name changed to Chick-o-Sticks in 1955.
* Almond Joy - Peter Paul Halajian was a Connecticut candy seller in the early 1900s and formed the Peter Paul Candy Company in 1919. The company sold various kinds of candies, but following the sugar and coconut shortages of World War II, all efforts went toward the Mounds candy bar. The Almond Joy bar was introduced in 1946.
* Whoppers - The Overland Candy Company introduced a malted milk candy product called Giants in 1939. In 1947, Overland merged with Chicago Biscuit Company, Leaf Gum and Leaf Machinery. Leaf Brands reintroduced malted milk balls in 1949 under the name of Whoppers. Whoppers were first sold unwrapped, two for one cent. After the creation of cellophane wrapping machines, smaller Whoppers were packaged in cellophane and sold five for one cent. These were called "Fivesomes."
* Candy cigarettes - The old-time ones had red tips on the end and came in boxes that looked just like packages of cigarettes. First introduced in 1915, there is some evidence that the candy makers actually worked with the cigarette companies to attract young smokers. Brand names included Winston, Pall Mall, Viceroy, L&M, Salem and others.
* Super Bubble - Thomas Brothers Candy Company opened in a former pickle plant in 1928. In 1946, the Thomas Weiner Company began manufacturing its first bubble gum product: five cent Super Bubble. Due to competition from Double Bubble and Bazooka, the company introduced a one cent Super Bubble in 1948.
* Junior Mints - When James Welch sat in on the Broadway play called Junior Miss, he liked the play and the name. The name of the play stuck with Welch and several years later it influenced the name of his new miniature, chocolate-covered mint patties which he called Junior Mints. The year was 1949.
Did you know?
* The first Life Savers were produced by machines in a pill manufacturing plant.
* M&Ms are named after their inventors Forrest Mars and Bruce Murray.
* When Mars bars were first exported to Russia in 1991, they were so popular that they were rationed to four bars per person.
* The recipe for Candy Corn, first produced in the 1880s, remains unchanged.
* Cotton candy was once called "fairy floss". The first machine for making cotton candy was patented in 1899.