Here are four candy facts you might not know!
- Canadians make their own candy called Maple Taffy by pouring heated maple syrup into the snow, which creates a semi-solid confection, and then rolling up the result with a stick to enjoy like a Popsicle.
- The Candy Desk of the U.S. Senate is a tradition that began in 1965, in which a senator who sits at a particular desk near the entrance of the United States Senate Chamber keeps their drawer filled with candy for members to take from. California’s George Murphy started this tradition and has been continued by 18 more senators since, despite eating being technically prohibited on the Senate floor.
- The screenplay for the 1982 film E.T. specified that the candy Elliott scatters around the woods and that the extraterrestrial eventually hands back to him were M&Ms. However Mars Inc., the manufacturer of M&Ms, would not allow the candy to be used in the film because they believed the creature was too frightening for children and would create a negative association. As a result, the film asked Hershey for permission to use the similar enough Reese’s Pieces, who obliged. Reese’s saw sales triple within weeks of the release of the movie and the candy began to be sold in cinemas for the first time ever.
- The Baby Ruth Bar was not named after Babe Ruth the baseball player, or so the company which created it claims. The Curtiss Candy Company maintains that it was named after President Grover Cleveland’s daughter Ruth, known as “Baby Ruth”, who died seventeen years before its invention. Important to note was that the candy bar’s original name was the “Kandy Kake” and it was renamed Baby Ruth in 1921, the same year Babe Ruth broke the single-season home run record and was reaching the height of his popularity. After trying to create his own candy bar bearing his name and being accused of copyright infringement by Curtiss Candy, Babe Ruth lost the case in court and had to cease the use of his own name on the product, which he ultimately never ended up producing.
Want to learn more fun facts about candy? Bulk Candy Store's engaging Candy Tour takes you on a journey through candy’s history from ancient Egyptian times to modern-day production. They guarantee it’s both fun and informative for all ages – and you get free candy samples! After your tour, shop the retail side (with a 15% off tour discount) that has every candy from Charleston Chews to Freeze Dried, 50+ flavors of popcorn, chocolate confections, and more!
For more info and to book a tour, go to bulkcandystore.com/tours and use the promo code Mackid24 for an extra 15% off your ticket price.
Bulk Candy Store is located at 235 N Jog Road, West Palm Beach, Florida (561) 540-1600.
