All I want is a piece of chocolate candy that won’t melt easily in the heat … lucky for me, and millions of other candy consumers, Leo Hirshfield had the same idea! Hirshfield founded Tootsie Roll Industries in a small shop in New York City. The Tootsie Roll candy got its name after the nickname of his daughter, Clara “Tootsie” Hirshfield.
Originating in 1896, The Tootsie Roll Industries is now based in Chicago, Illinois as one of the country’s largest candy companies. Among some of Tootsie’s most popular candy names are: Tootsie Roll, Tootsie Pop, Charms Blow Pop, Mason Dots, Andes, Sugar Daddy, Charleston Chew, Dubble Bubble, and Junior Mints.
The original cocoa-flavored Tootsie Roll also comes in a number of additional flavors. These are known as the Tootsie Fruit Rolls. Flavors include; cherry (flavor) – red (wrapper color), orange – orange, vanilla – blue, lemon – yellow, and lime – green.
In 1931, the Tootsie Pop, lollipop with Tootsie Roll filling, was invented. In the Depression era during World War II, the Tootsie Pop became a standard part of American soldiers’ field rations due to its low price and hardiness of the candy under a variety of environmental conditions.
Are your taste buds tingling yet? Before you do your Halloween candy shopping, make sure you check out Tootsie Roll Industries for all of your Halloween candy options! Today, there are more than 62 million Tootsie Rolls made daily. For many, Halloween is a great night to dress up in costumes, visit haunted houses, carve pumpkins, or attend Halloween parties. For me, Halloween is a night to consume as much candy as possible, without the guilt! Enjoy!
Contributed by: Carrie Friedrich
