History of M&M’s After clashing with his father—the creator of the Milky Way bar—for a few years at Mars Inc., Forrest Mars Sr. moved to England, where in 1932 he began manufacturing the Mars bar for troops in the United Kingdom. It was during the Spanish Civil War that Mars purportedly encountered soldiers eating small…
All posts by David Woodard
July Candy of the Month
Do you remember the classic 1971 movie “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” a musical fantasy film…when Charlie finds the last Golden Ticket in that special Wonka Bar? Well you too can find the Golden Ticket!! This month at Touch the Moon Candy Saloon and at The Youngstown Play House during the performances of Willy…
June Candy: What are POP ROCKS??
POP ROCKS® are small pieces of hard candy that have been gasified with carbon dioxide under super-atmospheric pressure. When these gasified sugar granules come in contact with moisture, in someone’s mouth or in a liquid, the gas retained inside the carbon dioxide bubbles is released, causing its characteristic popping sensation as well as crackling and fizzing…
May Candy of the Month
The historical origins of the chocolate covered raisin and chocolate covered peanuts are unknown. However, most early references tend to originate from the Germanic-speaking regions of Europe. A popular folk tale mentions “kleine Schokokugeln” (little chocolate balls). Raisinets are the number one largest selling candy in United States history. Raisinets were introduced in the United States in…
April Candy of the Month
Spring is in the air. Peeps are everywhere! Peeps are produced by Just Born, a candy manufacturer founded in Bethlehem, PA, by Russian immigrant Sam Born. In 1953, Just Born acquired the Rodda Candy Company and its marshmallow chick line, and replaced the painstaking process of hand-forming the chicks with mass production. When founder Sam Born would…
Super Special Gum at Touch The Moon!
Jolt Energy Gum is the bomb! Two pieces are equal to a 16 oz. energy drink! Japanese Black Black gum has a “mentholyptus” taste and invigorates your mouth! Please give ’em a taste!
Jelly Bean or Jellybean?
Those in the know believe that jelly beans are a combination of the soft, chewy Middle Eastern sweet called Turkish Delight that has been around for thousands of years and the hard candy shell of Jordan Almonds, a product of the 17th Century. However, it is generally thought that jelly beans first surfaced in 1861, when…
February Candy of the Month
Valentine’s Day means chalky candy hearts with a lot to say. But what’s behind these very loud little candies? The story of conversation hearts began in 1847, when a Boston pharmacist named Oliver Chase longed for a way to get in on the lozenge craze. Lozenges were quickly gaining steam as the medicine conveyance of choice,…
January Candy of the Month: Good & Plenty
Good & Plenty is an American brand of licorice candy. Good & Plenty was first the Quaker City Confectionery Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1893 and is the oldest branded candy in the United States. Warner-Lambert purchased Quaker City in 1973 and sold it to Leaf Candy Company (owned by Beatrice Foods) in 1982. It is now produced by Hershey Foods, which purchased Leaf in 1996. Beginning…
The Birth of the Candy Cane or as some like to call it the Peppermint Stick!
The origin of the candy cane goes back over 350 years, when candy-makers both professional and amateur were making hard sugar sticks. The original candy was straight and completely white in color. The first historical reference to the familiar cane shape goes back to 1670, when the choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany, bent…