Some really amazing products come about through challenging tradition and. HI-CHEW is one of those great inventions that has withstood the test of time to become a cultural icon. We can thank confectioner Taichiro Morinaga, who invented the chewing gum alternative we know as HI-CHEW. Why would someone create a chewing gum alternative you ask?…
Twizzlers is a twisted rope candy produced in the USA. Made of enriched wheat flour, liquid sugar, corn syrup, artificial flavoring, shortening, and food coloring, Twizzlers was developed in 1929 by The Young & Smylie Confectionery Company. Twizzlers became really popular in the 1960s. In fact, Neil Armstrong’s second remark on the moon in 1969, after…
There is something so amazing about watching a phoenix rise from the ashes. The story of great plans gone awry only to reemerge refined, renewed, and re-energized is always an empowering tale to behold. Airheads candy is just one such comeback story and it is a fascinating one. On August 7, 1985, Airheads candy was…
I have become a firm believer that you must read the book before you watch the movie. However, this is a pretty new rule I am holding myself to. When I was a kid, the magic of the movies is what inspired me to open the book. I was obsessed with the movie, The Wizard of Oz,…
Ah, advertising. These days we’re inundated with both blatant and subliminal ads for products. There is increasingly more data to help companies reach us as well as more and more platforms by which to share their messages. But the marketing tactic has been around for ages. And while it seems like personalized targeting means companies…
Have you ever seen the Milky Way? It’s the galaxy that houses our solar system, and sometimes, you can see it streaking across the sky on a dark night. It’s difficult to imagine exactly how large it is, knowing that it contains the sun, the Earth, and all its hovering planets. At minimum, there are an…
One of the biggest mysteries in candy: who is Mike and Ike? Or more accurately, where did their names come from? Headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the Just Born company produces Mike and Ike candies as well as Hot Tamale’s, Peeps, and various other candies. Mike and Ike was created by Sam Born, a Russian immigrant…
One of my greatest childhood memories was Friday nights with my family. My mom would throw nutrition out the window and we would play games or watch movies while noshing on pigs-in-a-blanket, M&Ms and Skittles. To this day, the smell of fresh bread and Skittles takes me back. After all these years, it’s still a…
There are certain foods and experiences that give you an unbelievably strong sense of nostalgia. For me, it’s when I see kids playing street hockey, when grocery stores start stocking their shelves with purple bags of Cadbury Mini Eggs and when I stroll by Pez dispensers on aisle caps. I just turned 30, but it feels…