Although nothing says \Happy Halloween"" quite like beer and vandalism, there is something missing from the way the Halloween tradition is celebrated in Madison-trick-or-treating. Until eighth grade, trick-or-treating was the highlight of Halloween, and the best part of the night was the gruesome game of candy trading.
There was always one kid who despised Butterfingers, or one wimp who could not handle Red Hots. It was children like this that forced us all to take stock of what was in our plastic pumpkin and trade for something better.
In the vicious war of the candy trade, many small candies fell to large chocolate bars and fancy fruit chews. Often, multiple tubes of Necco Wafers were traded for a single Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. These less intimidating candies, although often overlooked, are not only tasty, but full of interesting history and facts.
Necco Wafers
You either really love them, or really hate them. There is, however, no disputing the fact that Necco Wafers are one of the most interesting candies in existence. The pastel wafers are the nation's oldest continuously made product-for 155 years, they have been produced by the New England Confectionery Company.
A naturally sodium and fat-free candy, each roll of Necco Wafers contains the original eight flavors: lemon, orange, lime, clove, cinnamon, wintergreen, licorice and chocolate. Each flavor begins with a 600-pound batch of the same ""dough"" used to make Conversation Hearts-NECCO's other token candy. After the dough is pressed into wafers, workers grab them by hand and place them onto a conveyor belt where the candy is wrapped in tubes.
Because Necco Wafers are virtually unbreakable and never melt, World War II soldiers received the candy in their rations. Admiral Byrd brought two and a half tons of Necco Wafers on his expedition to the South Pole to give energy to his crew. Today, four billion Necco Wafers are sold each year-enough wafers to encircle the globe twice when placed end to end.
Fun facts: In low humidity, wintergreen Necco Wafers spark in the dark when broken. Also, over 120 Necco Wafers are eaten every second of every day of the year.
Candy corn
Sometimes they are mixed with peanuts, or your mom has a dish sitting out on the kitchen table, but candy corn is just plain fun to pop in your mouth for a little Halloween treat. Those sugary little spikes of Halloween cheer have been around for as long as anyone can remember, but they were actually invented over 100 years ago in the 1880s.
The first person to make the tasty treats is unknown. Yet, the company most closely associated with this wonderful confection is the Goelitz Confectionery Company. German Immigrant Gustav Goelitz began commercial production in 1898 in Cincinnati and today is the oldest manufacturer of candy corn.
In the sugar crisis of the mid 70s, many companies went out of business, but the demand for candy corn kept Goelitz from bankruptcy. Its tri-color design was considered revolutionary for its time, and companies even tried other vegetable shapes including turnips.
According to the National Confectioners Association, in 2001 candy manufacturers sold more than 20 million pounds of candy corn, somewhere around 8.3 billion kernels. Halloween accounts for 75 percent of the annual candy corn production and the candy sports 3.57 calories per kernel.
Fun Fact: Goelitz's factory workers labored 10 hours a day for six days a week making candy corn, and earned $5.22 per week.
Tootsie Rolls and
Tootsie Pops
Though now an American favorite, the Tootsie Roll recipe comes straight from Austria. In 1896, Leo Hirshfield, an Austrian immigrant, opened a candy store in New York City, where he hand-rolled and wrapped the chewy chocolate creation. He decided to name the candy after his daughter Clara, whom he nicknamed ""Tootsie."" Tootsie Rolls were born and became the first wrapped penny candy in the nation. Hirshfield's recipe is the same recipe used today, and one Tootsie Roll still costs one cent.
The Tootsie Pop (hard candy covering a tootsie roll on a stick) was invented in 1931, and in 1970, the famous ad campaign asked the question ""How many licks does it take to reach the center of a Tootsie Pop?"" Tootsie Roll industries has received over 20,000 letters from people around the world who claim to have solved the mystery. Estimates typically range from 600 to 800 licks, and each person who sends in an answer receives the coveted ""Clean Stick Award.""
Fun fact: Each day, Tootsie Roll Industries generates more than 60 million Tootsie Rolls and produces more than 20 million lollipops, making the company the world's largest lollipop producer.
Hershey's Kisses
Hershey's Kisses, one of the most recognized chocolate candies in the world, have practically remained exactly the same since being introduced in 1907.??The candy was originally wrapped in silver foil by hand until a machine took over in 1921, and the trademark paper plume was added to the bite-sized candy in 1924.??This machine is capable of wrapping 1,300 kisses a minute. That's 33 million a day or 12 billion a year at the Hershey, Pennsylvania or Oakdale, California locations. The kisses are made by dropping chocolate onto a continuously moving stainless steel belt.??Then they travel through a cooling tunnel for 18 minutes until solidified. In 1962 Hershey's began wrapping the chocolate in red, green and silver foil. This idea was so successful that they began doing color themes for Easter (1968), Valentines Day (1986) and the Harvest season (1991). How did this delicious candy receive its name? It is believed that the machine that makes them looks like it is kissing the conveyor belt!
Fun Fact: Hershey's Kisses stopped production from 1942-1949 due to silver foil rationings during World War II.
Smarties
As a kid on Halloween, you could be rest assured that by the end of the night you would have more Smarties than anyone should safely consume in a year. However, Smarties are healthier than you think-one roll of 15 Smarties is only 25 calories. Each Smarties roll contains varying numbers of six flavors-cherry, orange, orange cream, grape, pineapple and oddly enough, a green-hued strawberry.
In 1949, Ce De Candy Inc. traveled from England to America in hopes of better business. Armed with only two wrapping machines and a rented factory, Ce De began to generate packages of pressed sugar tablets they named ""Smarties."" Now, Smarties are made for 20 hours each day in three factories in North America. Each year, Ce De produces 35 million pounds of Smarties, or more than two billion rolls. Placed end to end, a year's worth of Smarties would stretch across 85 thousand miles.
Fun fact: If you try to buy Smarties in Canada, do not fret when you receive candy that resembles M&Ms-in Canada, Smarties are called ""Rockets.""
-Mary Lang, Danielle Abraham, Jessica Daynor and Erica Walkup contributed to this report.
