The History of Gummy Candy - One of our Favorite Snacks
Jun 8th 2020
When you think of gummy candy, the first thing that comes to mind is Gummi Bears, of course. Everyone seems to love these colorful, fruit flavored snacks but we bet you don’t know the history of this "bear-y delicious" candy.
The gummy bear was born in Germany, a creation of candy maker Hans Riegel Sr., who got the idea of creating a bear shaped candy after seeing trained bears perform in street shows throughout Europe. In 1922, he introduced the first gummy candy which he named Dancing Bear which became the predecessor of the candy we know and love today.
The popularity of Riegel’s Dancing Bear spawned a slightly smaller version of the treat which was introduced in 1967 called Gold-Bears. These are the gummi bears we gobble up by the millions today and are still manufactured by Riegel’s company - Haribo.
Gold-Bears gummi candy comes in five delicious flavors: raspberry (red); orange (orange); strawberry (green); pineapple (colorless); and lemon (yellow).
The success Haribo had with their gummy candy over the years spawned other candy manufacturers to get into the business of gummies making this type of sweet snack one of the most popular around the world.
Besides the original bear, gummi candy can be found in all shapes, sizes and flavors. Some of the more unique ones include:
Gummy Sharks
There’s nothing fishy about these gummy sharks that are big sellers a few times a year - especially when it’s Shark Week on TV or during the summer when you’re hosting a JAWS viewing party from your swimming pool.
Cola Bottles
These are now manufactured by a few different candy companies, but Haribo’s Happy Cola gummy bottles are one of our faves. Shaped like a classic Coca Cola bottle, you’ll want to pop one open for a cola-like treat.
Gummy Worms
Next to gummi bears, gummy worms are the most popular gummy candy. They’re used for ice cream toppings, creepy Halloween treats, or just as a snack that kids love to eat to say “I ate a worm!”
There you have it! A little history of the gummy bear that started it all and some of our top picks. Be sure to check out all the different types of gummy candy that we stock.
The gummy bear was born in Germany, a creation of candy maker Hans Riegel Sr., who got the idea of creating a bear shaped candy after seeing trained bears perform in street shows throughout Europe. In 1922, he introduced the first gummy candy which he named Dancing Bear which became the predecessor of the candy we know and love today.
The popularity of Riegel’s Dancing Bear spawned a slightly smaller version of the treat which was introduced in 1967 called Gold-Bears. These are the gummi bears we gobble up by the millions today and are still manufactured by Riegel’s company - Haribo.
Gold-Bears gummi candy comes in five delicious flavors: raspberry (red); orange (orange); strawberry (green); pineapple (colorless); and lemon (yellow).
The success Haribo had with their gummy candy over the years spawned other candy manufacturers to get into the business of gummies making this type of sweet snack one of the most popular around the world.
Besides the original bear, gummi candy can be found in all shapes, sizes and flavors. Some of the more unique ones include:
Gummy Sharks
There’s nothing fishy about these gummy sharks that are big sellers a few times a year - especially when it’s Shark Week on TV or during the summer when you’re hosting a JAWS viewing party from your swimming pool.
Cola Bottles
These are now manufactured by a few different candy companies, but Haribo’s Happy Cola gummy bottles are one of our faves. Shaped like a classic Coca Cola bottle, you’ll want to pop one open for a cola-like treat.
Gummy Worms
Next to gummi bears, gummy worms are the most popular gummy candy. They’re used for ice cream toppings, creepy Halloween treats, or just as a snack that kids love to eat to say “I ate a worm!”
There you have it! A little history of the gummy bear that started it all and some of our top picks. Be sure to check out all the different types of gummy candy that we stock.