Hi Puzzlers,
As promised, today’s topic is on candy wrappers. We left the Sugar Rush post after the British colonized Barbados and Jamaica and began to almost exclusively produce sugar on these islands. With the forced labor of the African slaves, sugar prices dropped, allowing all social groups the chance to afford sugar and make candy.
In the 1830-40s glass jars were used to store and display brightly colored candies. Chocolate bars, invented in 1847 by the Fry’s chocolate factory, were “packed as unwrapped bars in wooden boxes with paper labels displayed on the shop counter.” The 1850s ushered in the invention of the fashionable and functional airtight tins, great for toffee and tin collectors alike. Tins also made toffees appear more luxurious and were great for gift giving.
The earliest wrappers came from street vendors who would wrap candies in recycled papers. Some crafty vendors would use brightly color paper and cut decorative edges around the wrap, then twist the paper around the treat. By the 19th century all sorts of candies were available to the public. These small candy pieces were sold by weight and bagged when purchased.
The first wrapped milk chocolate bar was produce by??? You guessed it! Hershey’s, in 1900, and it is still being produced today! During this time packaged foods were the only foods that offered people a safe, consistent tasting food, with a fixed price. This chocolate bar was the first of its kind and sold nationwide for a nickel. It’s “The bar that started it all.”
The next big hit was the Milky Way bar produced by Forrest Mars. This bar was very different from the Hershey’s bar-- it had a solid milk chocolate coating which kept the candy bar fresh and the inside was malt-flavored nougat. “The Milky Way was much bigger and tasted just as chocolatey, but cost much less to produce. “People walked up to the counter and they’d see this little flat Hershey bar for a nickel and right next to it, a giant Milky Way. Guess which one they’d pick?” bragged Forrest.
These two wrappers are great examples of what a successful consumer branding looks like. The wrappers have changed through the years but the yummy treats they hold have not.
If you love--candy wrappers you have to check out the Candy Wrapper Museum it is filled with tons of wrappers from around the world. And if you’re into learning more about consumer branding check out this Syracuse University thesis paper, A Century of Candy Bars: An Analysis of Wrapper Design by David Grager.
As promised, today’s topic is on candy wrappers. We left the Sugar Rush post after the British colonized Barbados and Jamaica and began to almost exclusively produce sugar on these islands. With the forced labor of the African slaves, sugar prices dropped, allowing all social groups the chance to afford sugar and make candy.
In the 1830-40s glass jars were used to store and display brightly colored candies. Chocolate bars, invented in 1847 by the Fry’s chocolate factory, were “packed as unwrapped bars in wooden boxes with paper labels displayed on the shop counter.” The 1850s ushered in the invention of the fashionable and functional airtight tins, great for toffee and tin collectors alike. Tins also made toffees appear more luxurious and were great for gift giving.
The earliest wrappers came from street vendors who would wrap candies in recycled papers. Some crafty vendors would use brightly color paper and cut decorative edges around the wrap, then twist the paper around the treat. By the 19th century all sorts of candies were available to the public. These small candy pieces were sold by weight and bagged when purchased.
The first wrapped milk chocolate bar was produce by??? You guessed it! Hershey’s, in 1900, and it is still being produced today! During this time packaged foods were the only foods that offered people a safe, consistent tasting food, with a fixed price. This chocolate bar was the first of its kind and sold nationwide for a nickel. It’s “The bar that started it all.”
The next big hit was the Milky Way bar produced by Forrest Mars. This bar was very different from the Hershey’s bar-- it had a solid milk chocolate coating which kept the candy bar fresh and the inside was malt-flavored nougat. “The Milky Way was much bigger and tasted just as chocolatey, but cost much less to produce. “People walked up to the counter and they’d see this little flat Hershey bar for a nickel and right next to it, a giant Milky Way. Guess which one they’d pick?” bragged Forrest.
These two wrappers are great examples of what a successful consumer branding looks like. The wrappers have changed through the years but the yummy treats they hold have not.
If you love--candy wrappers you have to check out the Candy Wrapper Museum it is filled with tons of wrappers from around the world. And if you’re into learning more about consumer branding check out this Syracuse University thesis paper, A Century of Candy Bars: An Analysis of Wrapper Design by David Grager.
Happy Puzzling!
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