Gummy Worms

Gummy candy evolved in 1922, built on three traditions. One was the tradition of soft candies dating back, quite likely, to Turkish delight. Second was the popularity of gummy candies themselves. Papers in 1915, for example, described these treats as being “cheap” or “little gummy candy” perfect from decorative Easter collections to birthday parties. The third is the significance of bears and, by default, candy bears, popular in Europe since the late 1800s. In 1896, one article describes the popularity of bears, including candy bears, in Berne Switzerland, which, according to the author, is much like Germany. “The confectionary stores are full of candy bears and the baker’s shop full of gingerbread ones. It gets almost monotonous.” It was in nearby Germany that Hans Riegel, founder of the company Haribo, united gummy candy and candy bears. The appeal of bears was said to be Riegel’s fascination with the actual dancing bears starting in the Middle Ages although, more likely, it was the popularity of bears overall. Gummy candy grew in popularity throughout the 20th century, making an entrance in the United States only in 1982. The American Candy company, Jelly Belly, got there first, introducing their own gummy candy in 1981. A seemingly endless array of gummy candies are available today, such as gummy sushi, gummy soldiers, gummy skulls, and for a brief time, gummy roadkill. Gummies have also returned to candy’s original raison d'être, now used as a vitamin. Swedish Fish are a newer candy, created by Swedish Company Malaco in the 1950s for an American demographic. As if underscoring the similarities of gummies and jellies, the company calls their candy “fish-shaped fruity-flavoured jelly sweets.” Another fish-inspired gummy, the blue gummy shark, demonstrates in its own way, the connection between gummies and culture. Gummy sharks are the name of an actual shark that lives off the coast of Australia where its candy self was introduced.