Tootsie Roll

A patriotic advertisement for Tootsie Rolls during World War I

Tootsie Roll is a brand of chewy candy, manufactured from an ersatz form of chocolate, that have been manufactured in the United States since 1896. They are one of the best-selling candies in the world.^[1] The manufacturer, Tootsie Roll Industries, is based in Chicago, Illinois.

History

A small Tootsie Roll

A long Tootsie Roll

A small Lemon Flavored Tootsie Roll

In 1896 its founder Leo Hirshfield, an Austrian immigrant to the United States, started his candy business in a small shop located in New York City.^[2] He wanted a "chocolate" candy that would not melt easily in the heat, and would be an economical artificial alternative to traditional chocolates.^{[citation needed]} He named the candy after the nickname of his daughter, Clara "Tootsie" Hirshfield.^[2] By 1905, production moved to a five-story factory. In 1917 the name of the company was changed to The Sweets Company of America, and the business became a listed company in 1922. In 1931 the Tootsie Pop—a lollipop with Tootsie Roll filling—was invented. Its low price made it popular in the Depression era. During World War II, Tootsie Rolls became a standard part of American soldiers' field rations, due to the hardiness of the candy under a variety of environmental conditions.^[2]

In 1935 the company was in serious difficulty. Its principal supplier of paper boxes, Joseph Rubin & Sons of Brooklyn, concerned about the possible loss of an important customer, became interested in the possibility of acquiring control. The company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange, but Bernard D. Rubin acquired a list of shareholders and approached them in person in order to purchase their shares. The Rubins eventually achieved control and agreed that Bernard would run the company as president. Bernard D. Rubin was able to steadily increase sales and restore profits, changing the formula of the Tootsie Roll and increasing its size, moving from Manhattan to a much larger plant in Hoboken, N.J., and guiding the company successfully through the difficult war years when vital raw materials were in short supply. When he died in 1948 he had increased the sales volume twelvefold. After his death his brother William B. Rubin served as president until 1962. In 1966 the company adopted its current name of Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc.

The company has acquired several famous brands of confections such as The Candy Corporation of America's Mason Division (1972), Cellas' Confections (1985), The Charms Company (1988), The Warner-Lambert Company (1993, excluding gum & mints), Andes Candies (2000), and Concord Confections (2004).

Hirschfield's shop evolved into Tootsie Roll Industries, one of the largest candy manufacturers in the world. Today, more than 62 million Tootsie Rolls are made daily.^[1] On December 2, 2009 Tootsie rolls announced that they are going kosher and all future tootsie's will bear the OU (Orthodox Union) Kosher certification on them.

Jingle

The Tootsie Roll jingle was Recorded at Blank Tape Studios in 1976, it is still occasionally played today. It aired on television regularly for more than 20 years and continues to be aired. It was featured on a Food Network special about candy. The jingle was sung by a nine-year-old girl and a thirteen-year-old boy, the children of jazz musicians and friends of the song's composer. The children were paid $50 each for their work, and never received any residuals, which is consistent with the policies for such work. ^[3] The girl still has the original reel-to-reel audio tape recording.^[4]

Ingredients

The ingredients of a chocolate Tootsie Roll are sugar, corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, condensed milk, cocoa, whey, soy lecithin, orange extract, and artificial and condensed flavors.

On December 2, 2009, Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc. announced that Tootsie Rolls will soon bear kosher certification by the Orthodox Union.^[5]

Alternate flavors

In addition to the traditional cocoa-flavored Tootsie Roll, several additional flavors have been introduced. Known as Tootsie Fruit Rolls, flavors include cherry, orange, vanilla, lemon, and lime. These varieties are wrapped in red, orange, blue, yellow and green wrappers, respectively.

References

External links

• Official website