Whoppers are chocolate-coated malted milk balls produced by The Hershey Company. The candy is a small, round ball about 3/4 of an inch in diameter. They are typically sold either in a small cardboard candy box, in a larger box that resembles a cardboard milk carton, the “Fun Size” variety which is a tube-shaped plastic package sealed at the sides, containing twelve whoppers weighing 21 grams (0.75 Oz), or the even smaller variety of a tube containing three whoppers weighing 6.8 grams (0.23 Oz).
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History
In 1939, the Overland Candy Company introduced the predecessor to Whoppers, a malted milk candy called Giants. Overland merged with Chicago Biscuit Company, Leaf Gum, and Leaf Machinery, in 1947. Two years later, Leaf Brands reintroduced malted milk balls under the name of Whoppers. All products manufactured by Leaf Brands were purchased by W.R. Grace in the 1960s; however, they were repurchased by Leaf in 1976. Finally, Hershey Foods Corporation acquired the Leaf North America confectionery operations from Huhtamaki Oy of Helsinki, Finland in 1996. The company produces the Whoppers candy to this day.
Whoppers were first sold unwrapped, two for one cent. But after the creation of cellophane wrapping machines, smaller Whoppers were packaged and sold five for one cent, also known as "Fivesomes." Leaf soon introduced the first confectionery milk carton package which would become a hallmark of the candy. Sometime between 1949 and 1952 an egg-shaped Whoopers candy was introduced for Easter. They differ from the traditional Whoppers in being egg shaped and having a speckled candy shell.
In 2000, Hershey introduced Mini Whoppers. Traditionally chocolate in flavor, a new strawberry milkshake flavored variant became available in 2006, soon after they also released Reese's Peanut Butter Cup flavored Whoppers.
Ingredients
Listed in decreasing order by weight: sugar, fractionated and partially hydrogenated palm kernel oil, reduced protein whey (milk), corn syrup solids, whey (milk), corn syrup, malted milk, barley malt (containing wheat, milk, sodium bicarbonate, salt), cocoa, carob, sorbitan tristearate, soy lecithin, resinous glaze, natural and artificial flavors, tapioca dextrin, calcium carbonate, and salt).
Flavors
- Original (chocolate)
- Strawberry milkshake
- Reese's peanut butter
- Vanilla milkshake
- Orange milkshake
- Blueberry
Gallery
 Individual pieces |
 Inside a Whopper |
 Milk carton style box |
Similar products
- "Maltesers", manufactured by Mars, Inc. in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, Australia, Japan, and Austria.
- "Mighty Malts", malted milk balls manufactured by Necco.
External links
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