National Tootsie Roll Day
About National Tootsie Roll Day
When is National Tootsie Roll Day? This holiday is always celebrated on February 23
Do you have a sweet tooth? Sure you do! We all love candy. And you’ll be happy to know that today is a candy food holiday. So, it’s definitely going to be a fun time. Someone was nice enough to declare National Tootsie Roll Day today. On this February 23 holiday we celebrate and enjoy this chewy chocolate candy treat. Tootsie Roll are one of American’s most popular candies.
Tootsie rolls have been around for over a hundred years. We ae so thankful that an Austrian immigrant to America in the early 1900s opened a candy store in Brooklyn, NY. As a confectioner, he invented the tootsie roll, and the candy world quickly became a much sweeter one. The objective of this holiday is twofold. First, we celebrate this bite sized candy and its creator. Second, we celebrate by eating tootsie rolls all day long. And yes, that means we can eat them for breakfast today if you want. We know that you do.
The Controversial Tootsie Roll History
The origin of this candy is not quite as clear as one might think. First, let’s identify who created it. Leo Hirshfield (1884 – 1922), a Jewish Austrian confectioner immigrated to the United States in 1884. But, some historians spell his last name “Hershfield”.
Next, let’s explore Tootsie Roll’s introduction to the market. Hirshfield opened a candy store in Brooklyn, NY. On February 23, 1896, he introduced them in his store. They became an immediate hit. He named them after his five-year-old daughter, Clara. Can you guess her nickname? It’s “Tootsie”. Isn’t that a sweet name!?
However, not all historians agree with the 1896 date. Some people say the candy was hit the market in 1907. Supporting this theory, is the fact that Hirshfield applied for a patent for them on this day in 1907.
Hirshfield merged with Sweets Candy Company of America in 1917 to more quickly market Tootsie Rolls. Then in 1966, the company name changed again to Tootsie Rolls Industries.
Tootsie Roll Trivia
Amaze your friends with our Tootsie Roll trivia.
- Today, over 64 million of the candies are manufactured daily.
- Tootsie Rolls store well, Store them for up to one year.
- Tootsie Rolls were the first candy to be individually wrapped.
- They originally sold for a penny.
- Tootsie Pops were introduced in 1935.
- It takes an average of 144 licks to reach the center of a Tootsie Pop.
- Long lasting and easy to store, Tootsie Rolls were a standard item in GI ration boxes in World Warr II.
- During the Korean War, the military packaged them in ammunition boxes sent to the front as a morale boost.
- Originally, there were five flavors: chocolate, cherry, grape, orange, and raspberry.
- In 1943, Captain Tootsie Roll and his sidekick Rollo premiered in an advertising comic strip.
- They were singer Frank Sinatra’s favorite candy. Perhaps that explains his sweet voice.
- For the diet conscious, five pieces of the candy has 120 calories, 23 grams of carbs, and no cholesterol.
- In 1969, The first astronauts to land on the mook carried Tootsie Rolls with them on their journey.
- Leo Hirshfield was inducted into the Candy Hall of Fame in 2007.
- In 2002, Tootsie Roll Industries produced the largest Tootsie Roll ever made. It measured 3 feet in diameter and weighed 6,600 pounds. Just chew on that for a while.
- Have you ever had Andy’s Mints, Junior Mints, Dots, Sugar Daddy, or Charms Blow Pops? These are among some of the many popular candies made by Tootsie Roll Industries.
How to Celebrate National Tootsie Roll Day
- Eat plenty of them all day long.
- Use them in a recipe. Yes, there are lots of recipes that use them.
- Bring them to work to share with your coworkers.
- Share our trivia about them.
- Carry a bag of them around today and give handful to everyone you even strangers.
- Have a party to celebrate this day. Leave several bowls of tootsie rolls around the room.
Today's Chuckle
“Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker.” – – Ogden Nash
History and Origin of National Tootsie Roll Day
National Tootsie Roll Day originated in 2015. Our research has not yet identified the creator of this food holiday. Nor have we found any reference to the reason for the creation of this day. Most likely, it was created by someone who loves tootsie rolls. Or, perhaps it was the manufacturer seeking to promote this already highly popular candy.
This holiday is called a National” day. However, we found no documentation in congressional records to confirm that this is truly a national day. Nor, did we find a presidential proclamation.
Definition of “National” Days – and why it is important to distinguish true National days.
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