The OG Gummy

 

Did you know that the gummy bear is the first gummy ever? They've been around for a very long time (you can learn more about the history of the gummy bear in my book called Snack Facts), but what I want to know is when did they start making gummies sour? It's a really odd collection of flavours and textures if you think about it. Soft and squishy, sweet in the middle, but sour on the outside. The thing is, it works.

Check out Haribo's attempt at making their classic gummy bear sour.

Gummy... Bears?

Historically the gummy bear shape is actually fairly important. It was after all the first shape ever manufactured as a gummy, based on performing bears on the streets of Germany. It is however very odd that this shape of gummy remains one of the most popular. While Haribo is the first to make this shape of gummy, they're certainly not the only one anymore. Even stranger is the fact that we don't see any other candies made in this shape. It would even be odd to see a chocolate or a hard candy in the shape of a small bear, but a gummy makes perfect sense.

Check out my latest bear shaped gummy review.

Gummy Bears VS Gummy Worms

 Today I take a deep dive and try and find out which is the superior gummy treat, the gummy bear or the gummy worm.

Make sure to pick up Snack Facts to learn the history of the gummy bear - candycritic.org/snackfacts

Jolly Gummy Bear

Gummy Bear Fun Times
by candycritic

 Now that's one happy gummy bear, and you could make some candy fan happy if you buy them this shirt.

CC

Gummy Bear Irony

Irony
by candycritic

I sometimes wish gummy bears could know how frustrating it is to step into gum.

CC 

Giving Gummy Birth

Baby Gummy Bear
by candycritic

 I'm sure most mothers wished they could give birth to gummy bears.

CC

Gummy Bear Tug-A-War

Gummy Bear Tug-of-War
by candycritic

 This is the most fun and tradgic candy t-shirt you'll ever see.

CC

Give Me Gummy Bears

Gummy Bear Fun Times T-Shirt
by candycritic

Who doesn't love a good gummy bear t-shirt?

CC

Twisted Gummy Bears

Gummy Bear Tug-of-War T-Shirt
by candycritic

This gummy bear shirt is twisted, but not in the way most gummy bears get twisted.

Click here to check out more candy merch at my Zazzle store.

CC

Digitize Your Gummy Bears

Pixelated Gummy Bears T-Shirt
by candycritic

The only way to enjoy your favourite candy is at low resolution.

Check out some of my other cool merch in my Zazzle store.

CC

Gummy Bear Old School

Pixelated Gummy Bears T-Shirt
by candycritic

Of all the shirts in our store, this pixilated gummy bear shirt is one of my favourites. I wear mine all the time.

CC

Make Your Own Gummy...?

Recently I've noticed a trend in home gummy making machines and kits. There's now the implication that you can make your own homemade CBD edibles.

CC

What Colour Gummy Bear Are You Eating?

One Last Gummy Bear Face Mask
by candycritic

Tell the world you're eating a gummy bear while staying safe.

We have more candy themed stuff in our store.

CC

Amazing Candy/Junk Food Things That You Should Buy - Glitchy Gummy Bears

Pixelated Gummy Bears T-Shirt
by candycritic

This is one of my favourite designs in our store, I love how it's retro and modern at the same time.

You can check out all our t-shirt designs in our Zazzle store.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to check out any future designs we might have coming.

CC

Amazing Candy/Junk Food Things That You Should Buy - Grim Gummy Bear T-Shirt

Gummy Bear Tug-of-War T-Shirt
by candycritic

This is the perfect t-shirt for any fans of gummy bears and very dark humour.

Be sure to check out all our designs at our Zazzle store.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to check out other upcoming designs.

CC

Candy In The Media - Flush It

I've probably flushed five pounds of gummy bears down my toilet... not directly though.

CC

I Bet You Didn't Know These Where European

Most people seem to assume that so many classic candies come from their country. This likely happens because people build such a strong relationship with these candies that they associate them with home. Since it's always been there, it must come from wherever you were born. Then, instead of being rational, people assume that when they see these candies outside of their home, it must be because they're so popular that they're exported. The truth is there can only be one place of origin for any candy, and sadly, except for a very few of you, it's likely not your home town or country.

Kit Kat
Place of Origin England
Check out our Kit Kat review here.

One of the best selling candies in the world was born in a place where so many other great candies were born, England. In fact that Kit Kat was created in a particular town in England that could be the birthplace of more popular chocolate treats than anywhere else in the world, York. These treats include the Aero bar, Terry's Chocolate Orange, and Smarties, just to name a few. Treats created in York can be found all over the world. In fact I think I could safely say that there isn't a country in the world (except maybe North Korea) where at least one York created treat can be found. At the very least you can find them in every airport in the world.

Likely the most popular of York's creations though is the Kit Kat bar. I've had people from all over the world claim that the bar was invented in their country. I've even had people point out Kit Kat rip off bars and claim that it was the original. While I haven't done any serious investigation of these allegations, food historians generally agree that the Kit Kat bar was the first, and it was made in York.

PEZ
Place of Origin Austria
Check out one of our PEZ reviews here.

You would think it would be obvious because of the name "PEZ" which doesn't sound English at all, but this is one very European candy. Invented in Austria as a breath mint for smokers, the letters PEZ are actually a short form of the German word "Pfefferminz". At this point I think the USA is probably one of the biggest consumer of the candies since many of the dispensers are themed with American characters. I assume that most people assume that the origins are from their own country because they're so used to seeing their favourite characters on the dispensers.

This candies ability to take on so many shapes (or at the very least the dispensers ability) is likely why this candy is such a global phenomenon. The candy itself is always the same, with a few flavour variations sometimes available in one place over another, but the packaging is what people love about this candy. It's also the reason people assume that it's from their own country.

Gummy Bear
Place Of Origin Germany
Check out one of our Gummy Bear reviews here.

The gummy bear is kind of complicated, but there's no denying that the origins are German. It gets complicated because of the popularity of the candy later on. The gummy bear was invented in Bonn Germany in 1922 but the candy didn't go global until the 1980s, but when it broke it broke big.  It went from being a simple German candy that no one had ever heard of into the catalyst for a candy revolution. This was the candy that actually started a candy trend that's lasted ever since, the gummy. Many could credit the gummy bear as being the original gummy candy, and I'm sure many people would assume that it came from their own country.

The gummy bear's explosion of popularity is likely caused by the American market in the 80s, it went all the way to a popular television series. But the origins are much simpler, and found a ten hour flight away from the USA.

CC

Candy In The Media

Watching giant marshmallow candies get tortured is remarkable interesting.

CC

A Squishy Candy Pool Thing

Don't bite it, no matter how tempted you are, you'll pop it.

CC