Hershey's Kiss
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hershey's Kisses are a type of chocolate candy manufactured by The Hershey Company. The bite-sized pieces of chocolate have a distinctive shape: people liken them to flat-bottomed teardrops. Hershey's Kisses are wrapped in squares of lightweight aluminum foil with a narrow strip of paper protruding from the top.
The Kisses are one of the most popular candies in the world. In 1989, the chocolate drops were the 5th most popular candy in the United States, spawning sales that topped $400 million dollars. More than 80 million Hershey's Kisses are produced each day at the company's two factories. Today's Kisses use Hershey's original milk chocolate formula.
They are occasionally characterized as oversized chocolate chips.
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[edit] History
Hershey's Kisses were introduced in 1907. A common myth is that the name comes from the "kissing" sound created by the machines used to make the candy. However, it is more likely an appropriation of a common industry term for a dab of chocolate.
The candies were originally wrapped by hand. Automated wrapping began in 1921. The same automatic wrapping process allowed for the insertion of the distinctive paper "plume," that the company used to guarantee that consumers were getting the genuine Hershey product, rather than an imitation. This thin paper strip was registered as a company trademark in 1924.
Hershey's Kisses have been produced continuously since 1907, except for the period of time between 1942 and 1949. Rationing of raw materials during World War II made the aluminum foil for the wrappers a scarce commodity.
[edit] Kiss varieties
Though originally made of solely milk chocolate, many variations of the Kiss have since been introduced. Hershey's introduces and discontinues new flavors constantly. As of April 2007, the following flavors are available:
- Milk Chocolate
- Chocolate Mint
- Double Fudge
- Dulce de Leche
- Caramel Filled
- Peanut butter Filled
- Cherry Cordial Creme Filled
- Hugs (a mixture of white chocolate and milk chocolate)
- Milk Chocolate with Almonds
- Rich Dark Chocolate
- Strawberry Crème
- Orange Crème
- Double chocolate (dark and milk chocolate)
- Milk Chocolate and vanilla
- Coconut Crème
- Dark Chocolate with Almonds
- Toffee & almond
- Kissables (mini candy-coated Kisses similar to M&M's)
- Kisses mini cookies (varieties include regular, double chocolate, and confetti sprinkles)
- Truffle (dark chocolate with milk chocolate cream filling)
- Candy Cane Mint flavored (available for a limited time)
- Special Dark Macadamia Nut [Mauna Loa]
- Special Dark Espresso (limited 100-year anniversary)
- Caramel Creme (white chocolate caramel flavored)
- Dark Chocolate Raspberry
- Dark Chocolate Strawberry
- Extra Creamy
[edit] Wrapper varieties
Hershey's Kisses were originally wrapped in silver foil, and were only available in this color for decades. 1962 marked the first year that Kisses were available in different colored foil wrappers: red, green, and silver-wrapped candies were manufactured to coincide with the Christmas season. In 1968, pastel blue, pink, and green wrappers were introduced for Easter, and in 1986, Valentine's Day-themed wrappers of red and silver were introduced. The standard silver wrappers are available year-round.
[edit] Trivia
- As a sign of the popularity and company identification of Hershey's Kisses, the streetlights of Hershey, Pennsylvania, are shaped like Kisses, both wrapped in foil and as plain chocolate, dangling from the poles.
- After many PIAA postseason sporting events, Hershey Kisses are tossed onto the playing surface, signifying that the team will be going to the finals, held at various venues in Hershey, Pennsylvania including the Giant Center and Hersheypark Stadium.
- In 2007 The US Postal Service issued a postage stamp commemorating the Hershey's Kiss.
[edit] References
Brenner, Joël Glenn (2000). The Emperors of Chocolate: Inside the Secret World of Hershey & Mars. Broadway Books. ISBN 0-7679-0457-5.
[edit] External links
| Confectionery products of The Hershey Company |
|---|
| Chocolate-based |
| 5th Avenue | Almond Joy | Bar None (discontinued) | Cherry Blossom | Fast Break | Glosette (Canada only) | Heath bar | Hershey bar | Hershey's Kiss | Hershey's Kissables | Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme | Hershey's Pops | Hershey's S'mores | Kit Kat (U.S. only) | Krackel | Milk Duds | Mounds | Mr. Goodbar | Oh Henry! (Canada only) | PayDay Chocolate (Limited Edition) | Rolo | Reese's Peanut Butter Cup | Reese's Pieces | ReeseSticks | Skor | Take 5 (Also known as Max 5) | Whoppers | York Peppermint Pattie |
| Non-Chocolate |
| Bubble Yum | Ice Breakers | Jolly Rancher | Koolerz | PayDay | ZAGNUT |
| Other |
| Good & Plenty | Snack Barz | Swoops | Twizzlers | Whatchamacallit | ZERO |
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Hershey also manufactures Cadbury-branded products in the U.S. and military chocolate for the U.S. armed forces |
