Hershey's Kisses

Original milk-chocolate Hershey's Kisses with Cherry Cordial Creme Filled Kisses

Hershey's Kisses is a brand of chocolate manufactured by The Hershey Company. The bite-sized pieces of chocolate have a distinctive shape, commonly described as flat-bottomed teardrops. Hershey's Kisses chocolates are wrapped in squares of lightweight aluminum foil with a narrow strip of paper protruding from the top.

History

The Hershey Kisses were first introduced in 1905. It is believed that the candy was named kisses because of the motion or sound that the machines made when depositing candy. At first, the Hershey Kisses were wrapped by hand, but in 1921, a machine was made so the Kisses would be wrapped automatically. This is also when the plume was added. In 1924, Milton S. Hershey received a registered trademark for the plume. During 1942, production of Hershey Kisses was briefly interrupted due to the rationing of aluminum foil. Instead, the machines were used to create chocolate paste for the soldiers in World War II. From for the first time, Hershey Kiss's packaging is Technicolor from 1962-1968. In 1976, the Kiss received a registered trademark for the foil wrapper. Kisses are one of the most popular brands of candies in the US. In 1989, the chocolate drops were the 5th most popular chocolate brand in the United States, spawning sales that topped $400 million. More than 60 million Hershey's Kisses chocolates are produced each day at the company's two factories. Today's Kisses brand chocolates use Hershey's original milk chocolate formula.

In 2005 Hershey's Kissables were introduced as a smaller sized, candy coated version of Kisses chocolates. They have been discontinued.

Kisses Brand varieties

Hershey's Kisses Milk Chocolates filled with caramel.

Though originally made of solely milk chocolate, many variations of the Kisses brand of chocolates and candies have since been introduced. Hershey introduces and discontinues new flavors constantly. As of January 2013, some of the flavors available throughout the year include:[1]

United States & Canada

International

Limited time only

Wrapper varieties

Hershey's Kisses chocolates were originally wrapped in silver-colored foil, and were only available in this color for decades. 1962 marked the first year that Kisses chocolates 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. Xs and Os have also appeared on pink and red wrappers as well as little red hearts on silver wrappers for Valentine’s Day. "Fall Harvest" colors were introduced in 1991. Independence Day has silver with red stripes and blue-starred wrappers. Pink wrappers with "ribbons" on them to support breast cancer research have also appeared. Camouflage wrappers are also available, primarily on military bases. Kisses Dark Chocolates come in a deep purple wrapper. The Halloween themed Kisses Candy Corn candies come in a wrapper whose colors imitate the color of a candy corn with yellow, white and orange stripes swirling around the candy. The Christmas themed Kisses Candy Cane candies also come in a wrapper whose colors imitate the color pattern (red stripes and white chocolate). The original silver (for regular) and gold (for Almonds) wrappers are available year-round.

Hershey is introducing new pastel-colored wrappers with white polka dots for the upcoming Easter season. This created controversy within the organization because many workers and environmentalists have requested a more environmentally-friendly packaging, which would have eliminated the aluminum wrapping and replaced it with biodegradable materials. This was supposed to be rolled out on April 1, 2009.

Paper plume

In addition to the standard "Kisses®" paper plume and the special variety plumes (such as "cheesecake"), special messages have been available for various occasions, including:

Seasonal

Packaging varieties

Criticism

Kisses with almonds, Kisses hugs, Kisses with caramel & Kisses cookies 'n' creme are made with the controversial ingredient PGPR (Polyglycerol polyricinoleate, E476),[2] which is used as a replacement for cocoa butter.[3] The FDA has determined it to be "safe for humans as long as you restrict your intake to 7.5 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. Otherwise you’d be open to reversible liver enlargement at higher intakes".[4]

References

  1. ↑ Hershey's Kisses Brand Chocolates - Products - Everyday Favorites
  2. ↑ "Kisses with almonds (click on icons at URL for other Kisses varieties)".
  3. ↑ "Manufacturers overlook cocoa butter savings".
  4. ↑ "Have A Little PGPR In Your Chocolate".

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hershey's Kisses.