MEMORIES:
Jughead Jones remembers...Since I'm the first one to leave a memory about Smarties, I'd just like to say that they are not ... More »
Posted on 08/16/07
PHOTOS:
Around the world, candy can be confusing to the unaware consumer. As if the whole 3 Musketeers, Milky Way and Mars Bars mix up wasn’t enough trouble, if an American abroad (or even just in Canada) gets a craving for the sweet fruitiness of Smarties… well, they’ll likely end up with candy coated chocolate. The same goes the other way around. At best, there’s confusion and at worst, there’s disappointment. But do not fear! The whole thing can be sorted out rather quickly, with a little history lesson.
The original Smarties – the chocolate version – were introduced in 1937 by Rowntree’s of York, just a quick two years before the incredibly similar M&Ms were produced. At that time, Smarties were called “Chocolate Niblet Beans,” though it would only last a year. Regularly sold in cardboard tubes, Smarties have proven to be a popular favorite in many countries. It is said that Canadians eat enough of the chocolatey Smarties each year to circle the planet 350 times! In the U.K. an average of 17,000 Smarties are consumed every minute. In 2004, the manufacturers of Smarties, Nestlé, introduced Fruity Smarties, which have a chewy fruity center. As of 2005, 570 tubes of Smarties were manufactured daily. With their tremendous popularity, it’s no wonder their slogan is “Only Smarties have the answer.”
So, how is it that the United States has a hard tablet-shaped, fruity and sort of chalky candy? Ce De Candy Inc., a company that actually got its start in England in 1932 moved to the U.S. in 1949 in order to grow a business in the booming post-war economy. Invented in a New Jersey garage and manufactured with just a small disc presser and a wrapping machine, Edward Dee created what would become an American icon of Halloween.
Though the American version of Smarties can be found throughout the year, kids and adults are most familiar with the cellophane wrapped tablets found at the bottom of pillowcases and candy buckets every October 31st. From the name alone, Smarties have also once found a place in the classroom. Get an answer right and certain teachers might have handed off a roll of Smarties! Ooh, the tasty memories! In fact, though not quite as long a distance as what the U.K. version of the candy might make, each year enough of the Smarties Americans have come to know and love are produced to circle the Earth almost three and a half times!
No matter where in the world you are, no matter what your Smarties preference may be, Smarties are good thing. Could it have been in the name all along?
