Love Them Or Hate Them, Here's The Complete History Of Twizzlers
Love them or hate them, Twizzlers are here to stay. It's not uncommon for certain foods to be polarizing, with people falling on opposite ends of the enjoyment spectrum. And even widely beloved foods, like chocolate or cheese, are disliked by some. What's less common is to have a long-standing and, by all accounts, incredibly successful candy that's also the target of so much vitriol.
For years, Twizzlers have been the subject of blog posts about how those who like them should not be trusted and social media posts likening their flavor to "melting plastic bags" (via Reddit). Yet data shows Twizzlers as the best-selling licorice brand in the United States (via Statista). So what makes these slightly gummy candies so popular and gives them such a strong hold on the market, even when they can be so poorly received? Well, we think the history of Twizzlers may provide some insight into this fascinating confection.
They're one of the oldest candies in the U.S.
Twizzlers have a long history, and it's hard to imagine a time without them. They may not be everyone's cup of tea, but for as long as anyone alive can remember, Twizzlers have been a part of the consumer candy world. That's because they're one of the oldest candies in the United States. Twizzlers were first created by the Young and Smylie company, which was established in 1845. For some context, that makes Young and Smylie, one of the oldest candy companies in the U.S., as old as rubber bands and older than Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations." At this point in time, though, the candy was simply a twisted licorice.
In 1902, Young and Smylie merged with other businesses and formed the National Licorice Company. It was during the time of the National Licorice Company that the classic twisted licorice candy got a new name — in 1929, Twizzlers were born. The company is still around today, now known as Y&S candies and owned by Hershey.
Twizzlers had a slow start
Twizzlers had a slow start in the candy game. After they were first introduced in 1929, they just puttered along for a few decades. The fact that they're still around clearly indicates that they sold well enough to continue production, but Twizzlers didn't immediately take the world by storm or become a household name. That wouldn't happen until the National Licorice Company rebranded itself as Y&S Candies in the 1960s.
At this point, the candy started to make more of a splash and gained popularity. Twizzlers became big enough that in 1977, another classic American candy company, Hershey, bought out Y&S. Hershey took Twizzlers and put its money and resources behind the candy to further boost it. It was also during the 1970s that the candy began to offer some of its more popular flavors, ones we know it for today, including strawberry, which remains the most popular.
Making Twizzlers is surprisingly high-tech
While Twizzlers may have started out as an old-timey candy, Hershey has certainly embraced the modern age. Today, each Twizzler is made using a high-tech process. Of course, the company isn't revealing all of its secrets to us, but in addition to using modern mixing equipment, Hershey has a special bit of machinery up its sleeves in the form of a patented twist nozzle. Once all the ingredients are combined to form a sticky, gooey substance, the mix is then funneled through the special nozzles, which create the signature Twizzlers twist.
You may be wondering what the big deal about some specially shaped nozzles is, but here's the thing: This is not just some motorized piping tip. Hershey utilizes artificial intelligence created by Microsoft to ensure the machinery produces perfect Twizzlers nearly every time. Hershey representatives spoke to CNBC in 2017 about the company's use of AI, revealing that varying temperatures during the manufacturing process leads to weight variations in the Twizzlers themselves, which can ultimately cause candy waste. Beforehand, the only solution was to manually weigh the candy and adjust the machine every 15 minutes — a tedious process. Now, however, through Microsoft's Azure cloud, the machine tracks and adjusts itself 240 times a day, cutting down on waste and streamlining production.
This method also allows the company to create incredibly consistent products; full-sized Twizzlers typically have 15 twists per candy. So go ahead and count them!
There has been controversy over the recipe
Twizzlers are not an incredibly complicated candy; they're primarily made of corn syrup, wheat flour, sugar, and cornstarch, as well as palm oil, salt, artificial flavors, glycerin, citric acid, potassium sorbate, food coloring, and soy lecithin in smaller quantities. However, many feel this is not the original recipe.
In her 2009 book "True Confections," cultural historian Katharine Weber describes modern-day Twizzlers as a "mutated" version of the original flavors and states that they're "nearly plastic." People have continued to place Twizzlers in the "it was better back in my day" category, complaining on social media about the taste and consistency.
In response to a customer question in 2016, Hershey insisted on Twitter it has not changed the Twizzlers recipe (though the customer only asked if it had changed in the last year). That reassurance hasn't stopped people from speculating. Commenters on Reddit noted in 2020 that the small packets of Twizzlers seem to be different from the full-sized ones, claiming the strawberry ones are "bland" and have a hard texture. One Redditor even speculated that the small packets made for Halloween might be made with lower-quality ingredients.
Twizzlers has introduced new shapes
While the first thing that comes to mind with Twizzlers is the classic twisted rope design, the candies have actually taken many shapes over the years. The first is in the form of Twizzlers Nibs, which are bite-sized pieces of Twizzlers. They're not just small, though; they're flattened and lack that classic twist. In a full-circle moment, Twizzlers' Super Long Nibs later came into being. These candies have the flattened shape of Nibs but are the same length as standard Twizzlers. In the miniature department, there were also Twizzlers Twerps. These were small hexagonal bites made out of fruit-flavored Twizzlers candy on the outside with a chewy center, but they've been discontinued.
In 1994, Twizzlers Pull 'n' Peel debuted. Instead of being one solid piece of candy, each Pull 'n' Peel is a series of cylindrical ropes lightly stuck together so they can be pulled off one at a time.
You may have noticed that Twizzlers are hollow inside, and if you bite off the top and bottom, they can be used as a straw. Hershey saw the opportunity to jump into the sustainable straw market in 2004, cutting off the ends, making the candies more cylindrical with larger openings, and calling them Twizzlers Candy Straws.
Technically, most Twizzlers are not licorice
Twizzlers often get categorized as "licorice." While this term has been used to describe a particular subset of candy, it is a bit of a misnomer. The problem with that is licorice is an actual plant and flavor. Licorice root has a similar taste and smell to anise, and WebMD notes that it can be used to help soothe sore throats.
The most popular Twizzlers products are not licorice-flavored, and, tellingly, Hershey categorizes the candy as "twists" and not as licorice. True licorice is a dark black color, so when you see Twizzlers that are red, yellow, or anything not black, you can just about guarantee they are not licorice. Good & Plenty is an example of an actual licorice candy.
Twizzlers does make a black candy that's categorized as both "twists" and "licorice." This candy contains true licorice flavors, as well as artificial flavors, to achieve the final result. But don't be fooled. Unless a candy actually has a licorice flavoring, it is not a real licorice.
Twizzlers are still made at the Y&S factory
Y&S Candies may have been bought out by The Hershey Company, but we are happy to say the original plant that produced Twizzlers is still up and running today and is actually not all that far away from Hershey's offices in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
The original Y&S factory is located in Lancaster and still produces a considerable amount of Twizzlers, to the tune of around 200 tons per day. If the twists were laid end to end, that amount would stretch clear across the United States and back again. And that's just from one production site!
Since the late '90s, Hershey's has been using a factory in Memphis, Tennessee, to produce the candies as well. The Memphis location is also used to produce gum and Ice Breakers. Today, both locations churn out these twisted candies, but the Lancaster factory will always be the original.
Twizzlers set a world record
Speaking of the original Y&S Candies factory in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, it was responsible for getting Twizzlers into the 1998 "Guinness Book of World Records." The facility produced the longest piece of licorice ever produced up until that point. No word is available on whether it was truly licorice flavor, but we doubt Guinness World Records was very picky.
On July 19, 1998, the Lancaster factory produced a Pull 'n' Peel-style licorice rope that measured 1,200 feet long and weighed 100 pounds. That is a lot of candy, though, as we discussed, the factory can pump out Twizzlers at an almost alarming rate.
The record has since been broken by Lakristsfabriken and Scandi Candy. On April 4, 2012, the two companies created a piece of licorice that measured 1,702 feet long and weighed over 130 pounds. While it may be sad Twizzlers no longer holds that particular record, we really can't complain about more candy in the world.
Twizzlers has a nemesis, Red Vines
Where would any powerful being be without a nemesis? In the case of Twizzlers, the candies' main adversary comes in the form of Red Vines. And as with any good nemesis, the stories of these two products mirror each other. Red Vines were invented by another classic candymaker, the American Licorice Company. Like Twizzlers, Red Vines did not gain their own identity until years later. In this case, it wasn't until the 1950s that the company began producing fruit-flavored twisted ropes called Red Vines.
Just looking at the two, a clear similarity can be seen in physical appearance. It is no surprise, then, that people have some strong opinions about which is the superior twist. The internet is rife with commentary. Some Reddit posts claim Red Vines are better, and others claim Twizzlers.
Now, the Red Vines have a few advantages in their favor. For one, they contain fewer ingredients and are still made with the original recipe. In terms of social media, it's a toss-up. Red Vines has more Facebook followers, but Twizzlers has more Twitter and Instagram followers. Twizzlers, being the top U.S. licorice brand (via Statista), also outsells Red Vines.
So who wins the battle of Twizzlers vs Red Vines? We can't say for sure.
Twizzlers has some surprising political ties
Candy might be seen by some as a childish or immature food, but Twizzlers have a surprisingly serious and political history. For example, Millard Fillmore, the 13th president of the United States, was said to have a personal stock of licorice candy in the oval office. He was in office from 1850 to 1853, so it's conceivable that he had some Young and Smylie licorice with him at the time.
What's more shocking is that there might not have been an Iran nuclear deal without Twizzlers. In 2015, when talks were still underway, one of the core snacks that powered negotiators was strawberry Twizzlers. The group of 15 United States delegates ate 10 pounds of the stuff between June and July of 2015. Speaking to The Guardian, nutritionist Jo Travers suggested that this diet maybe wasn't the healthiest way to approach the important talks, but it worked out in the end. An official told ABC News, "Everyone has been sick at some point ... but that bears no relationship to our wonderful diet." Sometimes you just need Twizzlers to accomplish a bit of international detente.
Love them or hate them, they have some famous fans
The public, in general, may be divided on Twizzlers, but the candies sure do have some famous, high-profile friends. Neil Armstrong supposedly said while on the literal moon, "I could go for some Twizzlers right now" (via The Hershey Company).
Actress and comedian Betty White was known for her love of red licorice and has been photographed with Twizzlers. White is not the only actor known for a love of Twizzlers, though. In an interview with People Magazine, Emma Stone shared that her "La La Land" co-star Ryan Gosling consumed massive amounts of Twizzlers during the movie's filming. He even kept them on hand, hiding them in his coat pocket, and handed them out to others.
In 2020, cameras caught LeBron James snacking on some Red Vines, which understandably stoked the Red Vines vs. Twizzlers debate. However, a few days later, sports writer Bill Oram revealed on Twitter that while James likes Red Vines, he is a "Twizzler guy." We are not sure that did much to ease the debate, but it never hurts to have LeBron James on your team.
Twizzlers are a movie theater staple
We all know we are overpaying for snacks when we go to the movie theater, but that's just part of the deal. Usually, this includes big bags of popcorn from a vat, but it also frequently includes candy. And there is one candy that blows all others out of the water when it comes to being a movie theater staple: Twizzlers.
In an episode of Food Network's "Unwrapped," a Twizzlers representative claims the candy to be the top-selling item in movie theaters after popcorn. Movie tickets company Fandango ran a survey in 2022 which revealed that Twizzlers were the favorite candy not made of chocolate (via the New York Daily News). As the Twizzlers rep points out in "Unwrapped," Twizzlers have some advantages. They are not sticky, they do not melt, and they do not crumble. As a result, they make for easy and non-messy snacking in dark movie theaters.
Cinemark data, also from 2022, showed Twizzlers to be the top-selling candy in Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina, and Alabama. However, nemesis Red Vines is making a play in the western U.S. So we'll see how long Twizzlers reigns supreme as the country's favorite movie theater candy.