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Leo Hirschfield began making Tootsie Rolls 1896.
He named his candy after his daughter Clara’s nickname “Tootsie.”
It became the first American penny candy individually wrapped.
In 1905, Hirshfield expanded his operations into a larger four-story candy factory in NYC due to increased demand for Tootsie Rolls.
Hirschfield patented his technique for making Tootsie Rolls in 1907.
The process involved manipulating a mixture of cocoa with other ingredients.
It remains unchanged today.
In 1910, Tootsie Roll positioned the penny candy as a sophisticated treat for all ages.
Hirshfield used a gold and chocolate brown wrapping to distinguish it from other candies.
The company marketed its product through ads showing diverse consumers via leisured ladies, working women, athletes, and police officers.
That same year, the company began to offer five and 10-cent packages.
In 1917, the company renamed itself The Sweets Company of America.
Leo Hirschfield ended his life through suicide on January 13, 1922, at the age of 54, in Manhattan’s Monterey Hotel.
His death was attributed to personal struggles, including his own illness and his wife’s severe mental health issues.
Tootsie Pops were invented in 1931 by Luke Weisgram, an employee at the Sweets Company of America.
Weisgram got the idea after licking his daughter’s lollipop while chewing on a Tootsie Roll.
Tootsie Pops were an instant success during the Great Depression due to its affordable price.
In 1935, Sweets Company of America faced financial difficulties.
Bernard D. Rubin, whose family owned Joseph Rubin & Sons paper box company in Brooklyn, approached shareholders to purchase their shares.
He gained full control of the company.
Under Bernard Rubin’s leadership, the company flourished.
He slightly changed the Tootsie Roll formula, increased its size, and moved operations to a larger plant in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Under Rubin’s management, he was able to increase sales volume twelvefold by the time of his death in 1948.
In World War II, Tootsie Rolls were included in every American soldier’s military field ration.
The candy was used as a reliable source of quick energy that could withstand hot temperatures.
After World War II ended in 1945, the Tootsie Roll company experienced a significant surge in sales as wartime restrictions ended.
The end of the war allowed the company to ramp up manufacturing and meet the growing consumer demand.
In 1950, the company moved into television advertising by becoming a sponsor of children’s programming, like Howdy Doody and Rocky & Bullwinkle.
During the Korean War (1950-1953), U.S. Marines at the Chosin Reservoir received an accidental airdrop of Tootsie Rolls instead of the mortar ammunition they requested.
A radio operator misinterpreted their code word “Tootsie Rolls.”
The candy proved vital to their survival.
Starving Marines used the Tootsie Rolls for energy in the -36-degree weather and used the candy to patch bullet holes in their vehicles’ fuel lines and radiators.
In 1966, the company changed its name to Tootsie Roll Industries and built a large factory in Chicago.
Two years later, the company expanded internationally by launching in the Philippines.
In 1972, Tootsie Roll Industries acquired the Mason Division of the Candy Corporation of America, which brought both DOTS and Crows under its control.
Tootsie Roll Industries expanded its market presence in 1985 by acquiring Cella’s Confections, a New York-based manufacturer of chocolate-covered cherries.
The acquisition put Tootsie Roll Industries into the adult candy market.
In 1988, Tootsie Roll Industries bought Charms Company for $65 million.
The acquisition made Tootsie Roll Industries the world’s largest lollipop producer—combining Charms’ Blow Pops with Tootsie Pops.
By 1993, Tootsie Roll Industries made its largest acquisition to date.
They purchased Warner-Lambert’s chocolate and caramel brands for approximately $81 million—adding Junior Mints, Charleston Chew, Pom Poms, Sugar Babies, and Sugar Daddies to their portfolio.
In 2000, Tootsie Roll Industries made two acquisitions.
They acquired O’TEC Industries, which produced Fluffy Stuff Cotton Candy.
They also bought Andes Candies, which gave Tootsie Roll Industries its manufacturing facility in Delavan, Wisconsin, and expanded into chocolate mint.
Tootsie Roll Industries made its largest acquisition in 2004 by purchasing Toronto-based Concord Confections, the maker of Dubble Bubble bubble gum, for $197 million in cash plus $20 million in debt.
The acquisition added three Canadian manufacturing facilities to Tootsie Roll’s assets.
It also brought in several new brands, including Dubble Bubble, Razzles, Cry Baby, and Nik-L-Nip candies.
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