Hershey's Kisses

Hershey's Kisses are a type 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 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 US. In 1989, the chocolate drops were the 5th most popular chocolate 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.

In 2006 Hershey's Kissables were introduced as a bite sized, candy coated alternative to Kisses.

History

Hershey's Kisses were introduced in 1907. A common myth is that the name comes from an appropriation of a common industry term for a dab of chocolate. However, the "kissing" action by the machines used to make the chocolate is the reason. In a strange court case, hard rock band Kiss filed suit against the Pennsylvania-based company for, what drummer Peter Criss stated "stealing their well-known name." [ Peter Criss Biography Book "The Cat in The Hat Behind the Kit"]

Another Pennsylvania chocolatier, the Wilbur Chocolate Company, had been making a similar product known as Wilbur Buds since 1893. The shape and size of those candies likely served as an inspiration for Hershey's Kisses.

Hershey's Kisses 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. [Brenner, Joël Glenn (2000). The Emperors of Chocolate: Inside the Secret World of Hershey & Mars. Broadway Books. ISBN 0-7679-0457-5. ]

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Though originally made of solely milk chocolate, many variations of the Kiss have since been introduced.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 January 2008, some of the flavors available throughout the year include [ [http://www.hersheys.com/kisses/products/index.asp HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Chocolates - Products - Everyday Favorites ] ] :

United States

*Milk Chocolate
*Chocolate Mint
*Dulce de Leche (white chocolate milk caramel filled)
*Caramel Filled
*Peanut butter Filled
*Cherry Cordial Creme Filled
*Dark Chocolate

International

*Hazelnut (May only be found in Asian markets)
*Green Tea (May only be found in Asian markets)
*Creamy Milk Chocolate (found in Europe)
*Creamy Milk Chocolate with Almonds (found in Europe)
*Crunchy Cookie (milk chocolate with oreo-like cookie bits - found in Europe)

Limited Time Only

*New York Style Cheesecake
*Orange Creme
*Vanilla Creme
*Lemon Creme
*Coconut Creme
*TRIO (dark, milk and white chocolates in one KISS)
*Chocolate Marshmallow
*Cookies'n'Creme (has little nonpareil bits - not the same as the European ones, they have little oreo bits)
*Vanilla Yogurt Creme (not to be confused with the Vanilla Creme)
*Chocolate Truffle
*Mint Truffle
*Special Dark Strawberry
*Champagne Truffle
*Neapolitan (chocolate, vanilla and strawberry flavors)
*Milk Chocolate Filled with Marshmallow Creme
*Caramel Apple
*Candy Corn
*Pumpkin Spice
*Cocoa Creme
*Candy Cane (Peppermint)
*Dark Raspberry

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. 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. 4th of July has silver with red stipes and blue-starred wrappers. Pink wrappers with "ribbons" on them to support breast cancer have also appeared. Camouflage wrappers are also available, primarily on military bases. Dark Chocolate Kisses come in a deep purple wrapper. The Halloween themed Candy Corn Kisses come in a wrapper whose colors imitate the color of a candy corn with yellow, white and orange stripes swirling around the candy, that also imitates the color pattern. The standard silver wrappers are available year-round.

Paper Plume

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

Valentine's Day

*A Kiss for You
*Happy Valentine

pecial Occasions

*Just Married
*It's a Boy
*It's a Girl

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.
*The World's Largest Hershey's Kisses Chocolate weighed convert|30540|lb|abbr=on.
*The longest ever consecutive string of Hershey's Kisses was more than four miles (6 km) long. It was laid in the spring of 2003 to raise money for the Children's Miracle Network at Penn State Children's Hospital. The event earned a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records.
*The Hersheys Kiss franchise is often used as puns for their namesake. In "Arthur's First Kiss", Arthur, after learning that Francine was his secret Valentine, goes to the movies with her, and mentions that he is going to give her lots of Kisses. Francine thinks he means the actual concept, and is about to try and kiss him, but it turns out he actually meant a box of Hershey's Kisses. Similarily, in the fourth season of the sitcom Sister, Sister, Tamera, prior to Tia walking in lamenting about breaking up with her boyfriend, mentioned that she sent Roger Evans to get her tickets to a "Boys to Men" concert, and said his reward would be the biggest kiss of his life (which she reveals is actually one of the giant hershey kiss variants.) [Cite episode
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References

External links

* [http://www.hersheys.com/kisses/ Official Hershey's Kisses website]
* [http://www.lauracarey.com/kisses Zoe's Hershey Kiss Collection]