Airheads (candy) facts for kids
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| Type | Taffy |
|---|---|
| Owner | Perfetti Van Melle |
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 1985 |
| Markets | North America, United Kingdom |
| Tagline | "Play more. Play delicious." |
Airheads are a super popular candy! They are a type of chewy candy called taffy. An Italian-Dutch company named Perfetti Van Melle owns them. Airheads were first made on August 7, 1985, by Steve Bruner. You can find Airheads all over the United States and Canada. They come in many different yummy flavors!
Contents
The Company Behind Airheads
The company that makes Airheads is called Perfetti Van Melle. Their main factory has been in Erlanger, Kentucky since 1979. This factory is very large, about 120,000 square feet. Around 200 people work there to make your favorite candies.
A Factory Incident
In December 2015, a small fire happened at the factory. Luckily, no one was hurt during this event. Candy production had to stop for a little while, but everything was soon back to normal.
Delicious Airheads Flavors
Airheads candies come in long, colorful strips. Each one is wrapped individually. There are many exciting flavors to try!
Some of the most popular flavors include:
- Cherry (red)
- Blue Raspberry (blue)
- Watermelon (green)
- Green Apple (light green)
- Strawberry (pink)
- White Mystery (white)
- Orange (orange)
- Grape (purple)
Special Airheads Treats
Besides the classic strips, Airheads come in other fun forms.
- Airheads Xtremes are fruit rolls with a sour taste.
- Airheads Pops are lollipops. They come in flavors like apple, blue raspberry, and strawberry.
- Airheads Bites were released in 2013. These are tiny, chewy candies with a candy shell. They come in flavors like Cherry, Orange, and Blue Raspberry.
- Airheads Ice Cream was created in 2015. You could find ice cream, ice cream sandwiches, and sundae cups in Airheads flavors!
- Airheads Paradise Blends came out in 2019. These have tropical flavors like Cherry Pineapple Blast and Blue Hawaiian.
How Airheads are Made
Making Airheads is a cool process! It's a bit like how you might play with Play-Doh. The main ingredient in Airheads is sugar.
The Production Process
Airheads are made from taffy, which is a very stretchy and soft candy. This makes them easy to shape. The candy is made on a long conveyor belt. The taffy goes through different machines that add sugars and sweeteners. Then, it gets stretched, shaped, and finally packaged. These machines can stir huge amounts of taffy, about 3,000 pounds at once!
Where Airheads are Sold
Airheads were first sold in Canada and the United States. In 2015, they started selling Airheads in the United Kingdom too!
Global Airheads
While most Airheads are made in the US, some types are made elsewhere. For example, "Airheads Pops" are made and sold in Mexico and Spain.
Advertising Airheads
Perfetti Van Melle has always worked hard to let kids know about Airheads.
TV Commercials and Promotions
In the early 2000s, Airheads partnered with companies like Mattel. They showed commercials during popular kids' TV shows on channels like Fox Kids and Nickelodeon. These ads sometimes offered exciting prizes, like trips to Disneyland. They also had coupons on the back of Airheads packets for toys. Airheads even had special promotions with characters like Superman and SpongeBob!
