Charms Candy Company facts for kids
The Charms Candy Company was a candy company that started in 1912. It was bought by Tootsie Roll Industries in 1988. Charms was famous for candies like Blow Pops and Charms Squares.
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How Charms Candy Started
Walter W. Reid Jr. began the Charms Candy Company in 1912. It was first called Tropical Charms. This name came from its square, hard candies. These candies were special because they were among the first to be wrapped individually. They used a clear wrapper called cellophane. Tropical Charms started in Bloomfield, New Jersey. Later, the company shortened its name to just Charms.
Charms During World War II
During World War II, the U.S. Army started putting Charms candies in their combat rations. These were like special food packs for soldiers. The candies gave soldiers extra energy. Charms candies stayed in these military food packs, called MREs, until 2007. Over time, some soldiers started to think the candies brought bad luck. Because of this, the U.S. Department of Defense took them out of all MREs in 2007.
New Leaders and Locations
After the war, Walter Reid III took over the company. He was the son of the founder. Walter Reid III, along with Ross B. Cameron Sr. (who was Walter W. Reid Jr.'s son-in-law) and his two sons, Ross B. Cameron Jr. and Reid B. Cameron, led the company.
The Charms Candy Company moved its main factory in 1973. It moved from Bloomfield, New Jersey, to Freehold, New Jersey. The company later bought and built another factory in Covington, Tennessee.
In 1988, the Charms Candy Company was sold. Tootsie Roll Industries bought it. With Blow Pops added to their products, Tootsie Roll became the biggest lollipop maker. They already made Tootsie Pops.
Popular Charms Candies
Charms made many different kinds of candies over the years.
Original Charms Candies
Tropical Charms, which later became just Charms, were square candies. They came in flavors like cherry, grape, lemon, lime, orange, and raspberry.
From 1937 until the 1950s, Charms made chocolate bars. These were called "25 Carats." They had pecans inside and used good chocolate from The Hershey Company. This chocolate candy was stopped because it cost too much to make.
In the 1960s, Charms made other holiday lollipops. They also made Charms "Jellies" and Chuckles Gum Drops. Later, they created a hard candy shaped like a peanut. This candy had peanut butter inside.
The Famous Blow Pop
On November 28, 1966, a person named Thomas T. Tidwell created a new candy idea. He filed a patent for a candy with gum inside. His company first called it the Triple Treat. In 1973, Triple Treat sold this idea to Charms. Charms renamed it the Blow Pop.
Blow Pops come in many flavors. These include watermelon, strawberry, cherry, grape, and sour apple. The sour apple flavor was added later and was first shaped like a round apple. Blow Pops became the most popular candy ever made by the Charms Candy Company.
Besides the Blow Pop, the company also made Charms Squares. They also produced Sweet & Sour Pops, Sour Balls, and many other smaller candies.
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