Hershey's Kisses facts for kids
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Hershey's Kisses in foil wrappers. The paper strip coming out the top identifies each flavor.
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| Owner | The Hershey Company |
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| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 1907 |
| Related brands | Hershey bar Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme |
| Markets | Worldwide |
| Ambassador(s) | Milton Hershey |
| Tagline | Say it with a Kiss |
Hershey's Kisses are small, bite-sized chocolate candies. They were first made by The Hershey Company in 1907. Each chocolate has a special cone shape, often described as a flat-bottomed teardrop.
Hershey's Kisses are wrapped in thin aluminum foil squares. A small paper strip, called a plume, sticks out from the top of each wrapper. This plume was added in 1921 to help people know it was a Hershey's Kiss. It also helped tell them apart from other similar chocolates.
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The Story of Hershey's Kisses
When Hershey's Kisses were first made in 1907, people wrapped them by hand. This changed in 1921 when machines started wrapping them automatically. These machines also added the paper plume to the foil wrapper. This made it easier to identify Hershey's Kisses.
In 1924, Milton S. Hershey, the company's founder, got a special legal protection called a trademark. This trademark was for the unique look of the "foil wrapped conical configuration with plume." Later, in 1976, Hershey also received a trademark for the Kisses foil wrapper itself.
During 1942, the making of Hershey's Kisses stopped for a short time. This was because aluminum foil was needed for World War II. The machines were used instead to make special chocolate bars for soldiers. By the end of the war, Hershey's had made over three billion of these military chocolate bars.
How Popular Are Kisses?
Kisses are one of the most well-known candies in the United States. In 1989, they were the fifth most popular chocolate brand. They sold over $400 million worth of Kisses that year.
Today, Hershey's factories make more than 70 million Hershey's Kisses chocolates every day. The Kisses you eat today still use Hershey's original milk chocolate recipe.
Different Kisses Flavors
While Kisses first came only in milk chocolate, many new flavors have been made over the years. Hershey often adds and removes new flavors, especially for holidays.
Some flavors you can find all year include caramel, Special Dark chocolate, birthday cake, cookies 'n' cream, milk chocolate with almonds, and white chocolate (called Hugs).
Seasonal flavors might include cherry cordial, hot cocoa, mint truffle, sugar cookie, and candy cane.
Past Kisses Flavors
Over the years, Hershey's has made many different Kiss flavors that are no longer sold. Here are a few examples:
Hershey's Kissables
These were mini, candy-coated milk chocolate Kisses that came out in 2005. They were like other small candy-coated chocolates. They came in different colors, including special ones for Easter and Valentine's Day. Hershey's stopped making Kissables in 2009.
Candy Corn Kisses
These special Halloween Kisses came out in 2007. They had three layers of white chocolate candy, colored yellow, orange, and white, just like candy corn. They were stopped in 2011.
Pumpkin Spice Kisses
Released in the fall of 2008, these Kisses had a pumpkin spice smell. They were orange and filled with a white pumpkin-flavored cream. They were wrapped in special gold and brown foil.
Wrapper Colors and History
When Hershey's Kisses first came out in 1907, they were wrapped by hand. Machines started wrapping them automatically in 1921.
The first Kisses were only wrapped in silver foil for many years. In 1962, Hershey's started using different colored wrappers for holidays. Red, green, and silver wrappers were made for the Christmas season. This idea came from John Figi, who owned a company that sold food gifts.
Later, in 1968, pastel blue, pink, and green wrappers were made for Easter. In 1986, red and silver wrappers came out for Valentine's Day. You can also find special wrappers for Independence Day with red stripes and blue stars. Pink wrappers with ribbons have also been used to support breast cancer research.
In 2016, special holiday wrappers were released. These included Santa hats, "Kissmas sweaters," and "Kissmas Presents." The original silver wrappers for regular Kisses and gold for almond Kisses are available all year.
The Paper Plume
Every Hershey's Kiss wrapper has a small paper strip called a plume. This plume sticks out from the top of the foil wrapper. When it was added in 1921, it was a way to show that the candy was a "Hershey's" brand product. It helped people know they were getting a real Hershey's Kiss.
Advertising Kisses
"Christmas Bells" is a very famous commercial for Hershey's Kisses. In this ad, Hershey's Kisses act like a handbell choir and play the Christmas song "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". This commercial first aired in 1989 and has been shown every holiday season since. It is the longest-running TV commercial for the Hershey brand.
In 2020, Hershey's made a new version of the ad called "Bells to Blossoms." In this new ad, one of the Kisses leaves the choir to be used in baking cookies. Some people missed the old version, so the company decided to show both the classic and the new ads during the holiday season.
What's Inside a Kiss?
Hershey's Kisses are made with ingredients like cane sugar, milk, chocolate, cocoa butter, and natural flavor.
A serving of Hershey's Kisses is about seven pieces. Here is some nutrition information for a serving:
- 200 Calories
- Total fat 12g
- Saturated fat 7g
- Total sugars 23g
- Protein 3g
See also
In Spanish: Hershey's Kisses para niños
