Junior Mints facts for kids
 
An old box of Junior Mints
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| Type | Candy |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Created by | James O. Welch Company |
| Invented | 1949 |
| Main ingredients | Semi-sweet chocolate |
| Ingredients generally used | Mint |
Junior Mints are a popular candy brand. They are small, round treats with a cool minty center. This center is covered in a yummy semi-sweet chocolate coating. You can often find a small dimple on one side of the candy. Tootsie Roll Industries makes Junior Mints. They come in different box sizes, from small "fun-size" to much larger ones.
Contents
History of Junior Mints
How Junior Mints Started
Junior Mints first came out in 1949. They were created by the James O. Welch Company. This company was located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They also made other candies like Sugar Babies. A food chemist named Charles Vaughan invented Junior Mints. Mr. Vaughan was asked to create a small, chocolate-covered peppermint candy.
The founder, James O. Welch, started his candy company in Cambridge in 1927. He was born in Hertford, North Carolina.
Who Owned Junior Mints?
The James O. Welch Company sold Junior Mints in 1963. Nabisco bought the brand then. Later, in 1988, Warner-Lambert Company bought it. Finally, in 1993, Tootsie Roll bought Junior Mints.
Today, Junior Mints are still made in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They are produced at a factory owned by Cambridge Brands. This company is a part of Tootsie Roll Industries. The same factory also makes Sugar Babies and Charleston Chews.
Why the Name "Junior Mints"?
The name "Junior Mints" is a clever play on words. It comes from a popular Broadway play called Junior Miss. This play was based on stories by Sally Benson. It was a very successful show from 1941 to 1943. James Welch, who created the candy, named it after his favorite Broadway show.
Junior Mints Products
Different Kinds of Junior Mints
More than 15 million Junior Mints are made every day! Tootsie Roll also makes other kinds of Junior Mints. These include Junior Caramels, which have a caramel filling inside milk chocolate. They also made "Inside Outs" for a limited time. These had a mint-chocolate filling with a white chocolate shell.
You can also find special holiday Junior Mints. There are Valentine's Day Pastels, Easter Pastels, and Christmas editions. The Christmas ones have red and green fillings. There's even a Christmas Peppermint Crunch edition. This one has crunchy peppermint flakes in the chocolate coating.
Where to Find Junior Mints
Junior Mints are sold in many different sizes. You can get small "fun-size" boxes or large "movie theater-size" boxes. They are very popular to eat at the movies! Junior Mints are sold all around the world. They are also certified kosher dairy. This means they follow special food rules.
See also
- List of chocolate bar brands
- List of confectionery brands
- Poppets (a similar candy in the UK)
