Laffy Taffy facts for kids
Laffy Taffy is a popular American candy. It's a type of chewy candy called taffy. The Ferrara Candy Company makes it. This company is part of Ferrero. Laffy Taffy candies are small, rectangular, and come in many fruit flavors. You can find banana, strawberry, green apple, grape, watermelon, blue raspberry, and cherry.
The name "Laffy Taffy" comes from two things. First, the candy is super chewy, like taffy. Second, it's known for being silly! Each wrapper has a short, funny joke on it. These jokes are often riddles or puns. For example, "What do you call a cow with no legs? – Ground beef." Some jokes come from fans. In 2022, Laffy Taffy even had a contest. They picked 101 new jokes from 6,500 ideas to put on their wrappers!
How Laffy Taffy Started
Laffy Taffy first appeared in the 1970s. A company called Kathryn Beich Candies in Bloomington, Illinois made it. At first, they called the candy "Beich's [Name of Flavor] Caramels." But they were actually chewy fruit taffy, not caramels.
Later, the name changed to "Beich's Laffy Taffy." In 1984, Nestlé bought the rights to sell and make the candy. Laffy Taffy used to be advertised as having a "long-lasting" flavor. The candy also changed shape. It used to be thick and square. Now, it's sold in thinner, rectangular pieces.
In 2003, the Willy Wonka brand made a special kind called "Flavor Flippers." These had an outer layer of one flavor and a soft center with a different flavor.
In January 2018, Nestlé decided to sell its candy brands in the U.S. This included Laffy Taffy. Ferrero, an Italian company famous for Nutella, bought them for $2.8 billion. In 2019, Ferrero added these candies to its Ferrara Candy Company. They have since invested more in advertising and making the candy.
What's Inside Laffy Taffy?
The ingredients in Laffy Taffy can be a little different for each flavor. Here are some of the main things you might find in them:
Smaller amounts (less than 2%) of these are also used:
- Malic acid (gives a tart taste)
- Egg Albumen (from eggs)
- Sodium Alginate
- Calcium Acetate
- Monoglycerides
- Natural Flavor
- Different food colorings, like Blue 1, Red 3, or Yellow 5.
Other ingredients that vary by flavor, color, and size include:
