History of Laffy Taffy – America’s Candy

For those who have no idea what I’m referring to, Laffy Taffy is a chewy candy that is one of the most famous candy brands in America. Outside America, taffy is also known as toffee. Either way, it’s sweet, sticky and extremely popular among big and small kids alike.

The history of Laffy Taffy began in 1971 when they were produced as a tie-in to a movie that had been released that year. The movie did alright but Laffy Taffy stayed on. Each of these candy wrappers had a joke printed on it. This was done so that the word Laffy would always be made in relation to laughing. Children of the time played a part in the history of Laffy Taffy too – they sent jokes to the confectionery company, which then printed the best ones on the wrappers.

However, the sweet had already existed since the 1800’s, much longer before the history of Laffy Taffy began. Taffy itself was first written of in 1817 but no one knows if it came from England, Scotland or France. The Scot version of taffy is known as tablet as it is so hard it has to be broken with a small metal hammer.

The soft, chewy candy that has come to be known as taffy nowadays made its appearance in the mid to late 1800’s. It was simple to produce and was sold wrapped in wax paper. Taffy pulling, the process by which taffy is made enjoyed status as a popular social event in the 1870’s. Young people of the time could socialize and court without fear of reprimand.

It is currently available in flavors such as chocolate mousse, grape, cherry, banana, blue raspberry, strawberry, and sour apple. Its popularity was revived in 2005 with the release of another movie centered on an eccentric candy-maker.