NATIONAL LOLLIPOP DAY

July 19, 2026June 30, 2026Jensperspectiveblog 4 Comments

July 20th recognizes National Lollipop Day as a way to celebrate this enduring and ever-popular treat. Pick up your favorite flavor to savor!

Ever delightful and sweet, lollipops have satisfied generations of sweet tooths. And it’s possible they’ve been doing that for centuries. However, no one is sure how old the lollipop is. During prehistoric times, a form of lollipop may have preserved nuts and berries in honey. As sugar became plentiful, lollipops appeared much later in 16th century Europe.

In the United States, confectionaries and medicine shops as early as the 1860s sold lollipops in various forms. However, George Smith gave this sweet treat an official 20th-century story in 1908. Smith earns credit for inventing the modern style lollipop. In 1931, Smith trademarked the name which he claims came from his favorite racing horse, Lolly Pops.

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Lollipops range in size. For variety, the smaller candies can be purchased by the bagful. Banks, barbershops, and vendors at parades give the sweet treat away to customers, too! Specialty candy shops make giant lollipops in a variety of bright colors, shapes, and sizes. While they are attractive, these lollipops can be cumbersome and often are more than we can handle!

Lollipops in Pop Culture

This candy made its mark in pop culture. Movies, TV, and commercials feature the lollipop in various ways.

1934 – In the movie Bright Eyes, Shirley Temple sang the song “On the Good Ship Lollipop.”
1939 – The Wizard of Oz brought us a world of characters, including the Lollipop Guild. Armed with a giant spiral sucker, The Lollipop Guild welcomed Dorothy to the Land of Oz.
1969 – How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop. The Tootsie Pop (the trademark name for Tootsie Roll’s lollipop) commercial debuted on U.S. television. The 60-second advertisement included a boy, cow, fox, turtle, owl, and the narrator.
1973-1978 – How do you make a lollipop look tough? Put it in the hands of Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak. The lollipop-loving detective was played by Telli Savalis in the TV series Kojak. At the same time, the candy did no harm to the tough guy’s persona.

NATIONAL LOLLIPOP DAY HISTORY

The National Confectioners Association founded National Lollipop Day.

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HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalLollipopDay

“I want candy! I want candy!” Enjoy a lollipop today to celebrate. You can also explore the magic of candy making. Pick up a bagful and give them out to friends, neighbors, and customers, too. Give a shout out to your favorite candy shop using #NationalLollipopDay on social media.

Find a great assortment of lollipops for you, or get a jumpstart for trick or treat stock up. Do you own a business? If it works at banks maybe it will work for your too.

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NATIONAL CANDY MONTH

May 31, 2026May 12, 2026Jensperspectiveblog 5 Comments

What sweeter way to kick off the first month of summer than by celebrating National Candy Month? Candy and treats get recognized all month long for their contributions to the way we celebrate our past times, mark special occasions and especial the ways we celebrate every day!

Whether its a box of Milkduds at the movies or hot tamales at the baseball game, there’s a special treat that comes to mind when we get together for some fun times. A visit to the fair reminds us of a big cone of spun sugar, better known today as cotton candy. Fudge and saltwater taffy are a must have after visiting some of our favorite vacation spots.

We often add some sweetness to our trail mix throughout the summer for added energy on hikes or making a s’more while camping. Fresh mints brighten our day or even a wedding reception. There are so many ways candies and the candy industry adds to our lives.

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HISTORY

National Candy Month was first observed in January of 1974. Sales of confections would often drop after the busy holiday season and new year resolutions would kick into high gear making sweets a restricted diet item for some time to come.  The observance would later move to May and then settle into its current place in sunny June. It was founded by the National Confectioners Association.

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HOW TO OBSERVE

What’s your favorite sweet treat? Do you celebrate with sprinkles on your ice cream or a bag of chewy turtles from the candy store? We remember saving our coins to buy our candy by the bag. What was it? Use #NationalCandyMonth to share on social media and thank someone in the industry for all their dedication and hard work.

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NATIONAL NOUGAT DAY

March 25, 2026February 28, 2026Jensperspectiveblog 21 Comments

National Nougat Day on March 26th celebrates a soft and chewy or sometimes hard and crunchy candy often found at the center of a candy bar.

Made by whipping egg whites together and adding honey or sugar, roasted nuts, and sometimes candied fruit, some say nougat has been a sweet treat since ancient Rome. Enjoyed both as a candy all on its own or paired with chocolate or other flavorings.

Recipes range from the more traditional nougat made with almonds and honey to those with hints of citrus.In Italy, they call it torrone. In Spain, a nougat is called turrón. The United States has a version made with corn syrup called divinity.

Three basic kinds of nougats include:

1.   White nougat – made with beaten egg whites and honey.
2.   Brown nougat – made without egg whites and has a firmer, often crunchy texture.
3.   Viennese or German nougat – chocolate and nut praline

In the United States, modern candy bar makers use a different recipe than the traditional nougat. Today they make of a mixture of sucrose and corn syrup aerated with a whipping agent such as egg white or hydrolyzed soy protein or gelatin. It is the preferred and often used ingredient of large candy companies because it is inexpensive to make and used as a filler.

Varieties of nougat are found in:
3 Musketeers, Mars, Snickers, Milky Way, Zero, Salted Nut Rolls, Payday, Reese’s Fast Break, Baby Ruth, and others.

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HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalNougatDay

This holiday offers an opportunity to become a nougat aficionado. Or perhaps try learning the nuances of nougat. No matter how you spend the day, be sure to get a sample or two. Whether it’s a big bite or small, enjoy some nougats. Be sure to share a piece, too! Use #NationalNougatDay to post on social media.

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NATIONAL ENGLISH TOFFEE DAY

January 7, 2026November 14, 2025Jensperspectiveblog 23 Comments

On January 8th, National English Toffee Day celebrates a favored confection that’s been enjoyed across the country for generations.

In the United States, English toffee is a popular variant of the original toffee. A butter confection topped with almonds, it’s made by caramelizing white sugar with butter and can be both hardened or chewy. The Heath bar is a type of candy bar made with an English toffee core.

However, the British make toffee with only brown sugar, not white. And while they typically do not add nuts, they will add a layer off chocolate. Don’t hesitate to try dark, milk or white chocolate with English toffee. All varieties add a different texture and flavor.

Both the American and British versions are enjoyed all year long, though.

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HOW TO OBSERVE #EnglishToffeeDay

Gather up your ingredients. Making toffee can be both challenging and rewarding. It’s also a beautiful candy with delicious textures. Share it with the office or family members. Visit your favorite bakery or candy shop to pick up an order of English toffee freshly made.

Use #EnglishToffeeDay to post on social media.

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NATIONAL CHOCOLATE CANDY DAY

December 27, 2025November 14, 2025Jensperspectiveblog 4 Comments

National Chocolate Candy Day offers an opportunity for us to polish off the last of the specialty candies we received as gifts. Celebrated on December 28th, the day points us to the truffles and chocolate oranges tucked into stockings. Check those boxes of candy that may or may not have guides to help us choose cream-filled or ganache.

The word “chocolate” comes from the word “xocoatl” or “chocolatl.” Mayan “school” means hot or bitter, and the Aztec “atl” means water. Chocolate comes from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia and grows in Mexico, Central America, and Northern South America. The earliest known documentation of using cacao seeds is from around 1100 BC.

But before it was ever made into a sweet candy, it was ground into a beverage. In the ruling class society, the beverage was used for medical purposes.

In 1828, Dutch inventor and chemist, Coenraad Van Houten, developed a way to produce chocolate in solid form. His hydraulic press made it possible to remove the cocoa butter from the cacao. His invention leads to producing a powder opening the way for the first chocolate confections. It’s thanks to Van Houten we can enjoy the variety of chocolates we do today.

True History of Chocolate

Chocolate Wars: The 150-Year Rivalry Between the World’s Greatest Chocolate Makers

Great Moments in Chocolate History: With 20 Classic Recipes From Around the World

The Emperors of Chocolate: Inside the Secret World of Hershey and Mars

Chocolate Facts

Whitman’s produced their first box of chocolate in 1842.
In 1847, British chocolate company J.S. Fry & Sons combined cocoa butter, cocoa powder, and sugar-producing the first edible chocolate bar.
The invention of the conching machine by Rodolphe Lindt in 1879 ushered in the mass production of the creamy treat.
The first chocolate Easter egg was made sometime in the early 19th century. In 1875 John Cadbury introduced his first chocolate egg.
When Allied troops stormed the beach of Normandy on D-Day, part of emergency rations and in soldiers’ packs included the D ration bar designed by Hershey Chocolate company for the U.S. Army.
Americans consume 12 pounds of chocolate each year.

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HOW TO OBSERVE #ChocolateCandyDay

There are so many different kinds of chocolate candy. What’s your favorite? Enjoy a piece or two. Do you have leftovers? Host a chocolate candy party. Taste and sample all the varieties. Discover new favorites. Trade out the ones you don’t like. Bring some to work to share. How will you celebrate? Let us know by using #ChocolateCandyDay to post on social media.