NATIONAL LOLLIPOP DAY

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.

NATIONAL SOUR CANDY DAY

July 18th is National Sour Candy Day! Adults and children alike will enjoy lip-puckering, eye-watering flavors. Choose your favorite sour candy and celebrate!

In the candy world, sour candy is the young, energetic, and fun member of the candy family. It awakens the taste buds and adds a punch of youthful energy. Every flavor combination out there creates a dazzling taste sensation. Surprisingly, sometimes a sweet candy delivers a walloping tear-jerking zap in a bite-sized lozenge or sucker that lasts for several minutes. Other times, it delivers the punch in a chewy form. These fun sour candies come in a variety of entertaining shapes and sizes. From chewy twists and ropes to sweet bite-sized pieces and straws, each one creates a unique juicy tang, indeed.

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On this sweet holiday, instead of trying regular old candy, celebrate by trying sour candy. It’s like having a birthday and not getting any older!  If you’ve tasted sour candy before, try a new flavor and discover which one makes your mouth pucker the most! Will it be Cherry or Watermelon or maybe a combination of Tangerine-Lemonade? Without a doubt, July 18th is the perfect day to share any of the variety of flavors the American Licorice Company has to offer.

NATIONAL SOUR CANDY DAY HISTORY

American Licorice Company founded National Sour Candy Day in 2015 to celebrate all the tasty varieties of sour candies and to encourage everyone to give them a try. To learn more about the Sour Punch® brand, follow on Facebook and Twitter.

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HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalSourCandyDay

Brighten up your day with some sour candy. As a matter of fact, consider visiting a sweet shop and pick up a bagful. Share with your friends or coworkers. See who makes the best pucker and share your sour combinations using #NationalSourCandyDay on social media.

NATIONAL NOUGAT DAY

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.

NATIONAL LACY OATMEAL COOKIE DAY

There are cookie holidays and then there is National Lacy Oatmeal Cookie Day. Each year on March 18th, this holiday celebrates a delicate cookie made from oats.

Some people may refer to this day as National Oatmeal Cookie Day (which is celebrated on April 30th). The difference between the two is that lacy oatmeal cookies are wafer-thin and typically accompany a scoop of ice cream or sorbet.

In the early 1900s, oatmeal became a major ingredient in the American diet. Before that, Americans relied on other grains. Originating in England, oatmeal cookies have been around since the 1800s.  However, it is believed that they were created after the oatcake. Soldiers used to carry oatcakes with them for a quick boost of energy during battle. Most research found that the first recorded oatmeal raisin cookie recipe was written by Fannie Merritt Farmer in 1896.Considered a health food, the cookies quickly became popular. By the early 1900s, a recipe for the delicious treats appeared on containers of Quaker Oats.

Oatmeal cookies are an excellent source of iron and fiber

Bakers use many different recipes for the lacy oatmeal cookies. Additionally, home bakers bake with a variety of oats including old fashioned oats, quick-cooking oats, oat bran or oat flour.  For a healthier cookie, add finely chopped or ground fruits (such as raisins) or nuts and use a sugar substitute. You can also decorate your lacy oatmeal cookies with icing drizzled on top of the cookie.

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HOW TO OBSERVE #LacyOatmealCookieDay

Lacy oatmeal cookies make pretty decorations on top of cakes and other baked goods, too. They also make excellent gifts. Make some for a friend or neighbor. 

Use #LacyOatmealCookieDay to post on social media.

NATIONAL PEANUT CLUSTER DAY

March 8th is National Peanut Cluster Day!  Melted chocolate mixed with peanuts makes a perfect combination for sweet and salty deliciousness!

Two things had to happen for peanut clusters to even exist. First, a method had to be invented for the cocoa bean to be processed and transformed into what we know as chocolate. That process wasn’t widely used until about the late 1890s and just about the same time the second extraordinary thing happened; agriculture found a way to grow the peanut and bring it to the public with steel tools and steam power.  

It didn’t take long for confectioneries to add the now readily available peanuts to melted chocolate. The sheer simplicity of the salty peanuts added to sweetened chocolate is a mouthwatering temptation few can resist, even today. Candy makers find them to be a popular addition to cookie tins or other holiday baskets. Their simplicity allows bakers to easily round out any cookie or bar tray. They also quickly satisfy a snack craving without much effort at all. 

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HOW TO OBSERVE #PeanutClusterDay

Peanut clusters are an easy to make snack that can be ready in just minutes.  Melt the chocolate. Add the peanuts and stir them together. Drop them by spoonfuls into a “cluster” on waxed paper or foil. Let them harden and then ENJOY!!

Remember to share! Use #PeanutClusterDay to post on social media.