Hershey's Kiss
Encyclopedia
The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company, known until April 2005 as the Hershey Foods Corporation and commonly called Hershey's, is the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America. Its headquarters are in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which is also home to Hershey's Chocolate World. It was founded by Milton S...
. The bite-sized pieces of chocolate have a distinctive shape, commonly described as flat-bottomed teardrops. Hershey's Kisses chocolates are wrapped in squares of lightweight aluminum foil
Aluminium foil
Aluminium foil is aluminium prepared in thin metal leaves, with a thickness less than , thinner gauges down to are also commonly used. In the USA, foils are commonly gauged in mils. Standard household foil is typically thick and heavy duty household foil is typically .The foil is pliable, and...
with a narrow strip of paper protruding from the top.
Kisses is one of the most popular brands of candies in the US. In 1989, the chocolate drops were the 5th most popular chocolate brand in the United States, spawning sales that topped $400 million. More than 60 million Hershey's Kisses chocolates are produced each day at the company's two factories. Today's Kisses brand chocolates use Hershey's original milk chocolate formula.
In 2006 Hershey's Kissables
Hershey's Kissables
Hershey Kissables were a chocolate candy sold by The Hershey Company from late 2005 to 2009. Comparable to M&Ms, Hershey Kissables were shaped like miniature Hershey's Kisses and were coated in a thick sugar shell....
were introduced as a smaller sized, candy coated version of Kisses chocolates. They have been discontinued.
History
Hershey's Kisses milk chocolates were introduced in 1907. While it's not known exactly how Kisses chocolates got their name, it is a popular theory that the candy was named for the sound or motion of the chocolate being deposited during the manufacturing process.Another Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
chocolatier
Chocolatier
A chocolatier is someone who makes confectionery from chocolate. Chocolatiers are distinct from chocolate makers, who create chocolate from cacao beans and other ingredients.Professional chocolatiers study topics including the following:...
, H.O. Wilbur & Sons Chocolate Company, had been making a similar product known as Wilbur Buds since 1894. The shape and size of those candies likely served as an inspiration for Hershey's Kisses chocolates.
Hershey's Kisses chocolates were originally wrapped by hand. Automated wrapping began in 1921. The same automatic wrapping process allowed for the insertion of the distinctive paper "plume", that the company used to guarantee that consumers were getting the genuine Hershey product, rather than an imitation. This thin paper strip was registered as a company trademark in 1924. Italian confectioner Perugina
Perugina
Perugina is an Italian confectionery company based in Perugia, Italy.The company was formed in 1907 by Giovanni Buitoni and Luisa Spagnoli, a confectioner in her own right, in the town of Perugia, in central Italy....
manufactures a small chocolate and hazelnut candy called Baci (Italian for Kisses). Baci
Baci
Baci is an important ceremony practiced in Lao culture and Northern and Isan Thai culture....
are reputed to have been used as a clandestine method for delivering love notes between two confectioners, Giovanni Buitoni and Luisa Spagnoli
Luisa Spagnoli
Luisa Spagnoli, born Sargentini , was an Italian businesswoman, famous for creating a brand of women’s fashion clothing and chocolate brand Perugina- Biography :Perugina...
. This may have served as the inspiration for the paper strip.
Hershey's Kisses chocolates have been produced continuously since 1907, except for the period of time between 1942 and 1949. Rationing
Rationing
Rationing is the controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods, or services. Rationing controls the size of the ration, one's allotted portion of the resources being distributed on a particular day or at a particular time.- In economics :...
of raw materials during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
made the aluminum foil for the wrappers a scarce commodity.
The word KISSES became a registered trademark by the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office on January 2, 2001. (Reg. No. 2,416,701). The plume device is also a federally registered trademark (Reg. No. 186,828).
The conical configuration of the product is also a federally registered trademark.
Kisses Brand varieties
United States & Canada
- Milk Chocolate
- Milk Chocolate with almondAlmondThe almond , is a species of tree native to the Middle East and South Asia. Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree...
- Filled with Caramel
- Hugs chocolates (Milk Chocolate and white chocolateWhite chocolateWhite chocolate is a confectionery derivative of chocolate. It commonly consists of cocoa butter, sugar, milk solids and salt, and is characterized by a pale yellow or ivory appearance...
) - Special Dark mildy sweet chocolates (Dark Chocolate)
- Kisses chocolates wrapped in pink foil Milk Chocolate with Pink Wrappers in support of Breast Cancer Awareness)
- Cherry Cordial (Limited Edition)
- Filled with Peanut ButterPeanut butterPeanut butter is a food paste made primarily from ground dry roasted peanuts, popular in North America, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and parts of Asia, particularly the Philippines and Indonesia. It is mainly used as a sandwich spread, sometimes in combination as in the peanut butter and jelly...
- Truffle
- Milk Chocolate with macadamiaMacadamiaMacadamia is a genus of nine species of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae, with a disjunct distribution native to eastern Australia , New Caledonia and Sulawesi in Indonesia ....
nuts (only in Hawaii) - Crunchy Cookie (milk chocolate with oreo-like cookie bits)
- Candy Cane (peppermint flavoured white chocolate with red nonpareils)
- Coconut Creme
International
- Hazelnut (May only be found in Asian markets)
- Green Tea (May only be found in Asian markets)
- Creamy Milk Chocolate (found in Europe)
- Creamy Milk Chocolate with Almonds (found in Europe)
Limited Time Only
- New York Style Cheesecake
- Orange Creme
- Vanilla Creme
- Lemon Creme
- Coconut Creme
- TRIO (dark, milk, and white chocolate in one)
- Chocolate Marshmallow
- Cookies 'n' Creme (has little nonpareil bits - not the same as the European ones; they have little Oreo bits)
- Vanilla Yogurt Creme (not to be confused with the Vanilla Creme)
- Chocolate Truffle
- Mint Truffle
- Special Dark Strawberry
- Champagne Truffle
- Neapolitan (chocolate, vanilla and strawberry flavors)
- Milk Chocolate Filled with Marshmallow Creme
- Caramel Apple
- Candy Corn
- Pumpkin Spice
- Hot Cocoa Creme
- Candy Cane (Peppermint)
- Chocolate Mint
- Dark Raspberry
- Milk Chocolate Filled with Strawberry Creme
- Chocolate Meltaway (milk chocolate with velvety smooth chocolate center)
- Irish Creme (milk chocolate filled with Irish creme)
- Butter Creme
- Espresso
- Raspberry Hugs
Wrapper varieties
Hershey's Kisses chocolates were originally wrapped in silver-colored foil, and were only available in this color for decades. 1962 marked the first year that Kisses chocolates were available in different colored foil wrappers: red, green, and silver-wrapped candies were manufactured to coincide with the ChristmasChristmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
season.
In 1968, pastel blue, pink, and green wrappers were introduced for Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, and in 1986, Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
-themed wrappers of red and silver were introduced. Xs and Os have also appeared on pink and red wrappers as well as little red hearts on silver wrappers for Valentine’s Day. "Fall Harvest" colors were introduced in 1991. Independence Day
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
has silver with red stripes and blue-starred wrappers. Pink wrappers with "ribbons" on them to support breast cancer have also appeared. Camouflage wrappers are also available, primarily on military bases. Kisses Dark Chocolates come in a deep purple wrapper. The Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
themed Kisses Candy Corn candies come in a wrapper whose colors imitate the color of a candy corn
Candy corn
Candy corn is a confection in the United States and Canada, popular primarily in autumn around Halloween . Candy corn was created in the 1880s by George Renninger of the Wunderle Candy Company; the three colors of the candy mimic the appearance of kernels of corn...
with yellow, white and orange stripes swirling around the candy, that also imitates the color pattern. The Christmas themed Kisses Candy Cane candies also come in a wrapper whose colors imitate the color pattern (red stripes and white chocolate). The standard silver (for regular) and gold (for Almonds) wrappers are available year-round.
Hershey is introducing new pastel-colored wrappers with white polka dots for the upcoming Easter season. This created controversy within the organization because many workers and environmentalists have requested a more environmentally-friendly packaging. This would have eliminated the aluminum wrapping, and replaced it with biodegradable materials. This was supposed to be rolled out on April 1, 2009.