Good Grief - Genius German Gummis Go Global!

Gummi bears have been around for what seems like forever, and good thing because I'm not sure where I'd be today without that tasty little morsel! Gummi bears these days come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors. My personal favorite is the sour gummi worm, but with so many choices it is hard to discriminate. One day I looked into the history of gummi bears and found the life story of our favorite gummi treat to be quite interesting.

Gummi Genealogy

Invented by Hans Riegel in 1922, the Gummi Bear continues to be one of the most popular products of Germany. Hans Riegel, a candy maker from Bonn, fondly called his invention the 'dancing bear' and started a company called "Haribo" (acronym for Hans Riegel Bonn) to exclusively manufacture these bears. What originally began as a craze in Germany soon became a hot favorite among children from other countries as well. Finally, in 1980, production of these bears began in the United States. Before that, American children were acquainted with these bears only through their German classes in school.

Finally, American children struck it rich when the Herman Goelitz Company began producing gummi bears in 1981. Better known today as Jelly Belly Candy, they have been instrumental in developing a wide assortment of gummi goods for American kids to enjoy ever since. The Haribo company expanded to America as well and made gummi bears widely available throughout the country.

Gummi Bears Get Into Character!

The Trolli gave birth to one of the most popular gummi characters called 'Gummi Worms' in 1981. While the character was originally created to shock the younger generation and disgust their parents at the same time, it soon became very popular. These days, apart from the conventional bear and wiggly and jiggly worm characters, there are various other forms of Gummi candies available. Gummis come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes and are an increasingly important element in birthdays and other celebrations. From rats and snakes to hamburgers and hot dogs, you will find gummis in every imaginable shape.

Give cute gummi bears to someone special or shock the kids with gummi dinosaurs - there's a gummi that appeals to every child. Use gummis to decorate gingerbread houses or garnish cookies and cakes. If your child fancies fish, delight them with a gummi fish or sharks. Use the exciting range of gummi bears as baby shower favors or as snacks during birthday or birth announcement parties.

Gummis Go Graphic!

Other companies soon cashed in on the popularity of Gummis - starting with the Disney company, that created an adventure cartoon show for kids in the year 1985 to showcase the Gummi bear family and their adventures. The show was called 'The Adventures of the Gummi Bears' - and was of a series of 65 episodes!

Generating Gummis

While gummi bears may be very small and tempting, the production of these bears involves a long process. Making new characters is a challenge faced by the artists of the manufacturing company. They create characters and carve them into tiny plaster molds that are duplicated later with the help of a machine. The duplicates are later processed through a starch powder machine in order to produce starch powder mold pans. Gummi bears are made using a mixture of ingredients like sugar, glucose syrup, and gelatin, which is poured into large boilers. Here, the mixture is heated and stirred with the help of large paddles to mix the ingredients with colors and flavors that give these bears their signature look and taste.

The Gummi Generation

Gummi bears have put a smile on children's faces around the world for years. From their beginnings in Germany to the release of the gummi worm years later, it is hard to resist such a great candy.