Twizzlers are one of the best-known candy brands in the United States, and Strawberry Twizzlers are one of the best-selling non-chocolate candies in the country. But this wasn’t always the case. Although Twizzlers had long been popular, most people didn’t know them by name. This is the story of Twizzlers.
0:00 Twizzlers Beginnings
1:53 The National Licorice Company
2:34 Fruit-Flavored "Licorice"
3:37 How Twizzlers were Made
4:01 Twizzlers Popularity
4:59 Identity Crisis
5:55 Early Slogans
6:33 Makes Mouths Happy
8:53 Twizzlers Today
9:00 Thanks for Watching & Sources
Sources
“Young & Smylie’s Licorice,” The Montreal Star, Dec 17, 1891
“Liquorice and a Well-Known Firm Who Make It,” The California Druggist, 1898
“Licorice and a Well-Known Firm Who Make It,” The Canadian Druggist, 1899
“Licorice Combine Formed,” Boston Evening Transcript, Jul 28, 1902
“Asking for Aid,” The Kingston Whig-Standard, Nov 1, 1902
“Local Financial: National Licorice Company,” The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Sep 29, 1911
“Chaos in Balkans Felt in Brooklyn in Licorice Supply,” The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Apr 9, 1923
“Licorice Plant Employs 150,” The Dispatch, Jul 31, 1928
“Off the Beaten Path,” Fred Klann, The Dispatch, Sep 7, 1948
“Quad-City Plants Supply 48 States,” The Daily Times, Dec 21, 1949
“Licorice Firm Adds Second Production Shift,” The Dispatch, Sep 30, 1967
“Local Execs Cautiously Optimistic about Business,” Rich Meyer, The Dispatch, Jul 6, 1971
“Advertising: State Lottery in TV Campaign,” Philip H. Dougherty, The New York Times, Sep 10, 1975
“Twizzlers and Nibs Seek to Resolve Identity Crisis,” Joan Cook, The New York Times, Sep 16, 1975
“How Sweet It Is! Candy Manufacturing Bubbling,” Pete Young, The Dispatch, Apr 25, 1976
“Moline Plant Cooks Up Licorice by the Load,” Mike Briggs, Quad-City Times, Jan 16, 1977
“Hershey Foods Acquires Y&S Candies,” Oakdale Leader, Dec 7, 1977
“A Brief History of Y&S Candies,” The Dispatch, Jul 16, 1978
“Y&S Candies Will Expand, Hire 35 Employees,” Doug Wenrich, Lancaster New Era, Mar 27, 1986
“No Fad Here: How Y&S Keeps Increasing Sales of its Traditional Licorice Products,” Doug Wenrich, Lancaster New Era, Nov 30, 1992
“Twisted Treat,” Carlsbad Current-Argue, Jun 4, 1994
“Utahn Learns: One Can Get Too Much of a Good Thing,” Lee Siegel, The Salt Lake Tribune, Sep 27, 1997
“Black Licorice is a Candy That Should Inspire Caution,” Michael Merschel, American Heart Association News, Oct 28, 2022