Every Day Is Special: February 23

February 23 - Tootsie Roll Day

Posted on February 23, 2019

According to Tootsie Roll Industries, 64 million Tootsie Rolls are produced every day.

That's a lot of candy! And I assume that's not counting all the Tootsie Pops that the company manufactures.

(I assume it IS counting all the various sizes of Tootsie Rolls!)

Today is supposed to be the anniversary of the date in 1896 when Austrian immigrant Leo Hirshfield started selling hand-wrapped candies in his small Brooklyn store. He'd named his new treats after his daughter. Don't worry! - his daughter was named Clara, and it was her silly nickname "Tootsie" that Hirshfield used for his candies.

Some people who study such things say that Leo Hirschfeld (a slightly different spelling of the name - but spelling changes in names are very normal for immigrants) was actually working for a candy manufacturer, not running a small store, when Tootsie Rolls were invented. In 1907 he applied for a patent for his recipe, I guess, and the unique chewy texture of his candy, and a year later he was awarded the patent. The whole thing about Clara, nicknamed Tootsie, being the candy's namesake may be true - and she may even have been Hirshfield/Hirschfeld's daughter - but there doesn't seem to be any proof of that story, either. What is backed up by evidence is that there was a child spokes-model for a fruity gelatin candy put out by that same candy company, and this little girl was named Clara.

So I don't know if the Tootsie Roll Industries' story about the small store in Brooklyn and the candymaker's daughter Tootsie is completely true or if it is a mishmash of truth and heartwarming fiction.

I do know that we cannot believe everything a company says about its own product...Check out these old ads:

"Stands any weather"??? "Stands any test"???

I think that is an exaggeration!
Sure, Tootsie Rolls don't melt like most chocolate
candies do, but we don't need to overstate it!

I actually really like Tootsie Rolls. I usually like my candy to be a mix of dark chocolate, nuts, and caramel or nougat - but Tootsie Rolls is one of my favorite exceptions!

Here is an old video that shows how Tootsie Rolls are made. And here is a modern video showing us how to make a homemade version of the candy!