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| Product type | Fruit flavored lollipop |
|---|---|
| Owner |
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| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 1979 |
| Previous owners |
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| Website | www |
Ring Pop is a brand of fruit-flavored lollipops marketed in the form of a wearable plastic ring with a large hard candy jewel and come in an assortment of flavors and colors. Its product line is manufactured by Bazooka Candy Brands (BCB).
In October 2023, BCB and its portfolio of brands were acquired by Apax Partners. [1]
Ring Pops were invented in 1979 by Frank Richards who was a product engineer at the Topps Company. [2] [3] He wanted to help his daughter in breaking her unsavoury thumb-sucking habit, so he invented the Ring Pop as a treat to eliminate her childish addiction. [2]
The candy is similar to a baby pacifier, where the jewel is made out of a hard candy and is attached to a plastic disc that clamps around a finger. [3] It was thought to be a brilliant idea and solution to get kids to stop their unwanted thumb-sucking habit, while enjoying a sugary and sweet piece of candy instead of sucking on their bland and most likely unclean thumb.
While the Ring Pop was not the first piece of candy jewelry, it did follow in the footsteps of other jewelry-themed candies, such as the candy necklace and candy bracelet, both of which were released in 1958, almost two decades before the invention of the Ring Pop. [4]
The debut of Ring Pops on television was in the early 1980s, catching many children's attention with its memorable theme song and the famous phrase, "It's a lollipop, without a stick! A ring of flavor you can lick!" [5]
The commercial entails many children eating and having fun with Ring Pops, however there is a scene with two children, a boy and a girl, where the little boy is supposedly proposing to the little girl with the Ring Pop. This scene has become a signature staple over the years as one of the most memorable scenes in Ring Pop commercial history.
The candy originally was available in two flavours, Cherry and Grape. Over time, Ring Pop flavours have expanded into an array of flavors such as Blue Raspberry, Strawberry, Watermelon, Lime and Apple.
Ring Pop Sours came into the mix in the 1980s in flavours such as:
Topps has also released Ring Pop "twisted" multi-flavored lollipops, which come in flavours such as Berry Blast and Citrus Craze as well as "creamy" varieties such as Strawberry Ice Cream.
Most recently, in 2013, Topps has come out with Ring Pop Gummies as an alternative to the original hard candy. [3] Special Ring Pops are made for some holidays. Easter Ring Pops use the traditional plastic ring but replace the gem-shaped hard candy with chicks or bunnies.
In 2011, Bazooka issued Ring Pops encrusted with Swarovski Crystal and colored with Maverick Blue to the Dallas Mavericks for their winning of the 2011 NBA Finals.[ citation needed ] Topps launched Ring Pop Gummies in 2013, a wearable and edible gummy version of the candy. [6]
Bazooka Candy Brands claims Ring Pops to be one of their best selling candies among Orthodox Jews because it is one of the few candies that are kosher. [7]
Bazooka is an American brand of bubble gum that was introduced in 1947. It is a product of "Bazooka Candy Brands" (BCB), which was a division of The Topps Co. until the latter’s acquisition by Fanatics, Inc. in 2022.
Twizzlers are a licorice-type candy manufactured by Y&S Candies, Inc., of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, a division of The Hershey Company. Twizzlers were first produced in 1929 by Young and Smylie, as the company was then called. The licorice company was founded in 1845, making it one of the oldest confectionery firms in the United States. Twizzlers ingredients consist of corn syrup, wheat flour, sugar, cornstarch, and smaller amounts of palm oil, salt, artificial flavor, glycerin, citric acid, potassium sorbate, Red 40, and soy lecithin. Despite only the black Twizzlers containing extracts of the licorice plant, Twizzlers products are collectively referred to as licorice-type candy. Seventy percent of the annual production of Twizzlers are strawberry, the most popular Twizzlers flavor.
Nerds is an American candy launched in 1983 by the Sunmark Corporation under the brand name Willy Wonka Candy Company. Nerds are now made by the Ferrara Candy Company, a subsidiary of Ferrero Group. but is still distributed internationally by Nestlé. With their anthropomorphic covers, Nerds usually contain two flavors per box, each flavor having a separate compartment and opening.
Starburst is the brand name of a box-shaped, fruit-flavoured soft taffy candy manufactured by The Wrigley Company, which is a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated. Starburst has many different varieties, such as Tropical, Sour, FaveREDs, Watermelon, Very Berry, Superfruit, Summer Blast and Original.
Fun Dip is a candy manufactured by the Ferrara Candy Company. The candy has been on the market in the United States and Canada since the 1940s and was originally called Lik-M-Aid. It was originally manufactured by Fruzola, and then Sunline Inc., through their Sunmark Brands division. It was purchased by Nestlé in January 1989. Fun Dip was sold to Ferrara Candy company in 2018 along with other Wonka Candy Brands. It comes in many different flavors with candy sticks that are included.
Jolly Rancher is an American brand of sweet hard candy, gummies, jelly beans, lollipops, sour bites, and a line of soda put out by Elizabeth Beverage Company in 2004. Originally created in Colorado in the 1950s, the Jolly Rancher brand has been owned by The Hershey Company since 1996.
Airheads is an American brand of the taffy candy owned by the Italian-Dutch company Perfetti Van Melle. They were created on August 7, 1985, by Steve Bruner. Airheads are available nationwide in the United States and Canada where the candy is available in 16 different flavors.
A Tootsie Pop is a hard candy lollipop filled with the chocolate-flavored chewy Tootsie Roll candy. They were invented in 1931 by an employee of The Sweets Company of America. Tootsie Rolls had themselves been invented in 1896 by Leo Hirschfield. The company changed its name to Tootsie Roll Industries in 1969. The candy made its debut in 1931 and since then various flavors have been introduced. The idea came to be when a man who worked at The Sweets Company of America licked his daughter's lollipop at the same time he was chewing his Tootsie Roll. He loved the idea and pitched it to everyone at the next snack ideas meeting.
Dots, or Mason Dots, is an American brand of gum drops marketed by Tootsie Roll Industries. According to advertisements, more than four billion dots are produced from the Tootsie Roll Industries Chicago plant each year. Dots are vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, and kosher. They come in various flavors and varieties.
Warheads is a brand of sour or tart candy manufactured by Impact Confections, located in Janesville, Wisconsin. They are marketed as an 'extreme' candy with an intense sour flavor. They have proven to be very popular, especially with young children; in 1999, Warheads were referred to as a "$40 million brand" (USD).
Sloche is a frozen beverage sold by the convenience store chain Couche-Tard, mostly in the province of Quebec, Canada. While it is similar in concept to the traditional Slush Puppie, Sloche has gathered much publicity through an aggressive marketing campaign. The oversized Sloche plastic cups are covered with humorous slogans such as: "No animal has tasted this product before you," and "A good source of crushed ice." Couche-Tard also used to sell gummy candies under the Sloche brand. Some of these candies had to be removed from the shelves after allegations that their concept art was racist.
Toxic Waste is a line of sour candies owned and marketed by American company Candy Dynamics Inc., which is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The products are sold primarily in the United States and Canada as well as several international markets such as the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. The toxic waste candy is packed in novelty drum containers, each holding 16 pieces of sour candy which come in five different flavors.
Baby Bottle Pop is a brand of lollipops introduced by manufacturer Topps in 1998 in a baby bottle shape. The lollipops come in a variety of fruit flavors including strawberry, cherry, blue raspberry, watermelon, bubblegum, green apple, and grape. The candy currently consists of three varieties: "Original", "2D Max", and "Crunch". In 2008, the jingle was reworked and promoted by the Jonas Brothers.
Push Pop is an American brand of fruit-flavored lollipops produced in Taiwan. It debuted in 1986 and comes in many flavors.
Juicy Drop is a brand of flavoured gel that is meant to be combined with gummies, taffies, and gums to enhance the flavour.
Sherbet is a fizzy, sweet powder, usually eaten by dipping a lollipop or liquorice, using a small spoon, or licking it from a finger.
Gummies, gummi candies, gummy candies, or jelly sweets are a broad category of gelatin-based chewable sweets. Gummy bears, Sour Patch Kids, and Jelly Babies are widely popular and are a well-known part of the sweets industry. Gummies are available in a wide variety of shapes, most commonly seen as colorful depictions of living things such as bears, babies, or worms. Various brands such as Bassett's, Haribo, Albanese, Betty Crocker, Hersheys, Disney and Kellogg's manufacture various forms of gummy snacks, often targeted at young children. The name "gummi" originated in Germany, with the term "jelly sweets" more common in the United Kingdom.
The Charms Candy Company was a candy company founded in 1912 and sold to Tootsie Roll Industries in 1988. It was known for candies including Blow Pops and Charms.
Wonka Gummies are a line of gummy sweets made by The Willy Wonka Candy Company. They were launched in 2009 and are available in 155.9g/5.5 ounce bags. The Sluggles, Puckerooms, Wingers, and Sploshberries were previously marketed as coming from Wonka's edible garden, up until November 2010.