Red Vines is a brand of red licorice candy manufactured in Union City, California by the American Licorice Company. Red Vines Original Red Twists are also sometimes referred to as red licorice despite containing no licorice root. The original Red Vines were cherry-flavored, but in 1952, with a slight formula change, the Red Vines Original Red Twist flavor was introduced.
The American Licorice Company introduced raspberry-flavored vines in the 1920s. In the 1950s, the name was changed to Red Vines and the company's branding was reimagined around this identity, with "Original Red" eventually overtaking licorice as the most popular flavor. [1]
In the Union City factory, wheat flour, corn syrup, citric acid, flavoring, and dye blended in vats then poured into barrels and cooled for 24 hours, after which it is extruded through a machine that forms the final candy. The factory can produce up to 1,000,000 pounds per week. [1]
Red Vines and similar candy Twizzlers have a perceived rivalry such as displayed in the Parks and Recreation episode "Ben's Parents," in which characters are divided over which is better and whether families from different sides of the question can appropriately marry. [2]
According to the brand manager of Red Vines, "The taste and the texture are very different and the rivalry between Twizzlers and Red Vines is very fan-driven. The rivalry is [similar to] the Montagues and Capulets. It's existed for so long that people forget how it started [but] it's not driven by either company." [1] He speculates that the rivalry is essentially regional, as Red Vines are more popular in the West and the Great Lakes region "but brand awareness tends to drop off once you go east of Denver," while Twizzlers, being "headquartered in Pennsylvania" trends stronger there and in the East Coast and Northeast. [1]
In August 2012 the California Department of Public Health announced a recall of one lot of Red Vines' black licorice candy due to lead contamination. Only the one-pound packages marked "Best Before 020413" were recalled. Testing found that candy in the contaminated lot had as much as 0.33 parts per million of lead resulting in up to 13.2 micrograms of lead per serving. This was more than double the limit of 6.0 micrograms of lead per day from all dietary sources for children under 6 years old. [3] [4]
Fox science-fiction drama television series Fringe frequently refers to Red Vines throughout its five-season run, as it is the preferred candy of the character Doctor Walter Bishop. In the season 2 premiere, "A New Day in the Old Town," he is even seen eating Red Vines while conducting an autopsy. After the TV series was renewed for a fourth season on March 24, 2011, co-star Josh Jackson publicly stated his appreciation of Fringe fans for sending Red Vines to Fox in an effort to campaign for a renewal. [5]
The large tub of Red Vines is seen on many episodes of Law & Order: SVU on Captain Cragen's desk.
Red Vines were airdropped into 89th Academy Awards ceremony by host Jimmy Kimmel. [6]
Red Vines is mentioned in an SNL Digital Short from 2005. In the music video "Lazy Sunday," Andy Samberg raps: "Mr. Pibb and Red Vines equals crazy delicious." [7]
Red Vines are frequently mentioned in Team StarKid's 2010 musical, A Very Potter Sequel, as they are the preferred snack of Ron Weasley. This was later referenced in 2011, when Joey Richter and Joe Walker, two actors from the musical, performed a series of tests on the official Red Vines YouTube channel, to see what Red Vines could and couldn't do. [8]
Red Vines is also the name of an Aimee Mann song from her 1999 album Bachelor No. 2 or, the Last Remains of the Dodo . The chorus talks about "...Cigarettes and Red Vines," as something to occupy one's time while helplessly watching other events. [9]
In the Parks and Recreation episode "Ben's Parents", the characters are divided over whether Red Vines are superior to Twizzlers. [2]
Jelly Belly Candy Company, formerly known as Herman Goelitz Candy Company and Goelitz Confectionery Company, is an American company that manufactures Jelly Belly jelly beans and other candy.
Chuckles are jelly candies coated with a light layer of sugar. They come in five flavors: cherry, lemon, lime, orange, and licorice. Each package of Chuckles contains one piece of each flavor. The candies are made with corn syrup, sugar, modified and unmodified cornstarch, and natural and artificial flavors and colors.
M&M's are multi-colored button-shaped chocolates, each of which has the letter "m" printed in lower case in white on one side, consisting of a candy shell surrounding a filling which varies depending upon the variety of M&M's. The original candy has a semi-sweet chocolate filling which, upon introduction of other variations, was branded as the "plain, normal" variety. Peanut M&M's, which feature a peanut coated in milk chocolate, and finally a candy shell, were the first variation to be introduced, and they remain a regular variety. Numerous other variations have been introduced, some of which are regular widespread varieties while others are limited in duration or geographic availability. M&M's are the flagship product of the Mars Wrigley Confectionery division of Mars, Incorporated.
The Heath bar is a candy bar made of toffee, almonds, and milk chocolate, first manufactured by the Heath Brothers Confectionery in 1928. Since its acquisition of the Leaf International North American confectionery operations late in 1996, the Heath bar has been manufactured and distributed by Hershey.
Jones Soda Co. is a beverage company based in Seattle, Washington, United States. It bottles and distributes soft drinks, non-carbonated beverages, energy drinks, and candy.
Hubba Bubba is a brand of bubble gum produced by Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated. Introduced in the United States in 1979, the bubble gum got its name from the phrase "Hubba Hubba", which some military personnel in World War II used to express approval. The main gimmick used to promote the gum is that, as Hubba Bubba is less sticky than other brands of gum, it is easier to peel off the skin after a bubble bursts. When Hubba Bubba was first marketed, the gum's flavor was similar to that of others but, over time, different flavors have been produced.
Twizzlers are the product of Y&S Candies, Inc., of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. 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. Because only the black Twizzlers contain 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.
Necco Wafers are a sugar-based candy, sold in rolls of variously-flavored thin disks. First produced in 1847, they became the namesake and core product of the now-defunct New England Confectionery Company (Necco), which operated near Boston, Massachusetts. Production of the candy was suspended in July 2018 when Necco went into bankruptcy, but returned in May 2020 after purchase of the brand and production equipment by the Spangler Candy Company.
Jujyfruits are a chewy, gumdrop-like starch-based candy, manufactured by Heide Candy Company, a subsidiary of Ferrara Candy Company. Jujyfruits began production in 1920. They were popular in movie houses along with Heide's other gummy candy, Jujubes.
Liquorice or licorice is a confection usually flavoured and coloured black with the extract of the roots of the liquorice plant Glycyrrhiza glabra.
Good & Plenty is a brand of licorice candy. The candy is a narrow cylinder of sweet black licorice, coated in a hard candy shell to form a capsule shape. The pieces are colored bright pink and white and presented in a purple box or bag.
Sour Punch is a brand of sour candy, manufactured by American Licorice Company. As one of the first brands to enter the sour candy market in the 1990s, it comes in 5 forms: Straws, Bites, Bits, Ropes, and Twists. Sour Punch comes in 5 different flavors. Like many other sour candies, they are coated with sour sugar to supply the familiar sour flavor. One serving size of Sour Punch twists contains 150 calories. It is often a popular candy for those who are lactose intolerant, as it does not contain any milk products.
American Licorice Company is an American candy manufacturer founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1914, and headquartered in La Porte, Indiana. The company has manufacturing facilities in Union City, California and La Porte.
Heide Candy Company is a subsidiary of candy manufacturer Ferrara Candy Company.
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).
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.
David Klein is the developer of the Jelly Belly brand of jelly beans.