The Hershey’s Kiss is one of the most iconic candies ever created. With its distinctive conical shape wrapped in aluminum foil, it is instantly recognizable around the world. But how did this beloved treat get its memorable name?
The Origins of the Hershey Kiss Name
The name “Hershey’s Kiss” comes from the way the candy is made. When liquid chocolate is deposited onto a conveyor belt, a small amount of the chocolate is kissed (or squeezed) out of the nozzle. As the chocolate moved along the assembly line, it would retain a roughly conical shape from the kiss technique used to extract it.
When the Hershey Company debuted this new candy product in 1907, they shaped the still liquid chocolate into that iconic tapered form to maintain the “kissed” look. With its distinctive shape, the name Hershey’s Kiss was a natural fit.
How Hershey Kisses Are Made
While techniques have been updated, Hershey Kisses are still made using a kissing process today. Here is an overview of how Kisses go from liquid chocolate to foil wrapped candies:
- Liquid chocolate is piped through a depositing machine that “kisses” out small chocolate drops onto a conveyor belt.
- As the conveyor belt moves, the chocolate retains its conical shape.
- The kisses move under a wrapping machine that wraps the foil around each kiss.
- Excess foil is crimped at the base of the kiss to seal it.
- Kisses move through a cooling tunnel that cools and sets the chocolate.
- The wrapped, cooled Kisses are packaged and shipped out for consumption.
So while techniques have advanced with technology, the iconic conical shape from the original kissed chocolate remains the same.
The History of Hershey Kisses
While we may take Hershey Kisses for granted as an iconic American candy today, they have an interesting history:
- 1907 – Hershey Kisses are born when Hershey begins producing small, conical chocolates using the “kissing” process.
- 1921 – Foil wrapping is added to Hershey Kisses to maintain freshness and prevent meltage.
- 1925 – Hershey starts advertising their new candy creation as “Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses”.
- 1931 – To modernize operations, new high-speed wrapping equipment is installed to wrap Kisses.
- 1969 – Hershey introduces chocolate chips that maintain integrity and don’t melt when baked.
Key innovations like adding foil wrapping and developing high-speed wrapping machines helped make mass production of Hershey Kisses possible. With mass production capabilities in place, Hershey was able to distribute and popularize their candy innovation nationwide.
Innovative Marketing of Hershey’s Kisses
A big part of what helped Kisses become iconic was Hershey’s marketing campaigns over the decades that ingrained them into American culture:
- 1912 – Hershey runs magazine ads encouraging people to send Hershey Kisses to soldiers fighting in World War I.
- 1925 – Upon official naming, Hershey runs ads proclaiming “Throw away that chop suey candy bar. Give me Hershey’s new milk chocolate Kisses.”
- 1931 – Hershey runs an ad campaign with actress Jean Harlow as the iconic platinum blonde movie star telling readers to “Smooch me Kisses.”
- 1969 – For the moon landing, Hershey creates an ad claiming the astronauts owe their safe return to “powerful Hershey Kisses carbon crystals.”
These memorable ad campaigns helped Hershey Kisses become a cultural icon over their first six decades. America saw Kisses as part of holidays, celebrations, and special moments.
Evolution of Hershey Kiss Products
While original milk chocolate Kisses remain widely available, Hershey has created an array of Kiss products over the years:
| Year | New Kiss Products |
|---|---|
| 1977 | Hershey’s Pot of Gold assorted chocolates filled with Kisses |
| 1986 | Hershey’s Kisses with almonds |
| 1988 | Hershey’s Kisses filled with mint truffle and caramel |
| 1999 | Hershey’s Kisses with HUGS (white chocolate) |
| 2004 | Hershey’s Kisses filled with cherry cordial |
| 2019 | Hershey’s Kisses filled with fudge |
This innovation with new flavors, fillings, inclusions, and premium varieties has allowed Hershey to keep the classic Kiss relevant to evolving consumer tastes.
Fun Facts About Hershey Kisses
Over 100 years of being a beloved candy, some intriguing facts have emerged about Hershey Kisses:
- Over 60 million Kisses are produced each day, over 12 billion annually.
- Laid end to end, a year’s worth of Kisses would span over 5,000 miles.
- Hershey makes Kisses in milk chocolate, dark chocolate, caramel, peanut butter, and mint.
- Most Kisses are still wrapped by hand as high-speed wrapping proved unreliable.
- A 40 foot tall, 25,000 pound Hershey Kiss was erected in Hershey, PA in 1989.
These fun facts show both how ubiquitous and unique Hershey Kisses remain after more than a century.
Lasting Legacy of Hershey’s Kisses
While simple in concept, Hershey was able to turn the iconic shape of their Kisses into one of the most beloved American candy brands. Reasons the Hershey Kiss became an icon include:
- Memorable name resonated with consumers
- Innovative manufacturing and distribution
- Smart marketing campaigns over decades
- Consistent product quality and fresh taste
- Nostalgic associations with American culture
The way the original product concept aligned with marketing and cultural trends at the time proved powerful. Over a century later, this perfect alignment allows Hershey Kisses to persist as a treasured candy icon.
Conclusion
Hershey Kisses got their memorable name from the kissing-shaped nozzle that forms their iconic conical shape. Innovative manufacturing, distribution, and marketing allowed what could have been a fad candy to become an enduring icon. Today, over 60 million Kisses are enjoyed daily by consumers all over the world. The Hershey Kiss continues its legacy as a unique candy concept proving both nostalgic and innovative over 100 years since its debut. For candy lovers today, the distinctive foil wrapping and classic shape will likely remain recognizable for at least another century to come.