The History of Jolly Ranchers

Dorothy and Bill Harmsen opened their first Jolly Rancher store in Colorado on May 28, 1949. The name was chosen to evoke a friendly atmosphere (“jolly”) and a western theme (“rancher”), but in the beginning, Jolly Rancher didn’t sell candy, but rather, ice cream! At first the venture was a success, but sales plummeted as the harsh Colorado winter set in. The Harmsens successfully pivoted to selling chocolate and were so successful that they were able to franchise several locations. The success also gave the Harmsens the time and resources to develop new hard candy formulas. Their Jolly Rancher Fire Stix, a cinnamon-flavored taffy, began to gain a lot of popularity. Seizing on this, the Harmsens released a spin-off product called Fire Stix Kisses, which closely resembled the Jolly Ranchers we are familiar with today, right down to the geometric shape of the hard candy and the packaging that was wrapped at both ends. Over time, this candy morphed into the modern Jolly Rancher and various flavors were added to the lineup. (One of the earliest flavors, Watermelon, would also go on to be the most popular Jolly Rancher flavor!) The company changed hands several times between 1967 and 1997, when it was acquired by The Hershey Company. Today, Jolly Ranchers are beloved all over the United States and the lineup has been expanded to include a variety of new products alongside the classic hard candies.