The History of Twizzlers

The predecessors to Twizzlers were made by a company called Young & Smylie back in 1845. In 1902, Young & Smylie joined with two other small companies and incorporated into the National Licorice Company. In 1929, they created spiraled licorice sticks and called them Twizzlers. However, the new product didn’t become popular until the 1960s. Notably, the National Licorice Company changed its name to Y&S Candies Inc. around the same time in an effort to appeal to more consumers. Their efforts paid off and Twizzlers soon gained enough popularity to catch the attention of The Hershey Company, which then acquired Y&S Candies Inc. in 1977. Since their inception, Twizzlers have undergone some major changes. The original formula included licorice extract and yielded a much harder product; the current version contains no licorice (excepting the Black Licorice flavor) and yields a chewy, almost plasticky texture. Additional flavors have also been added over the years, including the iconic Cherry and Strawberry options as well as Chocolate, Mint, and a host of holiday-themed specialty flavors. In 1994, the brand introduced Pull ‘n’ Peel Twizzlers and in 2004, Twizzlers Straws were launched. Today, Twizzlers remain extremely popular and are not only known as the runner-up bestseller at movie theaters (outranked only by popcorn) but are also the fourth best-selling candy in America overall.