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Curtiss Candy Company

The Curtiss Candy Company is an extinct American confectionery brand and a former company based in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1916 by Otto Schnering near Chicago, Illinois. Wanting a more "American-sounding" name (due to anti-German sentiment during World War I), Schnering named his company using his mother's maiden name.

Curtiss Candy Company
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryConfectionery
Founded1916; 108 years ago (1916)
FounderOtto Schnering
Defunct1964; 60 years ago (1964) (as a company)
1990; 34 years ago (1990) (as a brand)
FatePurchased by Standard Brands in 1964, which was merged with Nabisco to form Nabisco Brands in 1981, which was merged with R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company to form RJR Nabisco in 1985, and which later sold to Nestlé in 1990
Successor
List
HeadquartersChicago, Illinois
ProductsSweets
SubsidiariesNestlé
Box of Curtiss' Baby Ruth candy bars at a general store in Portsmouth, North Carolina

Their first confectionery item was Kandy Kake, later refashioned in 1920 as the log-shaped Baby Ruth.[1] Their second confectionery item was the chocolate-covered peanut butter crunch Butterfinger, which was introduced in 1926.[2] In 1931, Curtiss marketed the brand by sponsoring famous air racer, John H. Livingston, in the Baby Ruth Aerobatic Team flying the air-racer Howard "Mike" at airshows, and sponsoring Livingston's Monocoupe racer in the 1934 MacRobertson Air Race.[3][4] The Jolly Jack candy was included in army rations during World War II.[5]

In 1964, Standard Brands purchased Curtiss Candy Company. Standard Brands merged with Nabisco in 1981. In 1990, RJR Nabisco sold the Curtiss brands to Nestlé.

The Baby Ruth / Butterfinger factory, built in the 1960s, is located at 3401 Mt. Prospect Rd. in Franklin Park, Illinois. Interstate 294 curves eastward around the plant, where a prominent, rotating sign, resembling a giant candy bar, is visible. It originally read "Curtiss Baby Ruth" on one side and "Curtiss Butterfinger" on the other. It was changed to read "Nestlé" following the acquisition.

A "Curtiss Baby Ruth" sign was on an apartment building across from Wrigley Field for several decades.[6][7] Wrigley and the Curtiss plant are both on Addison Street, although more than 10 miles apart.

Curtiss products over the years

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In the early decades, Curtiss had a wide variety of candies aside from Baby Ruth and Butterfinger.

Candies

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  • Baby Ruth suckers
  • Baby Ruth (1921-1981)
  • Butterfinger (1923-1964)
  • Better Creams
  • Curtiss Butterscotch
  • Buy Golly
  • Buy Jiminy
  • Caramel Nougat
  • Caramel Smackers
  • Cherry Pattie
  • Chocolate Almond Nougat
  • Chocolate Dipper Mallows
  • Chocolate Dipped Nut Butter Pillows
  • Chocolate suckers
  • Coconut Grove
  • Curtiss Nut Roll
  • Dip
  • Easy Aces
  • Foxxy
  • Gypsy
  • Jolly Jack
  • Kandy Kake
  • Koko Nut Roll
  • Man-O-War
  • Milk Nut Loaf
  • Moon Spoon
  • Nickaloaf
  • Penny Log
  • Peppermint Patty
  • Royal Marshmallows
  • Safe-T-Pops
  • Taffee Giraffee
  • Topper
  • Wild Cherry suckers

Bite-sized candies

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  • Butterfinger Chips
  • Caramel Nougats
  • Coconut Niblets
  • Dip-Bits*
  • Milk Caramels
  • Mint Patties
  • Nuggets

Drop and mint flavors

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  • Assorted Fruit
  • Butterscotch
  • Chocolate
  • Grape
  • Lemon
  • Lime
  • Orange
  • Peppermint
  • Root Beer
  • Spearmint
  • Wild Cherry
  • Wintergreen

Gum flavors

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  • Baby Ruth Peppermint
  • Baby Ruth Fruit flavored
  • Bubble Chum
  • Hawaiian Fruit
  • Peppermint
  • Pepsin
  • Spearmint

Miracle-Aid flavors

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(This was a competitor to Kool-Aid)

  • Cherry
  • Grape
  • Lemon Lime
  • Orange
  • Raspberry
  • Strawberry

References

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  1. ^ Smith, Andrew F. (2012). Fast Food and Junk Food: An Encyclopedia of What We Love to Eat. Fast Food and Junk Food: An Encyclopedia of what We Love to Eat. ABC-CLIO. pp. 33–34. ISBN 978-0-313-39393-8. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  2. ^ Batchelor, Bob (2008). American Pop: Popular Culture Decade by Decade. Non-Series. ABC-CLIO. p. 311. ISBN 978-0-313-36411-2. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  3. ^ Hoffman, Dennis. "Winged Passion Iowa Aviation Legends". The Iowan.
  4. ^ Sport Aviation. April 1959.
  5. ^ Chmelik, Samantha (April 4, 2013). Fear, Jeffrey (ed.). "Otto Y. Schnering". Immigrant Entrepreneurship: German-American Business Biographies, 1720 to the Present. 4. German Historical Institute.
  6. ^ Johnson, Steve (2008). Chicago Cubs Yesterday & Today. MVP Books. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-7603-3246-7. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  7. ^ Shea, Stuart (2006). Wrigley Field. Potomac Books. p. 254. ISBN 978-1-61234-411-9. Retrieved October 29, 2017.

Further reading

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