How Sweet It Is: Tootsie Rolls Still Going Strong After 130 Years

Korea, 1950, and the Marines are in a tough spot.

Roughly 30,000 U.N. troops, including about 15,000 Marines, soldiers from the Army’s 7th Infantry Division, British commandos and South Korean police, are surrounded by more than 120,000 Chinese soldiers at the Chosin Reservoir as temperatures nosedive to a bone-rattling 30 to 40 degrees below zero.

Running out of ammunition, the embattled Devil Dogs radioed an urgent request for 60mm mortar rounds using the designated code name “Tootsie Rolls.”

However, according to one version of events, instead of receiving the much-needed ammunition, the Marines mistakenly received the famous candy by airdrop.

A different account holds that it was distributed from supplies originally intended for a military post exchange.

Either way, it makes for a hell of a story, don’t you think?

Tootsie Rolls had been a standard part of American field rations since World War II because they held up under all kinds of conditions. And they made a big difference at the Chosin Reservoir.

Frozen solid, the candy could break a tooth, but the Marines found they could thaw it in their mouths for an instant energy boost.

“Tootsie Rolls were our main diet while fighting our way out of the Reservoir. You can bet there were literally thousands of Tootsie Roll wrappers scattered over North Korea,” said 1st Marine Division veteran Edward M. Szymciak, according to the Museum of the American G.I.

In the Beginning…

The Marines also reportedly used the candy to patch bullet holes and repair leaking radiators in their vehicles.

These are just a few of the tales associated with the iconic candy, whose maker, Tootsie Roll Industries (TR), marked its 130th anniversary this year.

Back in 1896, when William McKinley was president, Leo Hirschfeld, an Austrian immigrant, began working at a small candy shop in New York City owned by the Stern & Staalberg.

Hirschfeld wanted a chocolate-tasting candy that would not melt in the heat, and he dubbed it “Tootsie,” after his daughter Clara’s nickname.

The Tootsie Pop, a lollipop with a Tootsie Roll center, debuted in 1931. The company also owns such beloved brands as Junior Mints, Charms Blow Pops, Sugar Daddy and Charleston Chew.

So how did Tootsie Rolls manage to survive for so many years? Jason Liebig, a candy and snack brand historian, has a few ideas.

“First, it is delightfully simple and perfect in its way,” he said. “Chocolatey, chewy, and remarkably stable — it doesn’t melt — so it’s something that travels well. So, the product itself is fundamentally sound. That simplicity also makes it something that can be produced simply and affordably. But that alone can’t be the reason it is still with us.”

Liebig, also known as the “Indiana Jones of Brands,” said the Gordon family, which has led Tootsie Roll Industries for decades, has played a key role in the brand’s longevity.

The Gordons’ history with Tootsie Roll began during the Great Depression, when the struggling corporation was called the Sweets Company of America.

William Rubin, the father of current CEO Ellen Gordon, steadily acquired shares and gained a controlling interest in the company.

Melvin Gordon, Ellen’s husband, was chairman and CEO of Tootsie Roll Industries from 1962 until his death in January 2015 at the age of 95. At the time of his death, he was the oldest CEO of a company traded on a major U.S. stock exchange.

“Tootsie Rolls are not an exciting hit product in today’s market, and another company or executive group might have wanted to replace it with something newer and more exciting — or more profitable — but while Tootsie Rolls and Tootsie Pops are not the ‘next big thing,’ they are about as stable an offering as one can imagine,” Liebig said.

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Ellen Gordon’s connection to the company dates to the 1920s, when her mother first purchased shares. Now 94, she remains at the helm of the family-led business.

“I think we can look at the Gordon family as key in the long-term commitment to the Tootsie Roll product,” Liebig said. “And generation after generation they’ve always been there and they are a tradition that consumers have passed down. Beyond that, Tootsie Roll has pretty fantastic marketing.”

Liebig also noted the Mr. Owl character, which debuted in 1969 to promote Tootsie Pops and is widely considered one of the most recognizable and longest-running animated advertising icons in television history.

“In that campaign, they created a timeless marketing-mascot bit,” he said. “There’s magic in that marketing.”

A Trick or Treat Tradition

Mr. Owl was rebooted last year, so now a new generation can ponder the question, “How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?”

And this year, he got a chameleon sidekick in ads promoting Tootsie Roll’s range of flavors.

Tootsie Roll Industries reported third-quarter earnings of 31 cents per share on Oct. 21, down 35% from a year earlier, while net sales slipped 1% to $227.2 million.

In a statement, Gordon cited such factors as the timing of seasonal Halloween sales, higher costs for cocoa, chocolate and packaging materials, as well as increased energy costs.

Tootsie Rolls are popular among Baby Boomers and Gen X as a nostalgic staple, but their appeal fades among younger consumers.

“I think it’s fair to say that, given that Tootsie Roll is a classic and traditional treat, in some ways it gets left behind as consumers seek out new experiences,” Liebig said. “Gen Z and Millennials are seeking even more complex and exciting experiences from candy.”

He cited the success of Nerds Gummy Clusters, which brought the concept of multi-textural candy — combining different physical textures in a single piece of sweetness — to the fore and upended the gummy candy category.

Liebig noted that while younger people are interested in low-sugar or zero-sugar products, “it just means that if a Gen Z is going to eat sugar, it has to deliver a truly unique experience.”

Tootsie Roll Industries recently introduced Tootsie Hoots, a small ball of Tootsie Roll surrounded by a candy shell, in a bid to bring a more varied texture to the classic candy. Liebig said the product fits a broader trend among younger consumers seeking new candy experiences.

“I think Tootsie products are perennial favorites and even in the face of data that might show younger consumers turning away from them, I think most adults will fill out any Trick or Treat bowl with at least a few Tootsie products,” he added. “It’s a good thing.”