German company Haribo came up with the brilliant idea of a one-centimeter long gummi candy in the shape of a bear in 1922, and still leads gummi bear production today. Today the gummy bear often gets overshadowed by other snacks such as Peachie-O’s and Sour Brite Crawlers. While these other snacks are ticklish, Gummi bears have the perfect texture, shape and flavor and are simple but very effective. Gummi bears don’t need flashy gimmicks or wild new flavors to sell. The success of Gummi bears is what inspired all the other gummis: we’ve seen worms, apples, peaches, oranges and even hamburgers and cola bottles.
In The Simpsons, The Candy Industry Trade show even boasted the Gummi Venus de Milo, “the rarest Gummi of them all, carved by Gummi artisans who work exclusively in the medium of Gummi.”
Still not sold? Just ask Memphis point guard Derrick Rose, who eats gummi bears almost every day for breakfast. According to teammate Chris Douglas-Roberts, “nobody eats gummy bears more than (Rose)” and that he couldn’t stop eating them if he tried. Rose is a lock for a high lottery pick in the NBA Draft, some even project him to be the No. 1. Coincidence? I think not. Just remember to eat in moderation, as the after-effects of a gummi binge recently sidelined Rose and even threatened his status for the National Championship game, although he did recover in time and went for a solid 18 points, 6 boards and an impressive 8 assists. Gummi bears, you are tickle city!