Lemonhead
Lemonhead candy
TypeCandy
Place of originUnited States
Created byFerrara Candy Company
Invented1962; 62 years ago (1962)
VariationsGrapeheads, Cherryheads, Appleheads, Orangeheads

Lemonhead is an American brand of candy that was first introduced in 1962, produced by the Ferrara Candy Company. Lemonheads are a round, lemon-flavored candy consisting of a sweet coating, soft sour shell, and a hard candy core. Other popular flavors are Grapeheads, Cherryheads and Appleheads.[1]

Inspiration for the Lemonhead name came from Salvatore Ferrara seeing his grandson, Salvatore II, the third generation, after delivery. Salvatore II was a forceps baby and he noted that his new grandson's head was lemon-shaped.[2] The candy was born out of the same cold panned process as the company's Red Hots in 1962. In this process, layer after layer of sugar and flavors are added until the candy reaches the desired shape and size.[3] They are most commonly sold in their standard 1 centimeter size, but they are also produced in a single-sale 3 cm version. Lemonhead candies are gluten and fat-free.[4] Ferrara now makes 500 million Lemonheads per year.[5]

Some time between the 1980s and late 1990s, Ferrara Pan brought all of their fruit-flavored candies under a consistent naming convention: Lemonheads, Grapeheads (formerly Alexander the Grape), Cherryheads (formerly Cherry Chan/Cherry Clan) and Appleheads (formerly Johnny Apple Treats).

Other candies under the brand

Commercial success

Lemonhead candies have been commercially successful since their inception. Lemonheads and other sour candy can also be attributed an increase in growth in non-chocolate confectioners’ sales as opposed to chocolate companies’ sales in the 2015 fiscal year. CEO of Ferrara Candy, Todd Siwak, said, “We are seeing a desire in Millennials for cherry gummy candy, especially with sour, sweet, and intense flavors”.[6]

Appearance in popular culture

Advertisements

Being the product of a Chicago company, Ferrara Pan was a prominent sponsor of The Bozo Show on WGN-TV (along with its national superstation feed), with Lemonhead specifically promoted, and a gift package of various Ferrara Pan candies often being given as a close-bucket prize during the "Grand Prize Game".

In the 1980s, Lemonhead candy advertisements were mostly centered around sports. The commercials followed a similar pattern and featured a children's sports team; the player who made a mistake would be labeled the "lemonhead".[4] In the 2010s, Lemonhead candy commercials featured athletes as well as the Lemonhead mascot. The mascot was pictured alongside popular athletes scoring in games or otherwise achieving athletic success.[4] In 2014, the company rebranded the mascot to feature a more mature figure as the face of Lemonhead candies.

The Sugar Estate at Breckenridge

Lemonheads and other Ferrara candies served as the inspiration for Alana Ferrara's recently opened Sugar Estate at Breckenridge. The Estate is a luxury cabin decorated with Ferrara candies, including Lemonheads. Artist Andy Thomas painted 20 Lemonhead candies across the cabin to inspire guests to find them all.[7]

Controversy

2014 rebrand

In 2014 it was reported that Lemonhead candies were undergoing a rebrand that included updated packaging and a new mascot. While the company's marketing department said the mascot would be losing his little boy image, the mascot came under heavy scrutiny for supposedly appearing “creepy” and for lacking appropriate social media savvy.[8] The public largely agreed[citation needed] and the new mascot became the subject of ridicule across popular social media platforms.

Lawsuit

Ferrara Candy Company came under fire in 2017 because of their Lemonheads due to the opaque packaging. A lawsuit was filed claiming that customers had been deceived into believing there was more product in the boxes than there actually were because of the packaging. The Ferrara Candy Company settled for $2.5 million with the plaintiff and agreed to provide cash payment for those who were impacted and to modify quality control procedure.[9]

Health uses

Lemonheads are sometimes recommended by pregnant women and parenting bloggers for the relief of nausea commonly caused by morning sickness during pregnancy.[10] Those undergoing chemotherapy are also sometimes advised to suck on Lemonheads or other sour lemon candies, as these promote salivation.[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Lemonhead Website". Archived from the original on 2012-12-11. Retrieved 2006-09-20.
  2. ^ O’Donnell, Maureen. "Ferrara Candy boss Sal Ferrara, Lemonheads inspiration, dies". Chicagotribune.com. The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  3. ^ “Lemonhead Candy.” Accessed January 29, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c “LemonHead — Snack History.” Accessed January 29, 2020.
  5. ^ "How Lemon Heads are made". www.ferrarapan.com. Archived from the original on 2012-12-14. Retrieved 2005-11-12.
  6. ^ Nieburg, Oliver (20 November 2015). "Ferrara Candy CEO: Millennials create 'paradox' where candy outdoes chocolate". confectionerynews.com. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
  7. ^ Paynter, Sarah (29 December 2019). "Ferrara Candy descendant opens Colorado candy dream house". finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
  8. ^ Lutz, Ashley. "If You Thought The New McDonald's Happy Meal Logo Was Terrifying, Check Out The New Lemonhead". Business Insider. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
  9. ^ Yu, Douglas (2 August 2018). "Ferrara Candy pays $2.5m to settle slack-fill class action lawsuit". confectionerynews.com. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
  10. ^ Darby, Samantha (10 December 2015). "9 Morning Sickness Remedies So You Can Finally Eat Food Again". Romper. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
  11. ^ "Toxic Waste Candy Is So Loaded With Citric Acid, You're Advised To Brush Afterwards So You Don't Hurt Your Teeth". South Florida Reporter. 18 July 2019. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
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