Happy National Gummi Worm Day!

National Gummi Worm Day – July 15, 2022

We can trace National Gummi Worm Day to the marketing minds at Trolli, the German confectionery candy that created them in 1981— on July 15, according to some sources. They were a cheeky response to the reigning gummi candi, the popular gummi bear, which originated in1920 in Bonn when Hans Riegel began making candy in his kitchen.

Riegel’s company, HARIBO, produced soft, fruity gelatin dancing bears that evoked entertainment at European circuses and festivals. The bears became worldwide favorites.

Trolli wanted to give kids something that had a gross-out factor they could play up with their parents, so they created gummi worms. Gummi historians don’t agree on this, but some claim that Trolli introduced the gummi worms on the anniversary of the birth of the bears in Bonn — July 15.

After the bears became popular, there were gelatin candies in other shapes, but nothing could beat the bears until the worms emerged. So Trolli celebrated their success by giving the worms their own special day.

In 2004, Trolli decided to break the mold with another non-bear form — roadkill. They produced gummi squirrels, chickens, and snakes with tire tracks giving evidence of their demise. By then, Kraft Foods had bought the Trolli U.S. brand, and they had to take the product off the market the next year in response to consumer protest.

Today, gummi worms are sweet and sour. They can be dual-color and dual-flavor. They’ve been served in ice cream, used to make vodka shots, and poked half-way down into the frosting of chocolate cake to make dessert even more fun. And they’re a key part of the global gummi and jellied candy market that is predicted to reach $40 billion between 2020 and 2024.