Whether you use them to decorate your Xmas tree or decompose your teeth, candy canes are KEY to your holiday. There’s more to them than just peppermint goodness, though:
These things are old as hell.
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The first candy cane was made over 350 years ago.
The original candy cane was straight.
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Borrrinngg. When bored, add Jesus.
There’s a folktale behind the shape.
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In Germany in 1670, a choirmaster, looking to quiet noisy children in his church during a service for Christmas Eve, asked a local candy-maker for some sweet sticks so that he could justify giving candy to children during worship. He had the candy maker add a curve to the top of each stick, which would help children remember the shepherds who paid visit to infant Jesus.
The world’s largest candy cane measures at 51 feet.
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Size doesn’t matter but it does. Don’t believe us? Check it out.
They initially required a fair bit of labor.
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In the early ’20s, canes were bent manually as they came off the assembly line in order to create their J shape.
They come in a variety of colors and flavors.
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Spell ICUP then say pretty colahzzzzz (’90s jokes, ha).
They weren’t born with stripes. They earned them.
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Xmas cards before the year 1900 displayed only all-white candy canes, but xmas cards after 1900 showed illustrations of striped candy canes.
Over 1.76 billion candy canes are made each year.
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That’s alottaaa dang cane. Straight facts.