Would you believe that Cotton Candy was invented by a dentist? Yep, that’s right. The very same profession that would frown upon you for indulging in a little luxury that is Cotton Candy also produced the inventor of the delicious little tooth decaying treat.
Cotton Candy is one of the most popular fair treats that you can buy. Consisting solely of sugar, the deliciousness, and also messiness of the treat can hardly be surpassed. Delightfully simple in its design, it wasn’t until the late nineteenth century that Cotton Candy finally became an industrialized, mass produced treat.
Cotton Candy has had a difficult introduction to society. It was first introduced into Europe during the nineteenth century, but because sugar in general was expensive, and spun sugar was even more expensive, the treat never really caught on. In 1897, confectioner John C. Wharton and William Morrison, who was a dentist, invented Cotton Candy as we know it today. They were the first two people to industrialized the manufacturing of Cotton Candy. They finally released their invention, and realized its potential seven years later at the 1904 World’s Fair, where they sold 68,655 boxes at 25 cents each. The full admission fee to the fair was 50 cents.
When the two men first made their delicious treat they called it Fairy Floss, a name that is still in use in Australia. It didn’t take on its more familiar name of Cotton Candy until 1921 when yet another dentist, Joseph Lascaux invented a similar machine and called his product Cotton Candy. It’s as if the two men were devising ways to get more business for the dentist fraternity.
For the next 50 years the only way to purchase this candy treat was from a vendor who manufactured it on site. In 1970 this all changed when a machine was made that automated the entire process, spinning and packaging the product in one go.
BONUS FACT
Cotton Candy is so popular in the US that there is a national Cotton Candy day on December 7 every year.
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