What Was The First Haribo Candy?

Haribo has been keeping sweet tooths happy around the world for over 100 years, having first set up shop all the way back in 1920. The candy company, which is based in Germany, has opened 16 international facilities over the years, where it creates around 1,000 different types of treats for 120 countries. However, Haribo continues to be known for its classic Goldbears, which are actually modeled after the company's first candy: the Dancing Bear.

Haribo was founded by the German confectioner Hans Riegel, who started out making candy alone in his kitchen. Riegel originally worked with hard candies, but in 1922, he invented a chewy, gelatin-based candy that was flavored with fruit and shaped like a bear. Inspired by the trained bears that were used by entertainers in shows in the 20th century, Riegel called the candy the Dancing Bear. The first-ever gummy bear was born, and Haribo continues to sell the best gummy bears around.

Dancing Bears were sold in pairs for just one penny, and Riegel's wife, Gerturd, would cycle around to deliver them to sellers. They quickly became a hit, and in 1925, Haribo started making a licorice version called the Black Bear. In 1930, a smaller version of the Dancing Bear was released: the Teddy Bear.

Haribo had to scale back production during World War II, and in 1945, Riegel passed away. His sons, Hans and Paul, took over in 1946, and 14 years later, they rebranded the Dancing Bear as the Goldbear. The shape was compacted in 1978, and new, softer colors were introduced in 1989. 

Today, there are six Goldbear flavors in the U.S.: pineapple, lemon, orange, strawberry, apple, and raspberry. There are so many other popular Haribo gummy candies, but Goldbears continue to be one of the global bestsellers. In fact, if you lined up the annual production of the bears, the line would wrap around the Earth 10 times. We still think they're one of the best Haribo products out there, but to be honest, anything tastes better than this Swedish Haribo candy.