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HERSHEY’S KISSES Chocolates were in production from 1907 to 1942 and then not produced until 1947 due to rationing of aluminum during World War II. During that nearly six-year period, Hershey retooled its HERSHEY’S KISSES production equipment in order to produce chocolate D-Rations for the U.S. Military.

HERSHEY’S KISSES Chocolates have been in continuous production since 1947 and the KISSES Brand has added many flavors to the iconic product line to become one of the leading chocolate product brands in the world.

It is hard to argue with success! Each year many HERSHEY’S KISSES Chocolate lovers “in the field” report that using the paper plume is by far the best – and fastest – way to unwrap a HERSHEY’S KISSES Chocolate.

In 2007, to commemorate the 100th year anniversary of the HERSHEY’S KISSES Chocolates brand, The Hershey Company unveiled a giant HERSHEY’S KISSES Chocolate weighing 30,540 pounds, the equivalent of more than 3 million standard-sized HERSHEY’S KISSES Chocolates.

We’re not exactly sure how many HERSHEY’S KISSES Chocolates are eaten each year, but we make 70 million of them every day! We suspect that a few are saved for tomorrow, but we will keep making 70 million HERSHEY’S KISSES Chocolates daily to be sure there are enough available for everyone!

Yes. When the new packaging equipment added the “Hershey’s” paper plume to the top of the conical foil wrapper, it proved to be so distinctive in the marketplace that the Hershey Chocolate Company filed for trademark protection for the design. The registered trademark Number 0186828 was received in 1924.

No, the original paper plumes were printed with the “Hershey’s” name so customers were able to distinguish Hershey chocolate quality from that of the company’s competitors. Later in the 1920s, “KISSES” was added to the plume. It wasn’t until 1994 that “KISSES” alone was printed on the paper plume, finally replacing the original Hershey’s brand name. The paper plume is a brand ‘flag’ waving over the top of every HERSHEY’S KISSES Chocolate.

That parchment paper strip is called a “plume”. Originally the paper plumes were also referred to as identification tags, possibly because they looked like miniature brand flags.

From 1907 to 1921, HERSHEY’S KISSES Chocolates were foil-wrapped by hand, including the tissue paper identification tag inside the foil wrapper. Thereafter, HERSHEY’S KISSES Chocolates were wrapped using a machine that added the printed paper plume and then the aluminum foil wrapping.

Like many success stories there are multiple versions of how HERSHEY’S KISSES Chocolate got its name, and no one knows for certain which one is the truth! One story is that the machines that extrude the HERSHEY’S KISSES Chocolates make a sound like a kiss. Another possibility is that “kiss” was a common confectionery term at the time to refer to a small piece of candy and that Milton Hershey was smart enough to protect his own product’s popularity by registering a trademark for the name “HERSHEY’S KISSES” in 1921.

HERSHEY’S KISSES Chocolates were first manufactured in 1907 by the Hershey Chocolate Company in Derry, Pennsylvania.