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Hershey's Kisses are a type of chocolate candy manufactured by The Hershey Company. The bite-sized pieces of chocolate have a distinctive shape: people normally describe them as flat-bottomed teardrops. Hershey's Kisses are wrapped in squares of lightweight aluminum foil with a narrow strip of paper protruding from the top.

The Kisses are one of the most popular candies in the world. In 1989, the chocolate drops were the 5th most popular candy in the United States, spawning sales that topped $400 million dollars. More than 80 million Hershey's Kisses are produced each day at the company's two factories. Today's Kisses use Hershey's original milk chocolate formula.

In 2006 Hershey's Kissables were introduced as bite size candy.

They are occasionally characterized as oversized chocolate chips.

Contents 1 History 2 Kiss varieties 3 Wrapper varieties 4 Trivia 5 References 6 External links

Hershey's Kisses were introduced in 1907. A common myth is that the name comes from an appropriation of a common industry term for a dab of chocolate.However, the "kissing" action by the machines used to make the candy is more likely to be the reason.

Another Pennsylvania chocolatier, the Wilbur Chocolate Company, had been making a similar product known as Wilbur Buds since 1893. The shape and size of those candies likely served as an inspiration for Hershey's Kisses.

Hershey's Kisses were originally wrapped by hand. Automated wrapping began in 1921. The same automatic wrapping process allowed for the insertion of the distinctive paper "plume," that the company used to guarantee that consumers were getting the genuine Hershey product, rather than an imitation. This thin paper strip was registered as a company trademark in 1924.

Hershey's Kisses have been produced continuously since 1907, except for the period of time between 1942 and 1949. Rationing of raw materials during World War II made the aluminum foil for the wrappers a scarce commodity.

Though originally made of solely milk chocolate, many variations of the Kiss have since been introduced. Hershey's introduces and discontinues new flavors constantly. As of Dec. 2007, the following flavors are available at various times of the year:

• Milk Chocolate
• Extra Large Milk Chocolate (1.45 oz.)
• Giant Milk Chocolate (7 oz.)
• Chocolate Mint
• Double Fudge
• Dulce de Leche (white chocolate caramel filled)
• Caramel Filled
• Peanut butter Filled
• Dark Chocolate Cherry Cordial Creme Filled
• Cherry Cordial Creme Filled
• Hugs (white chocolate "hugging" a milk chocolate center)
• Milk Chocolate with Almonds
• Rich Dark Chocolate
• Strawberry Crème (white chocolate strawberry flavored-no filling)
• Orange Crème (white chocolate orange flavored-no filling)
• Double chocolate (dark and milk chocolate)
• Milk Chocolate and vanilla (white chocolate)
• Coconut Crème (milk choloclate with coconut creme filling)
• Dark Chocolate with Almonds
• Extra Creamy with Toffee & Almond
• Kissables (mini candy-coated Kisses similar to M&M's)
• Kisses mini cookies (varieties include regular, double chocolate, and confetti sprinkles)
• Chocolate Truffle (chocolate "truffle" filling wrapped in dark chocolate)
• Chocolate Truffle ("truffle" filling wrapped in extra creamy milk chocolate -sold in packs of 5 kisses).
• Candy Cane (peppermint flavored white chocolate with crunchy nonpareils)
• Special Dark Macadamia Nut [Mauna Loa]
• Milk Chocolate Macadamia Nut
• Special Dark Espresso -flavored
• Special Dark Coffee -flavored
• Caramel Creme (white chocolate caramel flavored)
• Crunchy Caramel Creme (white chocolate caramel flavored with crunchy candy bits)
• Dark Chocolate Raspberry -flavored
• Dark Chocolate Strawberry -flavored
• Dark Chocolate Orange -flavored
• Extra Creamy
• Neapolitan (white, pink, chocolate)
• Confetti (white chocolate with small candy sprinkles)
• Chocolate Malt Crunch (malt flavored milk chocolate with crunchy candy bits)
• Vanilla Creme (milk chocolate with a white vanilla flavored creme filling)
• Candy Corn (white chocolate)
• New York Cheesecake (extra creamy milk chocolate with cheesecake flavored creme filling)
• Toffee flavored Crunch (extra creamy toffee flavored milk chocolate with crunchy nonpareils)
• Hot Cocoa Creme (milk chocolate with hot cocoa creme filling)
• Mint Truffle (dark chocolate filled with a green "peppermint pattie" flavored mint creme)
• Chocolate Marshmallow (milk chocolate made to taste like marshmallow throughout the kiss)
• Milk Chocolate filled with Cherry Creme (sold in packs of 5 kisses - not the same filling as cherry cordial)
• Trio (milk and dark chocolates drizzled with white creme)

INTERNATIONAL:

• Hazlenut (May only be found in Asian markets)
• Green Tea (May only be found in Asian markets)
• Creamy Milk Chocolate (found in Europe)
• Creamy Milk Chocolate with Almonds (found in Europe)
• Cookies n' Creme (white chocolate with oreo-like cookie bits - found in Europe)

Hershey's Kisses were originally wrapped in silver foil, and were only available in this color for decades. 1962 marked the first year that Kisses were available in different colored foil wrappers: red, green, and silver-wrapped candies were manufactured to coincide with the Christmas season. In 1968, pastel blue, pink, and green wrappers were introduced for Easter, and in 1986, Valentine's Day-themed wrappers of red and silver were introduced. The standard silver wrappers are available year-round.

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• As a sign of the popularity and company identification of Hershey's Kisses, the streetlights of Hershey, Pennsylvania, are shaped like Kisses, both wrapped in foil and as plain chocolate, dangling from the poles.
• After many PIAA postseason sporting events, Hershey Kisses are tossed onto the playing surface, signifying that the team will be going to the finals, held at various venues in Hershey, Pennsylvania including the Giant Center and Hersheypark Stadium.
• In 2007 The US Postal Service issued a postage stamp commemorating the Hershey's Kiss.
• The Hershey's Kisses Brand turned 100 on 7/7/07.
• The World's Largest Hershey's Kisses Chocolate will weigh over 15,026 lbs.
• The World's Largest Hershey's Kisses Chocolate will have a height of over 12 ft.
• It takes approximately 95 Hershey's Kisses Brand Chocolates to equal one pound of chocolate.
• Hershey's Hugs Chocolates got their name because they look like little KISSES Chocolates being hugged by white chocolate.
• The longest ever consecutive string of HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Chocolates was more than four miles long. It was laid in the spring of 2003 to raise money for the Children's Miracle Network at Penn State Children's Hospital. The event earned a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records.
• Every Hershey Kiss is about 26 calories

Brenner, Joël Glenn (2000). The Emperors of Chocolate: Inside the Secret World of Hershey & Mars. Broadway Books. ISBN 0-7679-0457-5. 

• Official Hershey's Kisses website
• Zoe's Hershey Kiss Collection

v • d • e Confectionery products of The Hershey Company
Chocolate-based:	5th Avenue • Almond Joy • Bar None (discontinued) • Cherry Blossom • Fast Break • Glosette • Heath bar • Hershey bar • Hershey Kiss • Hershey's Kissables • Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme • Hershey's Pops • Hershey's S'mores • Kit Kat* • Krackel • Milk Duds • Mounds • Mr. Goodbar • Oh Henry!† • Rolo* • Reese's Peanut Butter Cup • ReeseSticks • Skor • Snack Barz • Take 5 (Also known as Max 5) • Whatchamacallit • Whoppers • York Peppermint Pattie • Swoops
Non-chocolate:	Bubble Yum • Good & Plenty • Ice Breakers • Jolly Rancher • Koolerz • PayDay • Reese's Pieces • Twizzlers • ZAGNUT • ZERO
* This product is marketed in a number of countries, but is produced by the Hershey Company only within the United States. † This product is marketed in both the United States and Canada, but is produced by the Hershey Company only within Canada. Hershey also manufactures Cadbury-branded products in the U.S. and military chocolate for the U.S. armed forces.