Gobstopper Day – September 14, 2024

History of Gobstopper Day

The term ‘gobstopper’ derives from ‘gob,’ which is slang in the United Kingdom and Ireland for the mouth. The sweet was a favorite among British schoolboys in the first half of the 20th century.

The origins of the gobstopper can be traced back to ancient Egypt, where sweets were created using natural ingredients such as the likes of fruits, nuts, and seasonings. By the 1500s, the manufacturing of sweets had begun on a small scale with all products created by hand, however, in the 1700s, machinery was being introduced in larger-scale confectionery companies to create more interesting and unique sweets, such as the gobstopper.

Gobstoppers are made by slowly depositing layers onto a core (such as a pressed ball of sugar or a gumball); it takes several weeks to manufacture, as the process of adding liquid sugar is repeated a lot of times.

Gobstoppers have been sold in traditional sweet shops for at least a century, often sold by weight from jars. During the years between World War I and II, gobstoppers were popular candies in the United Kingdom and the Americas.

Roald Dahl used the name in his 1964 book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” when he created the Everlasting Gobstopper, which was first manufactured by Breaker Confections, before being purchased by Nestlé.

Everlasting Gobstoppers were sold under Nestlé’s Willy Wonka Candy Company brand. It was first introduced in 1976 by Breaker Confections.