Imagine if you were put in charge of writing Laffy Taffy jokes?

How long would it be before you ran out of those Laffy Taffy jokes?

As someone who writes about candy for a living (on this blog you are reading right now), I always wondered how did that person manage to land such a unique job in the writing field?

Did they go to school for English and graduate with a degree in writing one-liners?

Maybe one of their parents was a comedian and it naturally rubbed off on them.

I like to think that they ate a Laffy Taffy once as a kid, read the joke on the back of the wrapper, and thought to themselves, “I can write a better joke than this” which spawned a full hero's journey to this point of his or her career: the Laffy Taffy joke writer.

Whatever the circumstances I had to find out for myself where this taffy treat turned into a cultural icon that makes mouths smile from ear to ear. And with National Taffy Day right around the corner, it only felt fitting to share with you the findings of this confectionery exploration.

Without further ado, here’s the origin story of Laffy Taffy jokes!

Where did taffy come from in the first place?

You thought that we were going to get right into the Laffy Taffy jokes, didn’t you?

Before we do, we need to go back in time to understand what taffy is and where it came from.

Taffy is a mixture of sugar, butter, vegetable oil, and flavorings that is then stretched out until it has a thick and often tacky texture. This process for making taffy is derived from the caramel making process which does the same thing, except with brown sugar.

Taffy’s origins date all the way back to the early 1800s but saltwater taffy, more similar to the stuff we're talking about, wasn't developed until the early 1900s in Atlantic City, NJ. There’s a hot debate on who invented the stretchy and sweet substance but one company that stands out in the mix is James Candy Company which signed the first contract with casinos allowing them to sell taffy in the casino’s shops.

From there, saltwater taffy and with it, other types of taffy exploded in the United States including one of the most popular candies of all time, Laffy Taffy. 

A short history of Laffy Taffy candy

The company credited with the creation of the Laffy Taffy brand is Kathryn Beich’s Candies and they were originally named "Beich's (Insert Name of Flavor) Caramels".

Like I said before, confectionery companies had been making taffy for a while, but it was closer to caramel in taste, texture, and shape. In 1970, Beich’s Candies took a step forward swapping in fruity flavors and flattening out the square to create a candy rectangle.

Here’s a look at what Beich’s Laffy Taffy’s looked like back in the day…

The company eventually changed the name to Beich’s Laffy Taffy and flaunted a new wrapper that highlighted the jokes on the outside. Though it is not known how or where the idea came from, I’m sure you can see why they did it—what’s better than a sweet treat, a joke to go along with it.

Eventually, the Beich’s name would be dropped with the purchase of the entire Laffy Taffy brand and the product recipe from the Nestle Company in 1984.

The Nestle Company helped grow the Laffy Taffy brand into a massive success, including the major focus on the iconic Laffy Taffy jokes that we all know and love.

Jokes weren’t the only thing Laffy Taffy brought to the candy game, they also continued developing new and unique products like the Laffy Taffy Bars, Laffy Taffy Mystery Flavors, and Laff Bites.

The billion-dollar Laffy Taffy joke…

Nestle sold Laffy Taffy and the recipe in 2018 to the Italian Chocolate maker, Ferrero for an estimated $2.8 billion dollars. This acquisition propelled Fererro to the third-largest chocolate confectionery in the world.

Which leads us back to our original question—who writes all the Laffy Taffy jokes?

While I still don’t know who does, I do love them dearly.

So much so that I ate 20 Laffy Taffy and wrote down all the jokes for you to enjoy without the resulting stomach ache—you’re welcome.

Enjoy!

20 Laffy Taffy Jokes That Will Make Your Sweet Tooth Smile

• What has no legs but can do a split? A banana. 
• What do you call a sleeping bull? A bulldozer.
• What did 0 say to 8? Nice belt!
• What do sharks say when something radical happens? Jawesome!
• What kind of music do chiropractors listen to? Hip Hop.
• What do you call a baby with a drum? A baby boomer.
• Why was the tomato blushing? Because he saw the salad dressing!
• What do you call a lazy baby kangaroo? A pouch potato!
• What did the policeman say to his tummy? I got you under a vest!
• Why did the cookie go to the hospital? He was feeling crummy.
• Why shouldn't you write with a broken pencil! Because it's pointless!
• What do owls say when they're introduced? Howl do you do?
• What do you call a happy cowboy? A jolly rancher.
• Why do we not tell secrets in a corn patch? Too many ears.
• Where does a penguin keep his money? A snowbank.
• What room can no one enter? A mushroom.
• When does it rain money? When there’s a change in the weather.
• What kind of bean can’t grow? A jellybean.
• What did the buffalo say to his kid when he went to work? Bison.
• What should you do if your dog is missing? The lost and hound.
• What planet is like a circus? Saturn, it has three rings!

If those Laffy Taffy jokes don’t make you want to stuff your sweet tooth full of taffy treats, there might be something wrong with your tastebuds.

But if it did, go ahead and get yourself all your favorite Laffy Taffy products by tapping right here.