Blondie: The Magic of a Whitman's Sampler box of candy

The Magic of a Whitman’s Sampler box

Did you know that for many years, The Whitman Candy Company in Philadelphia was the nation’s largest user of cellophane. They used it to wrap their iconic candy boxes.

I never knew BobLee’s Father. He passed away when BobLee was a Junior in college; but from all the stories I’ve heard, he was a very caring and thoughtful man… and a veteran of both WWI and WWII. He was a retired Army Colonel…

One of BobLee’s permanent Christmas memories is the “box of Whitman’s Sampler candy” that his Father ALWAYS gave BobLee’s Mother EVERY YEAR.

I don’t know if this article is WHY he kept that tradition or not… but maybe…

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A Short and Sweet History of the Whitman’s Sampler

BY JAKE ROSSEN

NOVEMBER 28, 2017

From 1942 to 1945, the factory workers of the Whitman candy empire in Philadelphia helped ship well over 6 million pounds of free chocolate to soldiers stationed overseas. Tucked inside their Whitman’s Sampler boxes—a rectangular package of assorted chocolate treats—were handwritten notes of support from the women working the factory’s conveyor belts.

To get a stash of candy was one thing, but to know someone back home was wishing you well was another. When the soldiers returned home and caught sight of the familiar cross-stitched packaging, a sale was almost guaranteed.

Patriotism was just one of the ways the Whitman’s Sampler became virtually as iconic a candy presence as the Hershey bar. From its debut in 1912, the Sampler has been the leading candy gift item, taking up residence on tables during the holidays, on Valentine’s Day, and on virtually any occasion that could use a stash of coconut or cherries dripping in chocolate. And thanks to some very deliberate marketing, that’s no accident.