Whitman's is one of the largest and oldest brands of boxed chocolates in the United States. Whitman's confections have been produced since 1842, originally by Stephen Whitman in Philadelphia and currently by Kansas City, Missouri-based Russell Stover Candies. The Whitman's Sampler, an assortment of boxed chocolates, is still popular after more than a century.
History
Whitman's confections have been produced for over 175 years. Originally a "confectionery and fruiterer shoppe" set up in 1842 by 19-year-old, Stephen F. Whitman on the Philadelphia waterfront, Whitman's first became popular with travelling sailors and their wives. They would often bring imported fruits, nuts, and cocoa which were obtained during their voyages to Mr. Whitman so that he could make the popular European confections people craved in that era. Before long, Whitman's chocolates were popular throughout the northeastern United States. Whitman's produced the first pre-packaged candy in 1854—a box of sugar plums adorned with curlicues and rosebuds. Whitman began advertising in newspapers shortly before the beginning of the Civil War and the business grew so large that in 1866 the company occupied an entire building at 12th and Market Streets in Philadelphia. In 1877, he introduced Instantaneous Chocolates in tin boxes that became much-admired. Whitman's would later be known as Stephen F. Whitman & Son, Inc. Whitman's introduced the perennially popular, and still best-selling, Whitman's Sampler in 1912, marking the first use of cellophane by the candy industry. In 1946, the company helped General Electric develop a refrigerated display case to guard the product against warmer temperatures and extend the selling season through the summer months. In the early 1960s, Whitman's was purchased by Pet, Inc., a manufacturer of evaporated milk as part of the company's attempt to become a food products conglomerate. Pet was taken over in 1978 by IC Industries,which eventually decided to focus on food and in 1988 took the name Whitman Corporation after the spinoff of some non-food operations because Whitman's was its best-known brand name. However, in 1991 Pet was again spun off as the parent company decided to narrow its focus further. In 1993, Pet sold the Whitman's brand to Russell Stover Candies, the major supplier of boxed candy in the United States. In July 2014, Russell Stover was acquired by the international company Lindt & Sprüngli. The National Museum of American History, of the Smithsonian Institution, in Washington D.C., has acquired the Whitman's Chocolates Collection of print advertisements.
Whitman's Sampler
The well-known Whitman's Sampler was devised in 1912 and became popular over time. During World War II, servicemen and women who got a Whitman's Sampler from family and friends spread the word about it once they returned home. Over the decades, it reached a level in American pop culture in that it was mentioned in many TV shows, movies, and the like. One notable example is in the first episode of Season 5 of The Sopranos, "Two Tonys" that aired on March 7, 2004, in which Tony Soprano says to mob bossJohnny Sack, "What do you want, an apology? A fuckin' Whitman's Sampler?" In 1915, a messenger boy was added to the box, and it became a symbol of quality. The stitching design of a bird on a branch, and basket of flowers were used. The Sampler's contents vary from box to box, but generally contain milk and dark chocolate-covered caramel, coconut, molasses chew, chocolate-covered peanuts and/or almonds, cashew and/or pecan-walnut clusters, cherry cordial, maple fudge, chocolate-covered toffee, and nougaty chocolate whip candies. Seasonal flavors like strawberry cream, pumpkin marshmallow, and mint chocolate patties are occasionally included. The candies' flavors can be determined by their shapes: a square shape denotes caramels; a rectangle means nougat filling; oval chocolates typically contain fudge; the soft-centered flavors, including cherry cordials, are round; and nut clusters are easily identified by their rough surfaces.
In popular culture
In the early 20th century, Pickaninny Peppermints were a popular Whitman confection. However, the NAACP lawyer and future Supreme Court JusticeThurgood Marshall took issue with the name. In a 1941 article directed at Whitman's published in the Afro-American, Marshall urged Whitman's Candies to realize its racial insensitivity. Whitman's denied that the term "pickaninny" was racist and responded to Marshall by saying that it meant "cute colored kid". The product was soon dropped.
The candy was featured in Issue 32 of The Vault of Horror in the story, Ample Sample.
The company has maintained a longstanding tradition of supporting American servicemen and servicewomen during wartime. During World War I, millions of tins were shipped to American soldiers throughout the world. During World War II, women at the Whitman's production line secretly slipped handwritten notes of encouragement into candy boxes to help soothe soldiers' homesickness.
The G4 spinoff of The Soup called Web Soup spoofs the Whitman's Sampler package with a segment called Mixed Nuts Sampler.
Wacky Packages parodied the Whitman's Sampler brand as "What Man's Simple Candy".
Whitman's Sampler was mentioned by Mama Harper in the sitcom Mama's Family in the episode "Birthright", which first aired on January 31, 1987.
A Whitman's Sampler box appears anachronistically in the film Kid Blue, which is set in 1900.
In the first episode of season 5 of The Sopranos, title character Tony Soprano offers a Whitman's Sampler by way of sarcastic apology to associate Johnny Sack: "What do you want an apology? A fucking Whitman's Sampler?"
