The name Haribo is an acronym of Hans Riegel Sr., the founder of the German confectionery company Haribo, and his hometown, Bonn, Germany: HAns RIegel, BOnn. In 1920, Riegel started his company with humble beginnings, using a sack of sugar, a copper pot, and a rolling pin in his home kitchen. In 1922, Riegel created his first gummy candy, which he called the "Tanzbär" (Dancing Bear). This initial gummy bear was larger and slimmer than the modern version and was inspired by the dancing bears that were a common sight at street festivals in Germany at the time. The Tanzbär quickly gained popularity. Haribo expanded its operations, and by the 1930s, the company was a well-established medium-sized enterprise. After World War II, Riegel's sons, Hans Jr. and Paul, took over the company and continued to innovate. In the 1960s, Haribo rebranded its "Dancing Bears" as "Goldbears" (Goldbären). These Goldbears were smaller, had a more refined shape, and featured an updated recipe. They rapidly became Haribo's flagship product and are still the most iconic gummy bears today. While gummy candies were popular in Germany throughout the mid-20th century, their global popularity truly soared in the 1980s. Haribo expanded to the United States in 1982, and other companies like Jelly Belly (in 1981) and Albanese (in 1983) also began producing their own versions of gummy bears. Since then, gummy bears have become a global phenomenon, available in countless flavors, shapes, and brands worldwide.
