Gobstopper Day

Gobstopper Day - Saturday, September 14, 2024

There are things that stand out as a part of every childhood, whether that is the smell of cookies baking in a winter kitchen, or rich aroma of barbecue surrounded by the joyous voices of friends and family. For many, the gobstopper candy stands out as one of those beacons of childhood, and have been one of the most popular candies throughout the Americas and UK since World War I and II. Gobstopper Day celebrates these candies and the history they share with generations of children.

History of Gobstopper Day

Gobstoppers have been an institution of many people’s childhoods for decades now, and are created through an interesting (to us) process called sugar panning. It takes an impressive amount of time for these delicious candies to be made, as each individually flavored layer has to be deposited on the candy over a series of week through an intensive process. The pans in which these candies are made rotate, taking advantage of a candy making process called hot panning.

While delicious, there is a particularly dangerous bit of history to the gobstoppers. The techniques involved in its creation result in a particular set of properties that can render the gobstopper into something resembling a low-grade explosive. The different layers can heat at different rates, resulting in inner layers of the candy being molten while the exterior layers are still solid, creating a pressure differential that can result in the candy popping open. While current designs have helped to minimize these effects, the show Mythbusters demonstrated that it is still possible for it to occur under the right circumstances.

How to celebrate Gobstopper Day

Gobstopper Day is the perfect opportunity to shove your gob (an English/Irish slang word meaning mouth) full of these delicious candies. We encourage you to avoid chewing, given how hard the candy is. They’re much more satisfying to slowly suck until the layers fade away, enjoying each individual layer for the flavors trapped therein. Larger gobstoppers can last for days weeks, or even months if you nurse them properly, particularly since you can’t put the whole thing in your mouth. Gobstopper Day gives you an excuse to revel in this childhood treat. Like you needed one.

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