If you've never sampled a Ritter Sport chocolate bar, you'd probably assume that they have some kind of reenergizing component meant to boost your athletic performance. Sorry, sport. The bar might be sweet, crunchy, and delicious, but it's pretty much just a decadent delight.
The "Sport" in the name actually comes from the fact that it was meant to be carried in the pocket of a sports jacket. In fact, since the first Ritter Sport bar debuted in 1932, they have always been square-shaped, for the same reason.
Co-founder Clara Ritter wanted snackers to feel sure that their treat wouldn't stick out of their pocket and possibly get broken. The bar's iconic shape was trademarked in the 1990s, even winning an appeal in court when another German candy company tried to make a square bar of its own. The court ruled that in a rare instance, a candy bar's shape had become so iconic that it reflected a certain quality in the candy buyer's mind. Sweet victory, indeed.
Chew on these candy facts:
- At least 65 percent of all U.S. candy bars have been around for more than 50 years, including the Hershey Bar, which debuted in 1900.
- The record for the largest chocolate bar was a British creation from 2011 that weighed 12,770 pounds (5,792 kg).
- Americans spend approximately $2.75 billion USD every year on 600 million pounds (272 million kg) of Halloween candy.
