Junior Mints

As far as I’m concerned, there is only one thing to eat at the movies: Junior Mints.  I know popcorn is the snack of choice for most movie-goers but, honestly, does a crunchy food make much sense for a supposedly quiet venue like a movie theatre?  I’ll take the silent, minty squish of a Junior Mint any day.  A completely unscientific survey of my company lunchroom found the favorite movie snacks were 1) popcorn, 2) Junior Mints, and 3) Red Vines.  A few years back, I had a rare opportunity to go to the movies with my brother.  He told me he had brought his favorite candy with him, one he claimed he could not watch the movie without.  It was a box of Junior Mints.  While writing this post, I found several testimonials on the web in praise of Junior Mints.  They clearly are a ubiquitous favorite.  But where did Junior Mints come from and how did they get so popular?

Junior Mints were first introduced in 1949 by the James O. Welch Company, a Cambridge, Mass. candy company that was already famous for the Sugar Daddy and Sugar Babies.  The name is a based on “Junior Miss”, a popular series of stories in The New Yorker by Sally Benson published between 1929 and 1941.  In 1941, “Junior Miss” was adapted into a Broadway play, directed by the legendary Moss Hart.  The play ran for three years.  In 1945, "Junior Miss" was made into movie starring Peggy Ann Garner.  A weekly radio series based on “Junior Miss” aired on and off from the early 40’s until the mid-50’s with various casts. It even made it to television on December 20, 1957.   Apparently, “Junior Miss” was Mr. Welch’s favorite Broadway show so he named his new candy after it.  The name was just different enough from the obvious reference that he didn’t have to pay any royalties.

Junior Mints were immediately a popular movie candy.  They even came in a special ‘concession stand’ size.  The brand was sold in 1963 to Nabisco who sold it to Warner Lambert (a drug company!) in 1988 who sold it to Tootsie Roll in 1993.   Today, Tootsie Roll makes over 15 million Junior Mints per day at the original Cambridge factory.   The Junior Mint family has expanded to include Junior Caramels, Junior Mints Deluxe with dark chocolate, and Junior Mints InsideOuts with the white peppermint candy coating a dark chocolate center.  Limited editions of Junior Mints are regularly released including a Christmas, Easter, and Valentine’s Day edition.  Junior Mints come in many sizes including the tiny snack-size, perfect for Halloween trick-or-treats.

Junior Mints often make appearances in pop culture but their greatest moment was an episode of Seinfeld entitled “The Junior Mint”.  In this episode, Jerry and Kramer are observing an spleenectomy as if they were at the movies.  Kramer offers Jerry a Junior Mint. Jerry refuses but accidently launches one the air which lands in the open chest cavity below.  Later, the two are racked with guilt because the patient is doing poorly.  Kramer still doesn’t understand why Jerry turned down the offered Junior Mint.  “Who's gonna turn down a Junior Mint? It's chocolate, it's peppermint, it's delicious!”  Fortunately, the patient miraculously recovers to the doctor’s amazement.  But Kramer and Jerry know why.

Lately, the movie industry is bemoaning the fact that theater attendance is off.  DVD competition, lackluster movies, and high ticket prices are often cited.  But has anyone noticed that giant Regal Cinema no longer offers Junior Mints at their concession stand?  Hmmmm….

Question of the Day: James Welch's brother Robert  founded what national organization in 1958?