Dots, or Mason Dots (trademarked DOTS), is a brand of

gum drops Gumdrops are a type of gummy candy. They are brightly colored pectin-based pieces, shaped like a narrow dome (sometimes with a flattened top), often coated in granulated sugar and having fruit and spice flavors; the latter are also known as s ...

marketed by

Tootsie Roll Industries Tootsie Roll Industries is an American manufacturer of confectionery based in Chicago, Illinois. Its best-known products include the namesake Tootsie Rolls and Tootsie Pops. Tootsie Roll Industries currently markets its brands internationally in ...

. According to advertisements, more than four billion dots are produced from the Tootsie Roll Industries Chicago plant each year. Dots are

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. Di ...

, gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, and

kosher (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), fro ...

. They come in various flavors and varieties.

History

Dots

were introduced in 1945 by Mason and trademarked that year. In 1972, Tootsie Roll Industries acquired the Dots brand by purchasing the Mason Division of

Candy Corporation of America Candy, also called sweets (British English) or lollies (Australian English, New Zealand English), is a Confectionery, confection that features sugar as a principal ingredient. The category, called ''sugar confectionery'', encompasses any sweet ...

. Prior to that acquisition they were manufactured by Mason, AU and Magenheimer Confectionery Manufacturing Company of

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

and later Mineola,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. According to advertisements, more than four billion dots are produced from the Tootsie Roll Industries Chicago plant each year.

claims that "since its 1945 launch," the candy has become "America's...#1 selling gumdrop brand."

Crows The Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS) is a series of remote weapon stations used by the US military on its armored vehicles and ships. It allows weapon operators to engage targets without leaving the protection of their vehicle. T ...

are the oldest candy in the Dots family, first created in the late 19th century. Original dots date back to 1945, Tropical Dots to 2003, and Yogurt Dots to 2007. Sour Dots were introduced in 2009–2010.

Flavors and varieties

Flavors

Current flavors for "Original Dots" include

cherry A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The nam ...

(red),

lemon The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culin ...

(yellow),

lime Lime commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Botany ...

(green),

orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

(orange), and

strawberry The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid species of the genus '' Fragaria'', collectively known as the strawberries, which are cultivated worldwide for their fruit. The fruit is widely ap ...

(pink). Sour Dots have five flavors, and are created with citric acid: cherry, lemon, orange,

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago, ...

, and green apple. Flavors for Tropical Dots include Island Nectar, Wild Mango, Grapefruit Cooler, Carambola Melon, and Paradise Punch; and for Yogurt Dots,

Banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...

, Orange,

Blackberry The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by many species in the genus ''Rubus'' in the family Rosaceae, hybrids among these species within the subgenus ''Rubus'', and hybrids between the subgenera ''Rubus'' and ''Idaeobatus''. The taxonomy of ...

, and Lemon-Lime.

black licorice Liquorice (British English) or licorice (American English) ( ) is a confectionery, confection usually flavoured and coloured black with the extract of the roots of the liquorice plant ''Glycyrrhiza glabra''. A wide variety of liquorice sweets ar ...

flavored gum drops, are also considered to be part of the Dots family, created in the 1890s by confectioners Ernest Von Au and Joseph Maison. There is an

urban legend An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...

that Crows were supposed to be called "Black Rose", but the printer misheard the name as "Black Crows" and printed wrappers with the wrong name on them. However, research—including the fact that the name was copyrighted before the candies ever came with wrappers—reveals that this story is not true.

Varieties

In addition to current varieties of Original Dots (also known as Mason Dots), Tropical Dots, Yogurt Dots, Sour Dots, and Crows, past varieties (including special short-term promotional offerings) have included:

Halloween specialties

Three special Halloween varieties of Dots have been marketed: * Ghost Dots are translucent light green, with the same flavors of Original Dots, but without the different colors to indicate which flavor any particular gum drop might have. * Bat Dots are black-colored Dots that are blood orange flavored. * Candy Corn Dots are candy corn flavored and resemble candy corn.

Other holiday specialties

Other holiday specialties have included: * Christmas Dots, which have a Vanilla (white) top with either a Cherry (red) or Lime (green) base * Valentine Dots, which have a Vanilla (white) base with either a Cherry (red) or Passion Fruit (pink) top * Easter Dots in Blueberry (blue), Lemon (yellow), Lime (green), Cherry (red), and Orange (orange) (introduced in 2010)

Other varieties and flavors

Other varieties and flavors have included: * Wild Berry Dots were introduced in 2000. Wild Berry Dots are sweet, chewy gumdrops coated with a tart, crunchy coating. Wild Berry Dots were discontinued in 2007. * Dots Elements in pomegranate (earth, purple), cinnamon (fire, red), green tea (water, green), and wintergreen (air, teal) (introduced in 2008; no longer being produced) * Hot Dots (a.k.a. Cinnamon Dots) were released in 2004, but were discontinued in 2006. * Patriotic Dots, which have a vanilla (white) top with either a strawberry (red) or blueberry (blue) base * During the 1980s, there was a variety of Dots called Spice Dots. * Special individual flavor packages such as Pink Grapefruit, Peach, and Watermelon. Marketed as "sour slices", they maintain the gumdrop shape of all other Dots. * In 2022, Watermelon Dots were introduced, featuring a red top and green base to mimic the look of a watermelon.

Ingredients

Dots contain:

Corn syrup Corn syrup is a food syrup which is made from the starch of corn (called maize in many countries) and contains varying amounts of sugars: glucose, maltose and higher oligosaccharides, depending on the grade. Corn syrup is used in foods to softe ...

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

food starch Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diet ...

-modified,

malic acid Malic acid is an organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a dicarboxylic acid that is made by all living organisms, contributes to the sour taste of fruits, and is used as a food additive. Malic acid has two stereoisomeric forms ...

, natural and artificial flavors,

sodium citrate Sodium citrate may refer to any of the sodium salts of citric acid (though most commonly the third): * Monosodium citrate * Disodium citrate * Trisodium citrate The three forms of salt are collectively known by the E number E331. Applications F ...

, and artificial colors. According to

PETA Peta or PETA may refer to: Acronym * Pembela Tanah Air, a militia established by the occupying Japanese in Indonesia in 1943 * People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an American animal rights organization * People Eating Tasty Animals, an ...

, Dots are

, and according to the Tootsie Roll Industries website, they are gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, and

(officially certified kosher by the

Orthodox Union The Orthodox Union (abbreviated OU) is one of the largest Orthodox Jewish organizations in the United States. Founded in 1898, the OU supports a network of synagogues, youth programs, Jewish and Religious Zionist advocacy programs, programs for ...

as of December 1, 2009).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dots (Candy) Brand name confectionery Tootsie Roll Industries brands Products introduced in 1945 Candy Kosher food