Hershey's Kisses

Hershey's Kisses is a chocolate-candy brand produced by The Hershey Company. Its signature product is a small, individually wrapped chocolate with a rounded, cone-like or flat-bottomed teardrop shape. Each piece is traditionally enclosed in a square of lightweight aluminum foil with a narrow food-safe paper strip, known as a plume, extending from the top. The plume carries the Hershey's identification and helps distinguish the product from similarly shaped candies. The first Hershey's Kisses were manufactured in 1907. The product was initially wrapped by hand, but automated wrapping machinery was introduced in 1921. The machinery also enabled the addition of the paper plume, replacing an earlier small printed tissue element inside the foil. The plume became a central part of the product's visual identity. In 1924, Hershey obtained a registered design trademark covering the foil-wrapped conical configuration with the projecting plume, and in 1976 the company registered a trademark for the foil wrapper itself. Kisses production was interrupted during the Second World War when aluminum foil was rationed. Hershey redirected the relevant equipment toward production of military chocolate D ration bars. After the war, Kisses returned as a core consumer product and grew into one of the best-known chocolate brands in the United States. By 1989, the candy was reported as the fifth-most-popular chocolate brand in the country, with sales exceeding $400 million. Reference material has also described production at more than 70 million pieces per day across two company factories, although the applicable date and current production level are not specified here. Milk chocolate remains the central formulation and the defining mainstream offering. Over time, Hershey expanded the range with Special Dark, caramel, almond, white-chocolate Hugs, hazelnut, birthday cake, Cookies 'n' Creme, and numerous seasonal or limited-edition flavors. Seasonal innovation has included mint, cherry cordial, hot cocoa, candy cane, sugar cookie, pumpkin spice, strawberry creme, and other varieties. Some experiments were short-lived. Kissables, a candy-coated mini version introduced in 2005, was discontinued in 2009 after a recipe change involving vegetable oils generated consumer dissatisfaction. Candy Corn Kisses, launched for Halloween in 2007, was discontinued after weak sales. Packaging and seasonal merchandising are important parts of the brand. Silver foil is the traditional year-round appearance, while gold commonly identifies almond varieties and other colors and patterns support Christmas, Easter, Valentine's Day, Halloween, patriotic occasions, breast-cancer-awareness promotions, and other retail moments. A long-running holiday advertising tradition has further reinforced the brand's cultural recognition. The 'Christmas Bells' commercial, first shown in 1989, depicts Kisses as a bell choir performing 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas.' A revised 'Bells to Blossoms' version appeared in 2020 alongside the classic execution after viewers objected to the change. Today, Hershey's Kisses functions as both an everyday chocolate snack and a seasonal gifting, baking, decorating, and sharing ingredient. The brand's distinctive shape, plume, foil colors, and strong association with holiday advertising give it an identity that extends beyond the underlying chocolate recipe.

Hershey's Kisses emerged in 1907 as a small chocolate product made by the Hershey Company. The original pieces were wrapped manually in foil. Their compact size and distinctive shape made them suitable for individual consumption, sharing, and later seasonal presentation, but the product's most recognizable visual feature developed over the following decades. In 1921, Hershey introduced machinery that automated the wrapping process. The equipment also placed a narrow paper strip at the top of each foil wrapper. This strip, now called the plume, functioned as an identification flag for the Hershey's name and helped distinguish Kisses from competing chocolates with similar shapes. Milton S. Hershey received a registered design trademark in 1924 for the combination of a foil-wrapped conical configuration and projecting plume. Hershey later registered the foil wrapper itself as a trademark in 1976. The Second World War temporarily changed the product's manufacturing history. Aluminum foil was subject to rationing in 1942, so Kisses production stopped for a period. The machinery was repurposed to produce military chocolate D ration bars. The company ultimately made more than three billion such bars during the war, according to the reference material. Once the supply environment changed, Kisses could return to ordinary consumer production. For many years, the standard product used silver foil. In 1962, seasonal colored wrappers were introduced for Christmas, with red, green, and silver pieces appearing in a mail-order food-gifts catalog. This initiative helped turn packaging into a major part of the brand strategy. Pastel wrappers followed for Easter in 1968, Valentine's Day packaging appeared in 1986, and fall colors were introduced in 1991. Later packaging programs included patriotic designs, Halloween colors, breast-cancer-awareness motifs, military camouflage, Christmas graphics, and wrappers intended for other retail and gifting occasions. The product range expanded from the original milk chocolate format into a rotating portfolio of filled, flavored, dark, white, nut-containing, and seasonal variants. Hershey has frequently introduced and retired flavors as part of routine portfolio management. Notable examples include Special Dark, Hugs, Caramel, Almond, Hazelnut, Cookies 'n' Creme, Birthday Cake, Pumpkin Spice, Candy Cane, Cherry Cordial, Mint Truffle, Hot Cocoa, and various creme-filled editions. Kissables, a candy-coated format introduced in 2005, was discontinued in 2009 after a reformulation using vegetable oils was poorly received. Candy Corn Kisses, introduced in 2007, ended after reported weak sales. Advertising strengthened the brand's connection with American holidays. The Christmas Bells commercial premiered in 1989 and portrayed Kisses as a choir of handbells singing 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas.' It became one of Hershey's longest-running television advertisements. In 2020, Hershey created a new 'Bells to Blossoms' execution in which one candy leaves the bell choir and is used to make cookies. Because viewers criticized the departure from a familiar tradition, the company retained and aired the classic version as well. Hershey's Kisses remains an active product brand. It is sold as an everyday chocolate, a holiday confection, a baking component, and a giftable or shareable item. The product's enduring identity rests on the combination of shape, plume, foil, modular flavor extensions, and seasonal merchandising rather than on a single permanent flavor line alone.

• 2026

  Valentine's Day campaign localized for India

  [5]Hershey's puts a sweet spin on Valentine's Day with new ad campaignbrandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com

  Hershey promoted Kisses in India as a convenient and socially comfortable expression of affection through digital, outdoor, and community activations.

• 2020

  Bells to Blossoms campaign introduced

  [1]Hershey's Kissesen.wikipedia.org

  A revised Christmas advertisement was launched alongside the classic commercial after criticism of the change.

• 2020

  A revised Christmas Bells version is released

  [4]Christmas Bells (advertisement)en.wikipedia.org

  A new version added a child and her father baking cookies. Following negative audience reaction, Hershey stated that both versions would continue to air.

• 2015

  SmartLabel adopted

  [1]Hershey's Kissesen.wikipedia.org

  Hershey became an early brand participant in the mobile-scannable SmartLabel product-information standard.

• 2009

  Kissables discontinued

  [1]Hershey's Kissesen.wikipedia.org

  The candy-coated line was discontinued following consumer dissatisfaction associated with a recipe change.

• 2005

  Kissables introduced

  [1]Hershey's Kissesen.wikipedia.org

  Hershey launched a candy-coated mini Kisses product.

• 1989

  Christmas Bells campaign begins

  [1]Hershey's Kissesen.wikipedia.org

  Hershey launched the animated Christmas Bells commercial, depicting Kisses as a handbell choir performing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”

• 1976

  Foil wrapper trademark registered

  [1]Hershey's Kissesen.wikipedia.org

  Hershey registered a trademark for the Kisses foil wrapper.

• 1962

  Christmas wrapper colors introduced

  [1]Hershey's Kissesen.wikipedia.org

  Colored red, green, and silver foils expanded the brand's seasonal merchandising.

• 1942

  Production interrupted by wartime foil rationing

  [1]Hershey's Kissesen.wikipedia.org

  Kisses production was paused and the wrapping machinery was redirected to military chocolate-bar production.

• 1924

  Conical wrapper design registered

  [1]Hershey's Kissesen.wikipedia.org

  Milton S. Hershey received a registered design trademark for the foil-wrapped conical shape with plume.

• 1921

  Automated wrapping introduced

  [1]Hershey's Kissesen.wikipedia.org

  Hand wrapping was replaced by machinery that also added the paper plume to each wrapper.

• 1907

  First production

  [1]Hershey's Kissesen.wikipedia.org

  The Hershey Company began producing the chocolate candies that became Hershey's Kisses.

• 1907

  Kisses introduced

  [2]Hershey's Kisses product pagehersheyland.com

  The Hershey Company introduced the Kisses chocolate product during Milton S. Hershey's period of expanding mass-market chocolate production.

A mass-market American chocolate icon positioned around recognizable shape, individually wrapped sharing portions, seasonal color and flavor variety, gifting, baking, and nostalgic holiday associations. Affordable everyday indulgence with strong associations with sharing, gifting, baking, holidays, and playful expressions of affection.

• Milk chocolate candy · 1907

  Hershey's Kisses Milk Chocolate

  The core Kisses offering consists of individually wrapped pieces made with Hershey's milk chocolate. It is the line most closely associated with the original product identity and is commonly sold in standard silver foil as well as seasonal wrapper designs. The format supports direct snacking, sharing, baking, decorating, and holiday gifting. The core Kisses product consists of small milk chocolate pieces in the brand's characteristic tapered form, individually wrapped with a paper plume. It is sold in bags, gift formats, and seasonal packaging and is commonly consumed directly, shared, placed in candy dishes, or used in baking and decorating.

• Dark chocolate candy

  Hershey's Kisses Special Dark

  Special Dark extends the Kisses range with a darker chocolate profile than the standard milk chocolate product. It is commonly associated with deep purple packaging and provides a more cocoa-forward alternative within the same small, foil-wrapped format. Special Dark is a darker chocolate expression of the Kisses format. It extends the brand beyond its traditional milk chocolate profile while retaining the recognizable shape, individual wrapping, and portion-oriented use cases associated with the main line. Availability can vary by market and retail period.

• White and milk chocolate candy

  Hershey's Kisses Hugs

  Hugs are a white-chocolate-centered variation in the Kisses family, commonly presented with contrasting milk-chocolate stripes. The product preserves the individual wrapping, plume, and bite-sized format while offering a sweeter and visually differentiated alternative to the standard piece. Hugs are a related Hershey product using contrasting chocolate and white confectionery components in the familiar small, wrapped format. The combination provides visual and flavor variation and is frequently sold alongside Kisses in everyday and seasonal assortments.

• Nut-containing chocolate candy

  Hershey's Kisses with Almonds

  The almond variety combines Hershey's chocolate with almond pieces or almond flavor in the familiar Kisses shape. Gold foil is strongly associated with this variety and helps shoppers distinguish it from the standard silver-wrapped milk chocolate version.

• Filled chocolate candy

  Hershey's Kisses Caramel

  Caramel Kisses add a soft caramel center to the established chocolate shell and individually wrapped format. The product illustrates Hershey's use of fillings to create extensions that retain the Kisses visual identity while changing the eating experience.

• Flavored chocolate candy

  Hershey's Kisses Cookies 'n' Creme

  Cookies 'n' Creme Kisses use a cookies-and-cream flavor profile within the small wrapped-candy format. The variety is part of the brand's broader strategy of adding recognizable dessert flavors to a standardized chocolate piece.

• Seasonal and limited-edition candy

  Hershey's Kisses seasonal varieties

  Seasonal Kisses have included pumpkin spice, candy cane, cherry cordial, hot cocoa, mint truffle, sugar cookie, lava cake, strawberry creme, and other holiday or event-specific flavors. Hershey regularly introduces and retires such products, using themed colors, foils, and flavors to support calendar-based merchandising.

• Candy-coated chocolate candy · 2005

  Hershey's Kissables

  Kissables were miniature candy-coated milk-chocolate pieces launched in 2005 in multiple colors and seasonal palettes. They were positioned as a smaller, shell-coated interpretation of the Kisses concept, but the product was discontinued in 2009 after a reformulation involving vegetable oils generated negative consumer feedback.

• Seasonal confectionery

  Seasonal Kisses assortments

  Seasonal editions adapt Kisses through wrapper colors, themed packaging, flavor variations, and gift-oriented formats. They support major retail occasions including Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, and Halloween, and are also used for baking, decorating, party favors, and informal gifting.

• 2026Hugs are Easy, Kisses are Hershey's!

  India

  The Valentine's Day campaign used the wordplay of 'hugs' and 'kisses' to address hesitation around public displays of affection in India. Digital films, outdoor advertising, community activity, and a Kisses Booth connected the product with everyday romantic expression.

  Outcome. The campaign positioned Kisses as an accessible, packaged token of affection and extended the brand's emotional platform into a localized cultural context.

  Source
• 2020Bells to Blossoms

  United States

  A revised holiday execution removed one candy from the bell choir and showed it being used to make cookies. The new narrative connected Kisses with home baking while departing from the established commercial.

  Outcome. Consumer criticism prompted Hershey to air both the revised advertisement and the classic Christmas Bells version.

  Source
• 2020Christmas Bells revised commercial

  United States · Canada

  Hershey updated the classic Christmas Bells spot by adding a live-action and computer-generated sequence in which a child takes a red Kiss and uses it while baking cookies with her father.

  Outcome. Audience backlash over changing a familiar holiday advertisement prompted Hershey to keep both the original and revised versions in circulation.

  Source
• 1989Christmas Bells

  United States

  The commercial presents individually wrapped Hershey's Kisses as a handbell choir performing 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas.' Its repeated holiday use made it one of the brand's most recognizable advertising properties. The campaign used stop-motion animation and product photography to portray Kisses as a choir of handbells performing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” The execution emphasized whimsy and gave the product a memorable holiday personality.

  Outcome. Became a long-running holiday advertising tradition and a major part of Kisses' seasonal identity. The commercial became a recurring seasonal fixture and one of Hershey's best-known long-running advertisements.

  Source

• 2020

  Dual airing of holiday advertisementsOther

  Background

  A new advertisement attempted to refresh the established Christmas Bells creative with a baking-related story.

  Action taken

  After criticism of the revised execution, Hershey chose to air both the new Bells to Blossoms version and the classic commercial.

  Aftermath

  The response demonstrated the continuing cultural value of the original holiday advertisement.

  Source

• 2020

  Hershey retains the original Christmas Bells advertisementOther

  Background

  The company released a revised version of the long-running holiday commercial, but viewers objected to changes in a highly familiar piece of seasonal advertising.

  Action taken

  Hershey announced that the original and revised versions would both be aired.

  Aftermath

  The response allowed the company to test an updated execution while preserving the legacy version that audiences associated with the brand's holiday tradition.

  Source

• 2015

  SmartLabel adoptionOther

  Background

  Consumers were increasingly seeking accessible product and ingredient information through mobile devices.

  Action taken

  Hershey adopted the Grocery Manufacturers Association's mobile-scannable SmartLabel packaging-information standard.

  Aftermath

  The initiative provided a digital route to product information beyond the physical package.

  Source

• 2005

  Kissables launchProduct launch

  Background

  Hershey sought to extend the Kisses concept into a colorful, candy-coated mini format.

  Action taken

  The company introduced Kissables in multiple standard and seasonal colors.

  Aftermath

  The product was discontinued in 2009 after a recipe change involving vegetable oils was poorly received by consumers.

  Source

• 1962

  Seasonal packaging expansionStrategy

  Background

  The traditionally silver-wrapped candy offered an opportunity for more visible holiday merchandising.

  Action taken

  Hershey introduced red, green, and silver wrapper colors for Christmas sales.

  Aftermath

  Seasonal colors became a recurring product and retail strategy for Kisses.

  Source

• 1942

  Temporary wartime production shiftStrategy

  Background

  Aluminum foil rationing made ordinary Kisses wrapping impractical during the Second World War.

  Action taken

  Hershey temporarily stopped Kisses production and repurposed the relevant machinery for military D ration bars.

  Aftermath

  Kisses later returned to consumer production after wartime constraints eased.

  Source

• 1921

  Move to automated wrappingGeneration change

  Background

  Kisses had originally been wrapped by hand, limiting production efficiency and consistency.

  Action taken

  Hershey introduced automated wrapping machinery and incorporated the paper plume into the package.

  Aftermath

  The plume and foil-wrapped shape became defining elements of the product's identity.

  Source

1. 1Hershey's Kissesen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Hershey's Kisses product pagehersheyland.com
3. 3Ringing in the Holidays: Hershey's Kisses Chocolateshersheyarchives.org
4. 4Christmas Bells (advertisement)en.wikipedia.org
5. 5Hershey's puts a sweet spin on Valentine's Day with new ad campaignbrandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com