National Smarties Day: the 1949 story behind the candy roll

Today is National Smarties Day, a good excuse to learn the story of a candy many people know mostly from Halloween bags. The small rolls of pastel tablets have been around for more than 75 years.

According to the company, Edward Dee founded it on January 10, 1949, starting with only two machines in a rented building in Bloomfield, New Jersey. The business moved to Elizabeth in 1959 and to Union, New Jersey, in 1967, where its main factory still runs today. A second plant operates in Newmarket, Ontario.

The scale has grown a lot since those two machines. The company says its two factories run 24 hours a day and make billions of rolls each year. It is still a family business, led by three of the founder's granddaughters, Sarah Dee, Jessica Dee Sawyer and Liz Dee, who serve as co-presidents.

One detail surprises people who cross the northern border: in Canada, the same candy is sold under the name Rockets, so a Canadian friend may not recognize the word Smarties for these rolls.

With Halloween four weeks away, small candies like these tend to fill store shelves now. If you are buying treats to hand out, read the package for ingredient and allergen information, since that is where companies list it for each product.