==History==In 1896 Leo Hirshfield, an Austrian immigrant to the United States, began work at a small candy shop located in New York City owned by the Stern & Staalberg firm. In 1907, Hirshfield decided he wanted a chocolate-tasting candy that would not melt in the heat, and that would be an economical artificial alternative to traditional chocolates. He named the candy after the nickname of his daughter, Clara "Tootsie" Hirshfield. By this point, the company had expanded to a five-storey factory. In 1917, the name of the company was changed to The Sweets Company of America. The business, which had forced Hirshfield out by this point (leading to his eventual suicide), became a listed company in 1922. In 1931, the Tootsie Pop — a hard-candy lollipop with Tootsie Roll filling — was invented, and quickly became popular with Dust Bowl refugees during the Depression era because of its low price. During World War II, Tootsie Rolls became a standard part of American soldiers' field rations, due to the hardiness of the candy under a variety of environmental conditions. - Source: Wikipedia
