Cotton Candy History

Cotton candy history - Tradition has it that about four groups of inventors came up with the machine to produce Cotton Candy.

Apparently this dentist from Louisiana, Josef Delarose Lascaux, introduced his version at his dental practice though he never patented or trademarked it. I believe this guy was the most likely inventor, but I will introduce the other contenders, so as not to lay all the blame at the feet of dentists.

The other possible villains are William Morrison and John Wharton, who had received the patent for candy makers. They are from Nashville, Tennessee, and it all started for them around 1897. They heated sugar in a spinning bowl with tiny holes in it. They called the product "Fairy Floss." I love the machine but the name ... ?

They introduced their invention to people at the Worlds Fair in St Louis in 1904 and sold about 68,000 boxes of fairy floss for a quarter a piece at the event. The tooth fairy was not too pleased. They used to twirl the fairy floss onto a paper or cardboard cone and presumably put it in a box.

Shortly thereafter Dental clinics popped up all over St Louis.

Around 1920 the name changed to cotton candy. It is also called candyfloss in the United Kingdom. You can call it whatever you want.
It is no longer sold for a quarter due to government taxation on anything that is fun, although the cost to make it is still the same. Ok, enuff history, lets make some fairy floss...

Cotton Candy History

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