Most of us can’t escape a circus, carnival, or Fair without purchasing a bag of delicious, gooey cotton candy. What if I told you that this highly sugary treat was first invented by a dentist? You heard me. A DENTIST.
The machine spun, sticky goodness was first invented in 1897 by William Morrison, a dentist, and his confectioner friend, John C. Wharton. Cotton candy then made its first debut at the 1904 World’s Fair. Before it was coined cotton candy, the addictive treat was called “Fairy Floss” and it’s first performance resulted in selling 68,655 boxes at 25 cents per box.
This childhood favorite that we all have come to know and love is delicious, primarily, because it is full of liquified, spun sugar and then dyed various colors to bring delight to young audiences everywhere.
While no dentist is going to encourage the consumption of cotton candy, we also believe in enjoying life and having sugary treats in moderation. And believe it or not, you could do worse at the Fair. After all, a serving of cotton candy (the size of your head) actually contains less sugar than a can of Coke — and it has no fat, cholesterol or sodium like a corn dog would.
Just do us a favor and brush and floss once you’ve licked the wispy treat down to the stick.