Dots, or Mason Dots (trademarked DOTS), is an American brand of gum drops marketed by Tootsie Roll Industries. According to advertisements, more than four billion Dots are produced from the Tootsie Roll Industries Chicago plant each year. Dots are

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...

, gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, halal, and

kosher (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, ), from the Ashke ...

. They come in various flavors and varieties.

History

Dots gum drops were introduced in 1945 by Mason and trademarked that year. In 1972, Tootsie Roll Industries acquired the Dots brand by purchasing the Mason Division of Candy Corporation of America. Prior to that acquisition they were manufactured by Mason, AU and Magenheimer Confectionery Manufacturing Company of

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

and later Mineola,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. According to advertisements, more than four billion dots are produced from the Tootsie Roll Industries Chicago plant each year. Tootsie Roll Industries claims that "since its 1945 launch," the candy has become "America's...#1 selling gumdrop brand".

Crows The Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS) is a series of remote weapon stations used by the US military on its armored vehicles and ships. It allows weapon operators to engage targets without leaving the protection of their vehicle. ...

are the oldest candy in the Dots family, first created in the late 19th century. Original dots date back to 1945, Tropical Dots to 2003, and Yogurt Dots to 2007. Sour Dots were introduced in 2009–2010.

Flavors and varieties

Flavors

Current flavors for "Original Dots" include

cherry A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet '' Prunus avium'' and the sour '' Prunus cerasus''. The na ...

(red),

lemon The lemon (''Citrus'' × ''limon'') is a species of small evergreen tree in the ''Citrus'' genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some ...

(yellow), lime (green), orange (orange), and

strawberry The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown Hybrid (biology), hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus ''Fragaria'', the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit ...

(pink). Sour Dots have five flavors, and are created with citric acid: cherry, lemon, orange,

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began approximately 8,0 ...

, and green apple. Flavors for Tropical Dots include Island Nectar, Wild Mango, Grapefruit Cooler, Carambola Melon, and Paradise Punch; and for Yogurt Dots,

Banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...

, Orange,

Blackberry BlackBerry is a discontinued brand of handheld devices and related mobile services, originally developed and maintained by the Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM, later known as BlackBerry Limited) until 2016. The first BlackBerry device ...

, and Lemon-Lime.

, black licorice flavored gum drops, are also considered to be part of the Dots family, created in the 1890s by confectioners Ernest Von Au and Joseph Maison. There is an

urban legend Urban legend (sometimes modern legend, urban myth, or simply legend) is a genre of folklore concerning stories about an unusual (usually scary) or humorous event that many people believe to be true but largely are not. These legends can be e ...

that Crows were supposed to be called "Black Rose", but the printer misheard the name as "Black Crows" and printed wrappers with the wrong name on them. However, research—including the fact that the name was copyrighted before the candies ever came with wrappers—reveals that this story is not true.

Varieties

In addition, to current varieties of Original Dots (also known as Mason Dots), Tropical Dots, Yogurt Dots, Sour Dots, and Crows, past varieties (including special short-term promotional offerings) have included:

Halloween specialties

Three special Halloween varieties of Dots have been marketed: * Ghost Dots are translucent light green, with the same flavors of Original Dots, but without the different colors to indicate which flavor any particular gum drop might have. * Bat Dots are black-colored Dots that are blood orange flavored. * Candy Corn Dots are candy corn flavored and resemble candy corn.

Other holiday specialties

Other holiday specialties have included: * Christmas Dots, which have a Vanilla (white) top with either a Cherry (red) or Lime (green) base. These were replaced with Holiday Dots, which were either Cherry/Green Apple (red top/green base) or Lime/Strawberry (green top/red base) for the 2023 holiday season. * Lumps of Coal Dots in Blackberry (black) and Black Cherry (dark red) (introduced during the 2023 holiday season) * Valentine Dots, which have a Vanilla (white) base with either a Cherry (red) or Passion Fruit (pink) top * Cherry Lover's Dots, which is a box of all red Cherry Dots. * Easter Dots in Blueberry (blue), Lemon (yellow), Lime (green), Cherry (red), and Orange (orange) (introduced in 2010) * Springtime Dots in Grape (purple), Mango (orange), Strawberry (pink) and Pineapple (yellow) (introduced in 2024)

Other varieties and flavors

Other varieties and flavors have included: * During the 1980s, there was a variety of Dots called Spice Dots. * Wild Berry Dots were introduced in 2000. Wild Berry Dots are sweet, chewy gumdrops coated with a tart, crunchy coating. Wild Berry Dots were discontinued in 2007. * Dots Elements in pomegranate (earth, purple), cinnamon (fire, red), green tea (water, green), and wintergreen (air, teal) (introduced in 2008; no longer being produced) * Hot Dots (a.k.a. Cinnamon Dots) were released in 2004, but were discontinued in 2006. * Patriotic Dots, which have a vanilla (white) top with either a strawberry (red) or blueberry (blue) base * Assorted Reds Dots, in strawberry, cherry and fruit punch flavors * Special individual flavor packages such as Pink Grapefruit, Peach, and Watermelon. Marketed as "sour slices", they maintain the gumdrop shape of all other Dots. * In 2022, Watermelon Dots were introduced, featuring a red top and green base to mimic the look of a watermelon. * Assorted Lemonade Dots, in

lemonade Lemonade is a sweetened lemon-flavored drink. There are many varieties of lemonade found throughout the world. In some parts of the world, lemonade refers to an un-carbonated, traditionally, homemade drink, using lemon juice, water, and a sw ...

, blue raspberry lemonade, cherry lemonade, strawberry lemonade, and

limeade Limeade, also called lime soda, is a lime-flavored, sometimes carbonated, drink. It is usually sweetened with sugar or sweeteners. A common method of preparation is to juice limes and combine the juice with simple syrup or honey syrup, along wi ...

flavors, were introduced in 2023.

Ingredients

Dots contain:

Corn syrup Corn syrup is a food syrup that is made from the starch of corn/maize and contains varying amounts of sugars: glucose, maltose and higher oligosaccharides, depending on the grade. Corn syrup is used in foods to soften Mouthfeel, texture, add vol ...

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

, food starch-modified,

malic acid Malic acid is an organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a dicarboxylic acid that is made by all living organisms, contributes to the sour taste of fruits, and is used as a food additive. Malic acid has two stereoisomeric forms ( ...

, natural and artificial flavors,

sodium citrate Sodium citrate may refer to any of the sodium salts of citric acid (though most commonly the third): * Monosodium citrate * Disodium citrate * Trisodium citrate The three forms of salt are collectively known by the E number E331. Applications ...

, and artificial colors. According to

PETA People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; ) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. Founded in March 1980 by Newkirk and animal right ...

, Dots are

, and according to the Tootsie Roll Industries website, they are gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, and

(officially certified kosher by the

Orthodox Union The Orthodox Union (abbreviated OU) is one of the largest Orthodox Jewish organizations in the United States. Founded in 1898, the OU supports a network of synagogues, youth programs, Jewish and Religious Zionist advocacy programs, programs f ...

as of December 1, 2009).

References

External links

* {{Tootsie Roll confectionery products Brand name confectionery Tootsie Roll Industries brands Products introduced in 1945 Candy