To this day Haribo remains of of the best-known names in candy. It gets its name from founder Hans Riegel from Bonn, Germany -- which creates the acronym HAns RIegel BOnn. Riegel and his company are credited with manufacturing the first gummy candies, the Dancing Bear, which was slightly larger than the gummy bears we know today. Through the years Haribo has continued producing some of the world's favorite gummy candies, including their Golden Bears, which are reduced in size from the original Dancing Bears. Before 1980, Americans only knew Haribo as a gourmet candy sold in speciality shops, while it was more of a mass market candy in Germany. In the 80s Haribo incorporated in America and began its mass market distribution, flooding store shelves with Golden Bears and other gummy confections. Today Haribo enjoys status as one of the top gummy manufacturers in the world.
