Gold bear - A cult figure you’ll really want to get your teeth into
The finest achievement of the Weimar Republic! This was how exiled Kaiser Wilhelm II described the gold bear. Ever since the small delicacy was invented, more and more people have been joining the Kaiser in singing its praises. The gold bear was born in the Kessenich district of Bonn, in the kitchen of confectioner Hans Riegel. The key ingredient in the sweet little bear is gelatine. The fruit gum dancing bear, just like his liquorice cousin, first met with the approval of the general public at fairs, where two bears could be bought for a pfennig. At the same time as the economic miracle in the 1950s, the gold bear changed shape, with a smart little chap in the brightest of colours replacing the somewhat meagre form of the past. When artificial colourings went out of fashion, the gold bear became somewhat paler – though this had no effect on his popularity. Now coloured only with fruit extracts, kids – and grown-ups – all over the world still love it so, the happy world of Haribo.
Significance: from 2003 to 2005, the largest European consumer study "European Trusted Brands" named Haribo Germany's most trusted confectionary brand.
Invented by: Hans Riegel
In: 1922
Gold bear
