Whoppers are malted milk balls, with an artificially flavored "non chocolate coating", produced by The Hershey Company. The candy is a sphere about 3/4 in in diameter and consists of a malted milk center formed through an aeration process, a technique commonly used in mid-20th century confectionery.
History
In 1939, the Overland Candy Company introduced the predecessor to Whoppers, a malted milk candy called "Giants". In 1947, Overland merged with Chicago Biscuit Company, Leaf Gum, and Laf Machinery. Two years later, Leaf Brands reintroduced malted milk balls under the name of "Whoppers". All products manufactured by Leaf Brands were purchased by W. R. Grace in the 1960s; however, they were repurchased by Leaf in 1976. Finally, Hershey Foods Corporation acquired the Leaf North America confectionery operations from Huhtamäki Oyj of Espoo, Finland, in 1996. The company has been producing the Whoppers candy to this day.[1][2]