Background Essay on Cotton Candy

Countless amounts of people love the sweet taste of cotton candy but do not know the story behind it. However, would you believe a dentist invented cotton candy?  This essay will show the history of cotton candy and the background of its name. 

Many people never realized that cotton candy was invented by a dentist and confectioner. In 1897, cotton candy was created by William Morrison and John C. Wharton. William Morrison was a dentist, lawyer, author, and inventor. When he was 37 years old, he began working with a confectioner named John C. Wharton. Just like Morrison, John C. Wharton was also an inventor. Together, they invented a machine that turned caramelized sugar into light, airy strands.

These strands of sugar were thinner than a thread of hair! Bundles of these strands became known as the candy “fairy floss.” After many years of hard work, they finally decided to debut their invention at the St. Louis World Fair. Many customers enjoyed their sugary candy, and in total, the partners brought home over $17,000. That would be over a million dollars in today’s currency. William Morrison and John C. Wharton were important figures in the creation of cotton candy. 

When cotton candy was first invented, it went by the name of “fairy floss.” The term “cotton candy” was introduced by another candy- making dentist named Josef Lascaux.  He started out by selling his cotton candy to his patients and went forward from there. Although Lascaux was able to make his own version of the sweet candy, he was never capable of recreating the original inventors’ creations. During the 1920s, many people started to call it by the name of “cotton candy” instead of “fairy floss.” Eventually, “fairy floss” changed to “cotton candy”. Australia was the only country that still stuck to the name “fairy floss”, yet some countries including the United Kingdom and Ireland now call it “candy floss,” which is a combination of both. Because of Josef Lascaux, fairy floss’s name changed to cotton candy.

William Morrison and James C. Wharton invented what we now know as cotton candy. Cotton candy has an interesting backstory, and its original name was probably something you never would’ve guessed. Cotton candy also used to have a different name, but its name changed over the years. In conclusion, cotton candy has a different history than most candies would, and its unique name has come a long way.