Candy canes are one of those things that show up every December without anyone stopping to ask where they came from. They’re just there — hanging on trees, stuck in mugs, crushed on desserts. But they’ve been around a lot longer than most people think, and the story behind them is simpler (and stranger) than the holiday myths make it sound.
Where Candy Canes Actually Started
Candy canes trace back to Europe, sometime in the 1600s. Back then, they weren’t red and white, and they definitely weren’t peppermint. They were plain white sugar sticks — basically early hard candy.
One of the most common stories ties them to church services, where curved candy sticks were handed out to children to keep them quiet during long ceremonies. The hook shape made them look like shepherd’s crooks, which later helped people connect them to Christmas imagery. Whether that symbolism was intentional or just convenient storytelling came much later.
What matters is this: candy canes weren’t born as a holiday icon. They became one over time.
When Peppermint Entered the Picture
Peppermint didn’t show up until the 1800s. Before that, candy was more about sweetness than flavor. Peppermint changed everything because it was strong, familiar, and easy to recognize.
The red stripes also came later. Early candy canes were solid white. The stripes didn’t become common until candy-making techniques improved and mass production made it easier to add color consistently.
Once that happened, the look stuck.
Related: The Surprisingly Spicy History of Gingerbread
How Candy Canes Became a Christmas Staple
Candy canes didn’t really explode in popularity until the early 1900s, especially in the United States. That’s when they started showing up on Christmas trees, in stockings, and eventually in every store aisle from November to December.
American candy companies played a huge role in this. Automation made candy canes cheaper and faster to produce, and once they were easy to make, they were easy to market. From there, they became part of the season whether people questioned it or not.
Interesting Candy Cane Facts
The classic candy cane shape wasn’t easy to make by hand. For a long time, each one had to be bent individually.
Early candy canes were often softer than the ones we have now. Today’s versions are harder because they’re designed to last longer on shelves.
Peppermint became the default flavor because it masked imperfections in sugar and stayed stable longer than fruit flavors.
Crushed candy canes weren’t originally a topping. That trend came much later, once people started baking and decorating with them instead of just eating them straight.
Why They’ve Stuck Around
Candy canes are cheap, recognizable, and tied to memory. They don’t need updating or reinventing. They’re one of the few holiday items that stayed simple while everything else got louder and more complicated.
That’s probably why they still work.
Lisa Crow contributed to this article. She is a true crime junkie and lifestyle blogger based in Waco, Texas. Lisa is the Head of Content at Gigi’s Ramblings and Southern Bred True Crime Junkie. She spends her free time traveling when she can and making memories with her large family which consists of six children and fifteen grandchildren.