Circus peanut

Circus peanuts are peanut-shaped marshmallow candy. They date to the 19th century, when they were one of a large variety of unwrapped "penny candy" sold in such retail outlets as five-and-dime stores.

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• Classic candy cowtails circus peanuts the crazy tasty food reviews
• Circus peanuts gatorunbox
• References

Although the most familiar variety of mass-produced circus peanuts in the 2010s is orange-colored and flavored with an artificial banana flavor; confectioners originally distributed an orange-flavored variety that was only available seasonally due to a lack of packaging capable of preserving the candy. In the spring, five-and-dimes sold circus peanuts as penny candy. In the 1940s, circus peanuts became one of the many candies to become available year-round owing to the industrial proliferation of polyethylene packaging.

As of the 2010s, mass-produced circus peanuts are made from sugar, corn syrup, gelatin, pectin, soy protein, food coloring and artificial flavor.

Over the years, confectioners have also offered circus peanuts colored yellow, pink, and white, including a variety of flavors, though orange is still the most predominant color and banana the most common flavor, by far. The leading producers of circus peanuts are Melster Candies, Spangler Candy Company, and Brach's, but they produce an essentially identical product. Circus peanuts sold in generic label bags in retail stores such as convenience stores, grocery stores, and drug stores are almost always manufactured by one of the three candy companies listed above, simply sold in a generic package. The Publix supermarket chain at one time sold generic circus peanuts under its own label, manufactured by Farley and Sathers.