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2006-07-14 03:39:37 · 17 answers · asked by John 4 in Education & Reference Trivia

17 answers

Yeah it's not named after Babe Ruth. Idiots.

Origin(s) of the name
Although the name of the candy bar sounds nearly identical to the name of the famous baseball player, Babe Ruth, the Curtiss Candy Company has traditionally claimed that it was named after President Grover Cleveland's daughter, Ruth Cleveland. Nonetheless, the bar first appeared in 1920, as Babe Ruth's fame was on the rise and long after Cleveland had left the White House and 16 years after his daughter had died. Moreover, the company had failed to negotiate an endorsement deal with Ruth, and many saw the company's story about the origin of the name of the bar as merely a way to avoid having to pay the baseball player any royalties. Ironically, Curtiss successfully shut down a rival bar that was approved by, and named for, Ruth, on the grounds that the names were too similar in the case of George H. Ruth Candy Co. v. Curtiss Candy Co, 49 F.2d 1033 (1931).

A couple of twists to the story are referenced in the trivia book series Imponderables, by David Feldman:

In the edition called What Are Hyenas Laughing At, Anyway? (1995), p.84, he reports the standard story about the bar being named for Grover Cleveland's daughter, with interesting additional information that ties it to the President: "The trademark was patterned exactly after the engraved lettering of the name used on a medallion struck for the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition in 1893, and picturing the President, his wife, and daughter Baby Ruth."

The next edition, How Do Astronauts Scratch an Itch? (1996), p. 288-289, brings out a new and potentially more plausible (and prosaic) explanation. The author was tipped off by a letter writer, referring to another trivia collection, More Misinformation, by Tom Burnam: "Burnam concluded that the candy bar was named... after the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Williamson, candy makers who developed the original formula and sold it to Curtiss." (Williamson had also sold the "Oh Henry!" formula to Curtiss around that time.) The writeup goes on to note that marketing the product as being named for a company executive's granddaughter would likely have been less successful, hence their "official" story.

As if to tweak their own official denial of the name's origin, after Babe Ruth's Called Shot at Wrigley Field in the 1932 World Series, the Chicago-based Curtiss company installed an illuminated advertising sign for Baby Ruth on the roof of one of the flats across Sheffield Avenue, near where Ruth's home run ball had landed in center field. The sign stood for some four decades before finally being removed.

2006-07-14 03:44:59 · answer #1 · answered by SassySours 5 · 3 0

Baby Ruth Name

2017-01-13 21:09:59 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0 0

According to the National Confectioner's Association, the candy bar was named for Grover Cleveland's baby daughter, Ruth -- although she died in 1904, and the candy was not manufactured until 1920, by the Curtiss Candy Company in Chicago. Another source, quoted in Tom Burnham's 1980 book, More Misinformation, suggests that the chocolate, caramel, nougat, and peanut log was first named for the granddaughter of the president of the Williamson Candy Company, where the recipe originated.

Curtiss Candy gave away thousands of Baby Ruths in promotions and priced the product at five cents, half the going rate. In 1921, when children began sending their candy wrappers to ballplayer Babe Ruth for him to autograph, the Yankee slugger demanded royalties for use of his name on the best-selling product. But the business of sports endorsements was in its infancy, and the courts turned him down.

2006-07-14 03:45:45 · answer #3 · answered by Marge Simpson 6 · 0 0

The candy bar was named after Grover Cleveland's baby daughter Ruth. In 1921 children began sending their candy wrappers to the ball player Babe Ruth for him to autograph

2006-07-14 04:02:53 · answer #4 · answered by Birda B 2 · 0 0

It was actually named after the founder's granddaughter. They called her Baby Ruth. The baseball player just endorsed it.

2006-07-14 04:26:19 · answer #5 · answered by Laser Beam 1 · 0 0

I heard it was named after Grover Cleveland's daughter Ruth.

2006-07-14 03:45:38 · answer #6 · answered by Jennifer Gayle 4 · 0 0

Because it looks like a turd.Babe Ruth was a big turd,so they named it after him.

2006-07-14 04:02:56 · answer #7 · answered by 2BaD4u 4 · 0 0

maybe its tribute to the famous base ball player Baby Ruth

2006-07-14 03:45:03 · answer #8 · answered by cykotik_manyakis 3 · 0 0

They named it after Babe Ruth!

2006-07-14 03:42:46 · answer #9 · answered by MSHOTTIE 2 · 0 0

It was created around the turn of the century. Teddy Roosevelt was president, so the candymakers named the bar after his young daughter.

2006-07-14 06:42:29 · answer #10 · answered by cross-stitch kelly 7 · 0 0

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