Who Invented Cotton Candy? You'll Be Shocked!

Cotton candy was invented by a dentist. That’s not a joke. Dr. William Morrison, a dentist from Tennessee, co-invented the fluffy treat in 1897 with candy maker John C. Wharton. They called it “Fairy Floss.”

Dr. William Morrison wasn’t trying to sabotage dental hygiene. He and candy maker John C. Wharton wanted to create a new, affordable sweet treat that could dazzle crowds at fairs and carnivals.

Back in the early 1900s, most candy was expensive and labor-intensive to make. Their invention, a machine that spun sugar into delicate, airy threads, made sugar treats cheaper, faster, and way more fun to eat.

They weren’t thinking about cavities. They were thinking about spectacle with the treat that melts in your mouth like magic. For kids used to hard candies or nothing at all, this was like tasting a dream.

Their sugary creation debuted at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis and sold over 68,000 boxes at 25 cents each. That's about $8 in today’s money for a puff of sugar and air!

Want to blow your mind even more? A single cotton candy has less sugar than a can of soda.

Try this at home: Ask your kids what food invention they’d create if they had to mix something “healthy” with something fun. (Broccoli popsicles, anyone?)