Germany’s gummy bear king dies of heart failure
Print Edition
Hans Riegel, the man behind Germany’s Haribo confectionery and much-loved gummy bears, has died aged 90 from heart failure.
Riegel spent almost 70 years at the helm of Haribo, which was founded by his father in 1920. From a small firm struggling with the shortages of post-war Germany, he built it into a world famous brand exporting to 100 countries.
Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Riegel had made Haribo such a global brand that “wherever I travelled in recent years, the gummy bears had arrived long before me.”
Fruit-flavored gummy bears were originally called dancing bears, inspired by the performing brown bears that once appeared at circuses and fetes. The fierce expression on their jelly faces was replaced with a smile in a 2007 makeover.
Riegel underwent a successful operation earlier this year to remove a brain tumor.
Haribo gave Germany its most famous advertising slogan, promising to make kids and adults happy. Sachets of its sweets are ubiquitous: doctors keep them on hand to placate crying children and hotels place them on pillows to treat guests.
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