Was Cotton Candy Ironically Invented By A Dentist?

To be a dentist, sings Orin Scrivello of the classic musical "Little Shop of Horrors" is to "have a talent for causing things pain" — but that's a bit of a harmful stereotype, isn't it? Sure, they might wield those nasty little hook-sticks and that disgusting fluoride rinse, but they serve a valuable purpose. And besides, any profession that introduced mass-produced cotton candy to the world can't be all bad. (Ignore the fact that a dentist also invented the electric chair.)

That's right! It may sound as counterintuitive as a slug scientist inventing the salt shaker, but cotton candy as we know it today — that fluffy, delicious, tooth-rotting "pink vanilla" confection (the true flavor of cotton candy) spun into existence by a whirling metal drum that's a pain in the neck to clean — was invented by a dentist in 1897. Well, to be more accurate, the cotton candy machine was invented by a dentist: William Morrison of Nashville, Tennessee, who teamed up with a candy maker named John C. Wharton to create the device, setting in motion a chain of events that led to that one lady absolutely crushing a cotton candy eating contest.

The fluffy, delicate sweet we know as cotton candy is closely related to spun sugar, which was widespread by the 19th century, although making it was a laborious process far removed from the "hold out the magic wand" convenience of today's cotton candy machine. In fact, the origin of spun sugar may even date back to 14th century Italy. But it wasn't until William Morrison and John C. Wharton developed their machine that it became readily available – right in time for the World's Fair of 1904, held in St. Louis. (This was the same fair that saw the popularization of the hamburger and hot dog as well as the introduction of Dr. Pepper to a wider audience.) 

Unlike today's fairs, the "fairy floss" (cotton candy's original name) they sold wasn't made in front of the customer. Instead, it was packaged ahead of time and sold at 25 cents a box, which would be around six dollars today, adjusting for inflation. That's a lot of money to pay for cotton candy, but it was a novelty, and a delicious one at that. By the end of the fair, Morrison and Wharton had earned over $400,000 in today's money — and probably ensured Morrison had plenty of cavities to fill if he ever got tired of raking in money.