Hans Riegel Sr., a German confectioner and founder of Haribo, is generally credited with inventing gummy bears in 1920.

Quick scoop

He created the first version as a bear-shaped, fruit-flavored chewy candy, inspired by the dancing bears seen at European festivals.

A tiny bit of context

The original product was called the “Dancing Bear” or Tanzbären before evolving into the modern Haribo Goldbears.

Bottom line: if you’re asking “who invented gummy bears?” the standard answer is Hans Riegel Sr.