According to advertisements, more than four billion Dots are produced from the Tootsie Roll Industries Chicago plant each year.

In 1972, Tootsie Roll Industries acquired the Dots brand by purchasing the Mason Division of Candy Corporation of America.

[1] Tootsie Roll Industries claims that "since its 1945 launch," the candy has become "America's...#1 selling gumdrop brand".

[2] Sour Dots have five flavors, and are created with citric acid: cherry, lemon, orange, grape, and green apple.

[2] Crows, black licorice flavored gum drops, are also considered to be part of the Dots family, created in the 1890s by confectioners Ernest Von Au and Joseph Maison.