In the late 1930s, a malted milk candy called "Giants" was released by the Overland Candy Company as a predecessor to Whoppers. In 1949, Leaf Brands, which had merged with Overland Candy, had brought back malted milk balls that are known as Whoppers. Constantly, the ownership of the products had had constant changes, the most recent being the ownership of the Whoppers by Hersey Foods Corporation.