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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C.  20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008

OR

For the transition period from                                      to

Commission file number 1-1361

TOOTSIE ROLL INDUSTRIES, INC.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

7401 South Cicero Avenue, Chicago, Illinois  60629

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s Telephone Number:  (773) 838-3400

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

Class B Common Stock — Par Value $.69-4/9 Per Share

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes  o    No  x

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes  o   No  x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant:  (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.                 Yes  x   No  o

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer or a non-accelerated filer.  See definition of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  o    No  x

As of February 19, 2009, there were outstanding 35,661,148 shares of Common Stock par value $.69-4/9 per share, and 19,353,668 shares of Class B Common Stock par value $.69-4/9 per share.

As of June 30, 2008, the aggregate market value of the Common Stock (based upon the closing price of the stock on the New York Stock Exchange on such date) held by non-affiliates was approximately $503,692,000.  Class B Common Stock is not traded on any exchange, is restricted as to transfer or other disposition, but is convertible into Common Stock on a share-for-share basis.  Upon such conversion, the resulting shares of Common Stock are freely transferable and publicly traded.  Assuming all 19,356,871 shares of outstanding Class B Common Stock were converted into Common Stock, the aggregate market value of Common Stock held by non-affiliates on June 30, 2008 (based upon the closing price of the stock on the New York Stock Exchange on such date) would have been approximately $592,646,000.  Determination of stock ownership by non-affiliates was made solely for the purpose of this requirement, and the Registrant is not bound by these determinations for any other purpose.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

1.             Portions of the Company’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2008 (the “2008 Report”) are incorporated by reference in Parts I and II of this report and filed as an exhibit to this report.

2.             Portions of the Company’s Definitive Proxy Statement for the Company’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the “2009 Proxy Statement”) scheduled to be held on May 4, 2009 are incorporated by reference in Part III of this report.

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Forward-Looking Information

From time to time, in the Company’s statements and written reports, including this report, the Company discusses its expectations regarding future performance by making certain “forward-looking statements.”  Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “anticipated,” “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “project,” and other words of similar meaning in connection with a discussion of future operating or financial performance and are subject to certain factors, risks, trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results and achievements to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements.  These forward-looking statements are based on currently available competitive, financial and economic data and management’s views and assumptions regarding future events.  Such forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied herein.  Consequently, the Company wishes to caution readers not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements.  In connection with the “safe harbor provisions” of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, factors, among others, which could cause future results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements, expectations and assumptions expressed or implied herein include those set forth in the subsection entitled “Risk Factors” in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” on Pages 11 through 13 of the 2008 Report, which subsection is incorporated herein by reference and filed as an exhibit to this report. In addition, the Company’s results may be affected by general factors, such as economic conditions, political developments, currency exchange rates, interest and inflation rates, accounting standards, taxes, and laws and regulations affecting the Company in markets where it competes and those factors described in Item 1A “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in other Company filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission

PART I

ITEM 1.                                                     Business.

Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries (the “Company”) have been engaged in the manufacture and sale of confectionery products for over 100 years.  This is the only industry segment in which the Company operates and is its only line of business.  The majority of the Company’s products are sold under the registered trademarks TOOTSIE ROLL, TOOTSIE ROLL POPS, CHILD’S PLAY, CARAMEL APPLE POPS, CHARMS, BLOW-POP, BLUE RAZZ, ZIP-A-DEE POPS, CELLA’S, MASON DOTS, MASON CROWS, JUNIOR MINT, CHARLESTON CHEW, SUGAR DADDY, SUGAR BABIES, ANDES, FLUFFY STUFF, DUBBLE BUBBLE, RAZZLES, CRY BABY and NIK-L-NIP.

The Company’s products are marketed in a variety of packages designed to be suitable for display and sale in different types of retail outlets.  They are distributed through approximately 100 candy and grocery brokers and by the Company itself to approximately 15,000 customers throughout the United States.  These customers include wholesale distributors of candy and groceries, supermarkets, variety stores, dollar stores, chain grocers, drug chains,  discount chains, cooperative grocery associations, warehouse and membership club stores, vending machine operators, the U. S. military and fund-raising charitable organizations.

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The Company’s principal markets are in the United States, Canada and Mexico.  The majority of production from the Company’s Canadian plants is sold in the United States. The majority of production from the Company’s Mexican plant is sold in Mexico.

The domestic confectionery business is highly competitive.  The Company competes primarily with other manufacturers of bar candy, bagged candy and bubble gum of the type sold in the above mentioned stores.  Although accurate statistics are not available, the Company believes it is among the ten largest domestic manufacturers in this field.  In the markets in which the Company competes, the main forms of competition comprise brand recognition as well as a fair price for our products at various retail price points.

The Company did not have a material backlog of firm orders at the end of the calendar years 2008 or 2007.

Packaging materials and ingredients used by the Company are readily obtainable from a number of suppliers at competitive prices.  Prices for refined corn products including corn syrup and dextrose were higher as significant amounts of corn and corn refining capacity have been redirected to ethanol production.  The prices of sugar, vegetable oil and chocolate, which are significant ingredients in the Company’s products, were higher in 2008 than in 2007 due to higher commodity costs.  Energy costs, including fuel surcharges, were higher in 2008 as well.  Milk prices, as well as packaging material costs, including films, cartons, and waxed paper, declined somewhat in 2008.  The Company continues to seek competitive bids to leverage the high volume of annual purchases it makes of many items and to lower per unit costs.

The Company has historically hedged certain of its future sugar, corn syrup and soybean oil needs with derivatives at such times that it believes that the forward markets are favorable. The Company’s decision to hedge its major ingredient requirements is dependent on our evaluation of forward commodities’ markets and comparison to vender quotations, if available, and/or historical costs. The Company has historically hedged with derivatives these major commodities and ingredients before the commencement of the next calendar year to better ascertain the need for product pricing changes or product weight decline (indirect price change) adjustments to its product sales portfolio and better manage ingredient costs. The Company will generally purchase forward derivative contracts (i.e. “long” position) in selected future months that correspond to the Company’s estimated procurement and usage needs of the respective commodity in the respective forward period(s).

From time to time, the Company also changes the size of certain of its products, which are usually sold at standard prices, to reflect significant changes in raw material costs.

The Company does not hold any material patents, licenses, franchises or concessions.  The Company’s major trademarks are registered in the United States and in many other countries.  Continued trademark protection is of material importance to the Company’s business as a whole.

Although the Company does develop new products, including product line extensions for existing brands, the Company does not expend material amounts of money on research or development activities.

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The Company’s compliance with Federal, State and local regulations which have been enacted or adopted regulating the discharge of materials into the environment, or otherwise relating to the protection of the environment, has not had a material effect on the capital expenditures, earnings or competitive position of the Company nor does the Company anticipate any such material effects from presently enacted or adopted regulations.

The Company employs approximately 2,200 persons.

The Company has found that its sales normally maintain a consistent level throughout the year except for a substantial upsurge in the third quarter which reflects sales associated with Halloween.  In anticipation of this high sales period, the Company generally begins its Halloween inventory build-up in the second quarter of each year.  The Company historically offers extended credit terms for sales made under Halloween sales programs.  Each year, after Halloween receivables have been collected, the Company invests such funds in various marketable securities.

Revenues from Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. aggregated approximately 23.5%, 22.4% and 23.7% of net product sales during the years ended December 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006,  respectively. Although no other customer other than Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. accounted for more than 10% of net sales, the loss of one or more significant customers could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business

For a summary of sales and long-lived assets of the Company by geographic area and additional information regarding the foreign subsidiaries of the Company, see Note 9 of the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” on Page 24 of the 2008 Report and on Page 4 of the 2008 Report under the section entitled “International.”  Note 9 and the aforesaid section are incorporated herein by reference.

Information regarding the Company’s annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to these reports, will be made available, free of charge, upon written request to Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc., 7401 South Cicero Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60629, Attention:  Barry Bowen, Treasurer and Assistant Secretary.  The Company does not make such reports available on its website at www.tootsie.com because it believes that they are readily available from the Securities Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov, and because the Company provides them free of charge upon request. Interested parties, including shareholders, may communicate to the Board of Directors or any individual director in writing, by regular mail, addressed to the Board of Directors or an individual director, in care of Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc., 7401 South Cicero Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60629, Attention: Ellen R. Gordon, President.  If an interested party wishes to communicate directly with the Company’s non-employee directors, that should be noted on the cover of the communication.

ITEM 1A.                                           Risk Factors.

Significant factors that could impact the Company’s financial condition or results of operations include, without limitation, the following:

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The factors identified above are believed to be significant factors, but not necessarily all of the significant factors, that could impact our business.  Unpredictable or unknown factors could also have material effects on the Company.

Additional significant factors that may affect the Company’s operations, performance and business results include the risks and uncertainties listed from time to time in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the risk factors or uncertainties listed herein or listed in any document incorporated by reference herein.

ITEM 1B.                                             Unresolved Staff Comments.

None.

ITEM 2.                                                     Properties.

The Company owns its principal plant and offices which are located in Chicago, Illinois in a building consisting of approximately 2,225,000 square feet which is utilized for offices, manufacturing and warehousing. In addition to owning the principal plant and warehousing facilities mentioned above, the Company leases manufacturing and warehousing facilities at a second location in Chicago which comprises 138,000 square feet.  The lease is renewable by the Company every five years through June, 2011.  The Company also periodically leases additional warehousing space at this second location as needed on a month to month basis.

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The Company’s other principal manufacturing facilities, all of which are owned, are:

(a)                      Square footage is approximate and includes production, warehousing and office space.

(b)                     Two facilities; a third owned facility, comprising 225,000 square feet of warehousing space, and which is excluded from the reported totals above, is leased to a third party.

(c)                      Warehousing only.

The Company owns substantially all of the production machinery and equipment located in its plants.  The Company also holds four commercial real estate properties for investment which were acquired with the proceeds from a sale of surplus real estate in 2005.

ITEM 3.                                                     Legal Proceedings.

There are no material pending legal proceedings known to the Company to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or of which any of their property is the subject, and no penalties have been imposed by the Internal Revenue Service on the Company.

ITEM 4.                                                     Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.

No matters were submitted to a vote of the Company’s shareholders through the solicitation of proxies or otherwise during the fourth quarter of 2008.

ADDITIONAL ITEM.                            Executive Officers of the Registrant.

See the information on Executive Officers set forth in the table in Part III, Item 10, Page 10 of this report, which is incorporated herein by reference.

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PART II

ITEM 5.                                                     Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

The Company’s Common Stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange.  The Company’s Class B Common Stock is subject to restrictions on transferability and no market exists for such shares of Class B Common Stock.  The Class B Common Stock is convertible at the option of the holder into shares of Common Stock on a share-for-share basis.  As of February 25, 2009, there were approximately 4,100 and 1,500 registered holders of record of Common and Class B Common Stock, respectively.  In addition, the Company estimates that as of February 25, 2009 there were 18,000 and 5,000 beneficial holders of Common and Class B Common Stock, respectively.  For information on the market price of, and dividends paid with respect to, the Company’s Common Stock, see the section entitled “2008-2007 Quarterly Summary of Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc. Stock Price and Dividends Per Share” which appears on Page 28 of the 2008 Report.  This section is incorporated herein by reference and filed as an exhibit to this report.

The following table sets forth information about the shares of Common Stock the Company repurchased on the open market during the quarter ended December 31, 2008:

While the Company does not have a formal or publicly announced stock repurchase program, the Company’s Board of Directors periodically authorizes a dollar amount for share repurchases.  The treasurer executes share repurchase transactions according to these guidelines.

ITEM 6.                                                     Selected Financial Data.

See the section entitled “Five Year Summary of Earnings and Financial Highlights” which appears on Page 29 of the 2008 Report.  This section is incorporated herein by reference and filed as an exhibit to this report.

ITEM 7.                                                     Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

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See the section entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” on Pages 5-13 of the 2008 Report.  This section is incorporated herein by reference and filed as an exhibit to this report.

ITEM 7A.                                           Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

See the section entitled “Market Risks” in the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” on Pages 11-13 of the 2008 Report.  This section is incorporated herein by reference and filed as an exhibit to this report.

See also Note 1 of the “Notes of Consolidated Financial Statements” commencing on Page 19 of the 2008 Report, which is incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 8.                                                     Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

The financial statements, together with the report thereon of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP dated February 27, 2009, appearing on Pages 15-25 and 26 of the 2008 Report and the “Quarterly Financial Data” on Page 28 of the 2008 Report are incorporated by reference in this report.  With the exception of the aforementioned information and the information incorporated in Items 1, 5, 6, 7, 7A, and 9A, the 2008 Report is not to be deemed filed as part of this report.

ITEM 9.                                                     Changes in and Disagreements with Auditors on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.

None.

ITEM 9A.                                           Controls And Procedures.

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

The Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded, based on their evaluation as of the end of the period covered by this report, that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) ) are effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports that the Company files or submits under the Exchange Act is (i)  recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and forms, and (ii) is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Internal Control over Financial Reporting

(a) See Page 14 of the 2008 Report for “Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting,” which is incorporated herein by reference.

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(b) See Page 26 of the 2008 Report for the attestation report of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, which is incorporated herein by reference.

(c)  There were no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended December 31, 2008 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

ITEM 9B.                                             Other Information.

None

PART III

ITEM 10.                                               Directors,  Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.

See the information with respect to the Directors of the Company which is set forth in the section entitled “Election of Directors” of the 2009 Proxy Statement, which  section of the 2009 Proxy Statement is incorporated herein by reference.  See the information in the section entitled “Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance” of the Company’s 2009 Proxy Statement, which section is incorporated herein by reference.

The following table sets forth the information with respect to the executive officers of the Company:

*                             A member of the Board of Directors of the Company

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(1)                      All of the above named officers other than Mr. Majors have served in the positions set forth in the table as their principal occupations for more than the past ten years.  From January, 2000 until joining the Company in October, 2004 Mr. Majors was employed by The Pepsi Bottling Group in various senior logistics management positions.  Mr. and Mrs. Gordon also serve as President and Vice President, respectively of HDI Investment Corp., a family investment company.

(2)                      Melvin J. Gordon and Ellen R. Gordon are husband and wife.

Code of Ethics

The Company has a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, which applies to all of the Company’s directors and employees, and which meets the Securities Exchange Commission criteria for a “code of ethics.”  The Code of Ethics is available on the Company’s website, located at www.tootsie.com, and the information in such Code of Conduct is available in print to any shareholder who requests a copy.

ITEM 11.                                               Executive Compensation.

See the information set forth in the sections entitled “Executive Compensation”  and “Director Compensation” of the Company’s 2009 Proxy Statement, which are incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 12.                                               Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.

For information with respect to the beneficial ownership of the Company’s Common Stock and Class B Common Stock by the beneficial owners of more than 5% of said shares and by the management of the Company, see the sections entitled “Ownership of Common Stock and Class B Common Stock by Certain Beneficial Owners” and “Ownership of Common Stock and Class B Common Stock by Management” of the 2009 Proxy Statement.  These sections of the 2009 Proxy Statement are incorporated herein by reference.  The Company does not have any compensation plans under which equity securities of the Company are authorized for issuance.

ITEM 13.                                               Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.

See the section entitled “Related Person Transactions” of the 2009 Proxy Statement, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Our board of directors has determined that our non-management directors, Messrs. Seibert and Bergeman and Ms. Lewis-Brent, are independent under the New York Stock Exchange listing standards because they have no direct or indirect relationship with the Company other than through their service on the Board of Directors

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ITEM 14.                                               Principal Accountant Fees and Services.

See the section entitled “Independent Auditor Fees and Services” of the 2009 Proxy Statement, which is incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 15.                                               Exhibits and Financial Statements Schedule.

(a)                                  Financial Statements.

The following financial statements and schedule are filed as part of this report:

(1)                                  Financial Statements (filed herewith as part of Exhibit 13):

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Consolidated Statements of Earnings, Comprehensive Earnings and Retained Earnings for the three years ended December 31, 2008

Consolidated Statements of Financial Position at December 31, 2008 and 2007

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the three years ended December 31, 2008

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

(2)                                  Financial Statement Schedule:

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm on Financial Statement Schedule

For the three years ended December 31, 2008 — Valuation and Qualifying Accounts

(3)                                  Exhibits required by Item 601 of Regulation S-K:

See Index to Exhibits which appears following Financial Schedule II.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15 (d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc., has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM ON
FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULE

To the Board of Directors of

Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc.:

                              Our audits of the consolidated financial statements and of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting referred to in our report dated February 27, 2009 appearing in the 2008 Annual Report to Shareholders of Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc. (which report and consolidated financial statements are incorporated by reference in this Annual Report on Form 10-K) also included an audit of the financial statement schedule listed in Item 15(a)(2) of this Form 10-K.  In our opinion, this financial statement schedule presents fairly, in all material respects, the information set forth therein when read in conjunction with the related consolidated financial statements.

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Chicago, Illinois

February 27, 2009

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TOOTSIE ROLL INDUSTRIES, INC.
AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES

SCHEDULE II - VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS (in thousands)

DECEMBER 31, 2008, 2007 AND 2006

(1)           Deductions against reserve for bad debts consist of accounts receivable written off net of recoveries and exchange rate movements.  Deductions against reserve for cash discounts consist of allowances to customers.

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INDEX TO EXHIBITS

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*Management compensation plan or arrangement.