the whole thing started as a joke. reporter: the world s largest gummy bear was only supposed to be a stunt. the first ones were made literally in my apartment. reporter: but the gag gift derek lawson made for his brother has piqued the interest of millions. we started out by making one, we took that money, made two. then four, and now we can make upwards of 3,000 a day. reporter: weighing five pounds and standing almost a foot tall, the world s largest gummy bear, which calls raleigh, north carolina, home, certainly lived up to its name. it s unique in and of itself. even if it was just the giant gummy bear. i say just the giant gummy bear. that s huge compared to a small one. but the world s largest is completely over the top. reporter: lawson and business partner michael horwitz launched their company ggb of raleigh in 2007 with the world s largest gummy bear as their signature item. we knew we had a good idea and there s a market for this.