Fig Newtons was created in 1891 by the Kennedy Biscuit Company, a Massachusetts-based bakery. The company named many of their products after surrounding communities. The Fig Newton was named after nearby Newton, Massachusetts.
The Kennedy Biscuit Company merged with other regional bakeries in 1898 to form the National Biscuit Company, which later became Nabisco. The cookie is now produced by Nabisco.
The machine that makes the cookie consists of a funnel within a funnel. The inner funnel contains the filling, and the outer funnel contains the dough. The machine expresses a long length of filled cookie, which is then baked, cut into smaller pieces, and packaged.
Nabisco makes several varieties of the Newton, including Stawberry, Raspberry and Apple Newtons.