Jelly Beans… Day after day, people take these little candies for granted, ignoring their rich history and importance in moulding today’s society.
The concept for the soft-centred confections was based off of Turkish Delight, which originated in 15th century Turkey. Like jelly beans, Turkish Delight has a soft chewy centre and a firm outer shell. Through the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, many other confections were developed that were similar to jelly beans, but it was not until the 1800’s, during the American Civil War, that the jelly beans we know today were first produced.
It is widely accepted that the jelly bean first surfaced after William Schrafft urged the Unionists to send his jelly beans to their soldiers fighting in the Civil war in 1861. Since then, the jelly bean has been a staple for every candy shop and was the first candy to be priced by weight, which is why they are called the “first bulk candy.”
The peak jelly bean season is Easter. This started in the 1930’s when they became part of the festive tradition due to their egg-like shapes. Approximately 16 billion jelly beans are consumed at Easter in America. If all of these jelly beans were lined up end to end, they would circle the world three times! Another interesting fact is that 70% of children prefer to eat their Easter jelly beans one at a time while 23% prefer to eat them by the handful. The other 7% are evidently undecided or just do not like jelly beans for some reason.
Jelly beans have have impacted our society today in a great number of ways. Firstly, consider all the slang based on the words “jelly bean.” In the 1920’s, a stylishly dressed man was referred to as a jelly bean. Or how about when you see a pimp, obviously you immediately think of him as a jelly bean. Ronald Reagan also loved jelly beans and kept jars of them all over the White House, and he even sent a load up to space for the astronauts to snack on.
The jelly bean industry has undergone major developments since the American civil war. The creation of Jelly Belly in the 60’s completely revolutionised the industry. Now, instead of just having the basic fruit flavours, there are countless flavours including a few interesting ones like: pickled pigs feet, baby wipes and vomit.
The jelly bean has a rich history and has made a large contribution to how our society works today. Yet today, the industry, which employs thousands, is struggling. The economic recession, combined with bureaucratic red tape, is causing a lot of small jelly bean businesses to go bankrupt. The red tape greatly increases the cost of production and export; for example: the United States will not accept a package of jelly beans if the nutrition labelling has spaces between the numbers and units. For instance, “5 mg” is unacceptable, it must read “5mg” in order to be allowed there. This jacks up the production costs by jelly bean companies because they have to create completely different packages for jelly beans going to the US. There are other reasons that the industry is struggling. Consider the classic “guess how many jelly beans are in the jar” game. That game effectively keeps the jelly bean industry alive during the off season (not Easter). However, people are now trying to guess how many pennies, or Skittles, or M&M’s are in a jar. It’s just not the same!
The jelly bean industry is hurting. If some red tape is not slashed soon, jelly bean prices will skyrocket, which will lead to a drop in sales and potentially the end of an industry. Next time you want to play “Guess how many pickled eggs are in the jar,” think about the poor families of those struggling confectioners and go to your local candy store, buy some jelly beans, put them in a jar, and guess how many there are.
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