National Jelly Bean Day is a Food Awareness Day celebrated each year on April 22.
The Jelly Bean
There are dozens of companies who make Jelly beans. Just one company makes the Jelly Belly jelly bean. It was first just a brand of the Herman Goelitz Candy Company. Today, it is its own company ~ the Jelly Belly Company.
The Jelly Belly Company makes over 50 flavors of beans. The difference between Jelly Beans and Jelly Belly beans is the taste. The standard jelly beans have no flavoring or coloring in the center, whereas Jelly Belly flavors both the centers and the shells. Jelly Belly beans are smaller, but have a more intense flavor and are made in exotic flavors.
Fun Facts About Jelly Beans
Although no one knows who started National Jelly Bean Day, the first mention of the jelly bean can be traced back to an 1861 ad by William Schrafft, a confectioner in Boston, which promoted sending jelly beans to soldiers in the Union Army during the Civil War.
- Candymakers have always made candy into novelty shapes, which seems to be the main reason this egg-shaped candy ended up being called jelly beans
- Being egg-shaped, the Jelly Bean became popular starting in the 1930s as the perfect candy for Easter Baskets. By the way, if you lined up all the jelly beans eaten by folks during the Easter holidays, they could circle the Earth three times! In fact, about 5 billion Jelly beans are eaten at Easter.
- There are 4 calories in each Jelly Bean.
- And the ‘funnest’ facts of all…..
Jelly Beans were President Reagan’s favorite candies. He used them to quit smoking when he was governor of California.
About 3 tons of red, white, and blue jelly beans were used during Reagan’s inauguration as the 40th President of the United States
Jelly Belly beans were the first jelly beans in space, sent on the 1983 Challenger mission by President Reagan as a surprise for the astronauts.
Reagan’s favorite flavor was licorice!
SUMMARY
National Jelly Bean Day is a fun holiday often associated with Easter traditions because the egg-like shape of the jelly bean reminds us of the Easter Bunny delivering eggs as a sign of Spring.
National Jelly Bean Day
April 22
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*National Jelly Bean Day holiday review was written by Wednesday Elf
JELLY BEANS:
This was a fun review. I love jelly belly beans. Only 4 calories in a jelly bean. Now if I could only eat just one!
ReplyDeleteHa, ha for the 'only eat just one'. Jelly beans are like potato chips ~ not possible to eat just one. LOL. Thanks for enjoying my jelly bean story, Mary Beth.
DeleteLol, now I'm craving Jelly Beans! So fun that there's a national day for jelly beans - I love the black ones the best!
ReplyDeleteAren't the 'black ones' licorice, Barbara? LOL. They say that licorice was Reagan's favorite flavor!
DeleteWe love jelly beans and Jelly Belly are the best in my opinion! When our children were little, we filled the plastic eggs with jelly beans for their egg hunt. Jelly Beans may only have 4 calories each, but when I start eating them, my serving size is somewhere around 400 calories. I loved all of the fun facts you shared and had to read them out loud to my husband so we could both laugh. Now, time to go seek out my jelly beans! I MIGHT share them with my husband :)
ReplyDeleteFunny how jelly beans became associated with Easter Baskets as the preferred candy (due to their egg-shape), but I can tell by your enthusiasm that you enjoy jelly beans 'year-round'. :)
DeleteI always wondered why Jelly Belly “beans” taste so much better than generic jelly beans! I also have fond childhood memories of drinking milkshakes at Schrafft’s.
ReplyDeleteThat WAS an interesting fact to learn about the difference in taste between regular jelly beans and the Jelly Belly bean! Thanks for your visit, Margaret.
DeleteOh such a fun post! I did not know about National Jelly Bean Day!
ReplyDeleteGlad I could 'enlighten' you about this fun holiday, Joan. I really enjoyed your visit to my holiday review.
DeleteThank you for this fun info about jelly beans. I wasn't introduced to Jelly Bellies until after I met my husband. He was a connoisseur of these delectable treats; it's amazing how many flavors they come in.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that you didn't know about jelly beans until you were an adult, Cheryl. I figured everyone learned about them as children! :) Thanks for your visit to my fun holiday review.
DeleteWednesday Elf, I did know about jelly beans as a kid, just not the jelly bellies.
DeleteOh Love Jelly Bellies !! Great flavours, but I find it is impossible to eat just one lol! Thank you for a fun review
ReplyDeleteNo one who likes jelly belly jelly beans can eat just one! :) Guess those 4 calories each can add up. LOL.
DeleteThis is my kind of holiday! i love jelly beans and they love me too! Trouble is they are not on my diet! Darn, why can't the fun stuff be good for you? Plus, like other comments here, I can't just eat one! Maybe I can make an exception on the 22nd of April and just enjoy them for the day!
ReplyDelete