Jelly babies are something of a classic when it comes to sweets – they’ve been around for as long as any of us can remember (and probably as long as your Grandparents can remember, too!) but where did it all start? Jelly Babies went through quite the timeline to get to where they are today.
Sweets in the City have all the deets from the Jelly Baby origin story… along with a few interesting facts, to sweeten your historic knowledge.
A Sweet Invention
I know what you’re thinking, what incredible genius invented the delicious jelly baby? Well, legend has it that it was an Australian immigrant in 1864. The initial invention was something of a mistake…he was meant to create a mould for jelly bears, however, (for reasons which may be forever lost in time) it seems the jelly baby was born instead – pun wholly intended.
And thus, the reign of the jelly baby began. After a short hiatus, classic sweet manufacturer Basset’s took up the style of the rather darker original name ‘unclaimed babies’ and rebranded them ‘Peace Babies’ to mark the end of World War I. These new sweets had a more realistic baby look , closer to the sweets we know today.
Ironically, the production of Peace Babies was halted by wartime shortages in World War II, but – luckily for all of us – they were relaunched officially as Jelly Babies in 1953, just in time for the rock & rollin’ 50’s era!
Who are the Jelly Babies?
Maybe it sounds like a weird question, but Sweets in the City happens to know that jelly babies come with their own personas – even their own names!
The Jelly Baby gang consists of Bubbles (the yellow one!), Baby Bonny (that’s the red one – to you and me), Boofuls (the green jelly baby), Bigheart (the dark purple, blackcurrant flavoured baby) and Bumper (by process of elimination, Bumper is, of course, the orange one)!
Not only do they have names, Jelly Babies are something of a household name – and that’s not just because they’re so tasty. They’ve made more than one TV appearance over the years, their portfolio includes: Doctor Who, Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series and even Doc Martin.
Why is the green jelly baby crying?
The eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed that Boofuls – everyone’s favourite green Jelly Baby – appears to be crying. But don’t worry, nothing terrible has happened – Boofuls is just a little sensitive. In a 1993 Jelly Babies advert, it was revealed the Boofus cries at everything – whether she’s happy or sad – “she’s a real cry baby”.
We <3 Jelly Babies
We’re not sure about you, but all those Jelly Baby sweet facts have put us in the mood for some Jelly Babies of our own. Luckily for you, you really are in the right place. Go to this page to buy your favourite Jelly Babies in bulk – that’s right, in bulk! Your Jelly Baby stash will go a long way with this order – and feel free to pick out your other sweet favourites while you’re there.
Don’t forget to impart your knowledge on Bubbles, Bonny, Boofuls & Bigheart when sharing them around… For more fun sweet facts, make sure you’re following us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
