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Jelly Belly beans come in more than 100 flavors, each one marked by a different color.

Jelly beans are a type of confectionery that comes in many different (primarily fruit) flavors. They are small (the size of a red kidney bean or smaller) and usually have a hard candy shell and gummy interior. The confection is primarily made of sugar.

The interior jelly traces its origin back hundreds of years to a candy called Turkish Delight, while the shell is essentially the same as that developed in the late 17th century for Jordan Almond candies. The two were brought together around the beginning of the 20th century. It was not until 1930 or so that jelly beans became an Easter candy, presumably from their resemblance to Easter eggs. Their egg-like shape was then associated with the Easter bunny, who gave out eggs on Easter.

In appearances in popular fiction and entertainment, they have been referred to as "sweetrocks" in the film Ant Bully; have been used as currency in Disney's Toontown Online; and are in the title of F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story "The Jelly Bean".

The basic ingredients of jelly beans include sugars, corn syrup, and food starch. Relatively minor amounts of lecithin (an emulsifier), anti-foaming agents, beeswax or carnauba wax, salt, and confectioner's glaze are also added to the mix. The ingredients that give each bean its character are also relatively small in proportion and may vary depending on the flavor. These include natural and artificial flavors and colors, and, depending on the bean flavor, may include chocolate, coconut, fruit puree or juice, peanuts, vanilla, oils, cream, or freeze-dried egg, milk, or fruit powders.

Most jelly beans are sold as an assortment of about eight more or less standard fruit flavors. Assortments of "spiced" jellybeans and gumdrops are also available, which include a similar number of spice and mint flavors. The colors of jelly beans are also more or less standardized, and a fairly typical scheme is shown in the table to the right.

A handful of jelly beans

On the other hand, some premium brands, such as Jelly Belly, are available in dozens of different flavors, including berry, tropical fruit, soft drink, popcorn and novelty ranges in addition to the familiar fruit and spice flavors. While these are also sold as assortments, individual flavors can be individually purchased from distributors.

In the 1980s, when Ronald Reagan was President of the United States, he was known for keeping a jar of Jelly Belly jelly beans on his desk, which was credited with helping to increase the candy's popularity in the U.S.

There are other candy products which also have a hard candy shell and a gummy interior, such as Skittles. However, these are not marketed as "jelly beans" and are not typically referred to as such.

1920 sheet music cover

In United States slang in the 1910s and early 1920s a "Jelly bean" or "Jellybean" was a young man who made great efforts to dress very stylishly, presumably to attract women, but had little else to recommend him; similar to the older terms dandy and fop and the slightly later drugstore cowboy. However, the word was also used as a synonym for pimp.

The type was memorialized in the song, "Jelly Bean (He's a Curbstone Cutie)", kept popular through the 1940s by Phil Harris. It was written by Jimmie Dupre, Sam Rosen, and Joe Verges and published in New Orleans in 1920 by Universal Music Publishers, Inc.

In the semiconductor industry, a "jelly bean" component is one which is widely available, used generically in many applications, and has no very unusual characteristics - as though it might be grabbed out of a jar in handfuls when needed, like jelly beans. For example, the 741 might be considered a jelly bean operational amplifier.

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