Jelly babies are a kind of gelatin-based sweet in the shape of little babes. They are small, soft, sticky and come in various colours. Quite a few different companies make their own sort of jelly babies. The best known manufacturers in Britain are Trebor Bassett (now owned by Cadbury-Schweppes) and Rowntree (now owned by Nestlé International).
Jelly Babies were invented by Trebor Basset after World War I. Based in Sheffield, the company called them "Peace Babies" to celbrate the end of the war. Jelly babies were in a big hit pretty quickly, but Bassett stopped making them during WWII because of shortages in materials. Trebor Basset started making them again in 1953, with the name of Jelly Babies.
Jelly Babies are popular outside the UK, there are international differences. For instance, the British ones tend to be dusted in an edible starch; the Aussie ones don't have this slight coating. Swedes (hunt around in Ikea) consume jelly rats instead of jelly babes.
Reputedly, you can observe some impressive reactions in the chemistry lab using jelly babies and a strong oxidising agent.
Jelly Babies were invented by Trebor Basset after World War I. Based in Sheffield, the company called them "Peace Babies" to celbrate the end of the war. Jelly babies were in a big hit pretty quickly, but Bassett stopped making them during WWII because of shortages in materials. Trebor Basset started making them again in 1953, with the name of Jelly Babies.
Jelly Babies are popular outside the UK, there are international differences. For instance, the British ones tend to be dusted in an edible starch; the Aussie ones don't have this slight coating. Swedes (hunt around in Ikea) consume jelly rats instead of jelly babes.
Reputedly, you can observe some impressive reactions in the chemistry lab using jelly babies and a strong oxidising agent.