I see from some Googling that in the 30s they were egg-shaped, but that’s as far as I’ve got with this question that popped into my head the other day. I’ve seen the same spiel on their history on about 6 different sites. Nothing in the production process I’ve read explains the slight bend that seems to be de rigeur, if anything it must make them harder to make.
Anyone know more?
Realism? Perhaps they are going after the classic bean shape.
Wiki “jelly bean” indicates the shape was influenced by Jordan Almonds and the contents by Turkish delight.
Yes I saw the Wiki article. It says the shell is “essentially the same”, but they must mean the material and production process (“panning”), as the shape of Jordan Almonds is nothing like a jelly bean.
It shouldn’t make them any harder to make. To make them they have trays of tightly packed corn starch. A press comes down and imprints the she shape into the corn starch (well, hundreds of them anyways) and the voids are filled with the candy. From there they go into a drying room where the corn starch absorbs the moisture. So the shape really shouldn’t make any difference. In fact, AFAIK that’s how all ‘gummy’ candy is made as well.
Wow, I expected a lot more discussion on America’s favourite candy! So really, no-one knows why that slightly-bent oval shape was chosen or changed to?
Also I had no idea there was an association with Easter in the US. Here they are just like any other lolly, eaten whenever.
I’ve been on the tour of the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield, California and this was never really brought up. They’re bean shaped… it’s kind of obvious. Having seen the production floor I’d say making it harder to manufacture is the least of their concerns - the factory (or at least the publically visible parts) is pristine, ultra modern and gorgeous. Keeping it that way probably costs more than making jelly beans in any shape you desire. Though I didn’t see a single umpa loompa grumble
Slight Nitpick. Jelly Belly’s are shaped like beans and are eaten year round. Jelly Beans are shapped more like eggs (no curve) and are primarily an Easter candy.
Jelly Belly is a name brand Jelly Bean.
(All Jelly Belly’s are jelly beans but not all jelly beans are jelly bellys.)
It is a mystery. The shape is similar to a bean. Why would manufacturer ever consider making a jelly bean look like a bean? I mean bean . . . jelly bean . . . bean . . . jelly bean. . . How could anyone possibly make any connection between the two? 
The truth is that they were originally kidney-flavoured. Hence the shape. Modern tastes demanded more variety and the old offal-flavoured candies are now very hard to find.
Just in case this is not a whoosh … clearly they were called beans because of their resemblance to beans, not vice versa.
It’s not like they sat down and said “Marketing came up with this product name, Jelly Beans. What shape will we make them?”.
