# Why are jelly beans the shape they are? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 12, 2006, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-jelly-beans-the-shape-they-are/372378 "2006-09-12T05:32:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-jelly-beans-the-shape-they-are/372378/1 "2006-09-12T05:32:44Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Rosewater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/898d66/32.png) [@Mr.Rosewater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Rosewater)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-jelly-beans-the-shape-they-are/372378/2 "2006-09-12T05:46:40Z")
Realism? Perhaps they are going after the classic [bean](http://static.flickr.com/56/125096689_b7fae496d8.jpg) shape. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-jelly-beans-the-shape-they-are/372378/3 "2006-09-12T05:51:06Z")
Wiki “jelly bean” indicates the shape was influenced by Jordan Almonds and the contents by Turkish delight. > [@](#): > > History > The interior jelly traces its origin back thousands of years to a candy called Turkish Delight while the shell is essentially the same as that developed in the late 19th 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 eggs. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-jelly-beans-the-shape-they-are/372378/4 "2006-09-12T09:38:31Z")
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](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_almond) a jelly bean. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2006, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-jelly-beans-the-shape-they-are/372378/5 "2006-09-12T11:17:30Z")
[QUOTE=Askance] if anything it must make them harder to make. Anyone know more? [/QUOTE] 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. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-jelly-beans-the-shape-they-are/372378/6 "2006-09-13T03:51:30Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![groman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@groman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groman)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-jelly-beans-the-shape-they-are/372378/7 "2006-09-13T09:37:20Z")
[QUOTE=Askance] 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? [/QUOTE] 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_ ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-jelly-beans-the-shape-they-are/372378/8 "2006-09-13T11:18:37Z")
[QUOTE=Askance] 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. [/QUOTE] 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.) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-jelly-beans-the-shape-they-are/372378/9 "2006-09-13T13:27:21Z")
[QUOTE=Askance] 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?. [/QUOTE] 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? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-jelly-beans-the-shape-they-are/372378/10 "2006-09-13T13:41:11Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-jelly-beans-the-shape-they-are/372378/11 "2006-09-14T03:53:11Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] 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? 😕 [/QUOTE] 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?”.