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Jelly babies are a type of confectionery that look like little babies in a variety of colours. They are very popular in the United Kingdom. Three incarnations of the Doctor are known to have a fondness for the sweets, most notably the Fourth. The Second Doctor ate some during the events of "The Three Doctors," and the Seventh appears to have developed a fondness for them towards the end of his life ("Doctor Who: The TV Movie").
There are currently several companies that make Jelly babies, most predominantly Trebor Bassett (famous for their liquorice allsorts) and also by Rowntree (Nestlé).
Jelly Babies were launched by Bassett's in 1918 as "Peace Babies" to mark the end of World War I. Production was suspended during World War II due to wartime shortages. In 1953 the product was relaunched as "Jelly Babies". In March 1989 Bassett's were taken over by Cadbury Schweppes who had earlier acquired the Trebor brand.
Like many sweets, they contain gelatin and are thus not suitable for many vegetarians.
A school experiment (see screaming jelly babies) is to put them in a strong oxidising agent, and see the resulting spectacular reaction.
Trivia
- To mark Jelly Babies' 80th birthday, "Jellyatrics" were released by Age Concern featuring older jelly people.[1]
- In the 1960s, George Harrison of The Beatles stated in an interview that they were his favourite candy. This caused their British fans to begin throwing packets or handfuls at the band while they played. American fans, not familiar with Jelly Babies, substituted the much harder and projectile-like jelly bean, much to the band's dismay.
- Jelly babies are a favourite confection of Basil Brush.
- The Jelly Babies were a DIY/post punk band that were a part of the Cassette Culture scene during the early 1980s.