Just about everyone is familiar with the little colorful, bean-shaped candy known as the jelly bean. They’re a candy that has been popular since the Civil War and have been enjoyed by children and adults all over the world—including the 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan. So it should be no surprise to anyone that this candy is popular enough to have its own holiday. A holiday that falls on the 22nd of April every year and is known as National Jelly Bean Day.

The History Of Jelly Beans

Unfortunately, we were unable to locate the true origin of National Jelly Bean Day. It seems that whoever created it did so anonymously. However, we do know the history of jelly beans—a history that we’re prepared to recount briefly in this section. Jelly beans were first mentioned during the Civil War. In 1861, a Boston confectioner named William Schrafft urged people to send soldiers little packs of jelly beans.

From that point on, jelly beans had been mentioned in various forms of advertising. In the 1920s, the term “jellybean” would be associated with young men who were stylish but had no other redeeming qualities. Sometime during the 1930s, jelly beans would begin to be associated with Easter celebrations, probably due to their resemblance to tiny eggs.

Some Colorful Facts About Jelly Beans

Since we know that everyone is eager to learn some interesting facts about jelly beans, we’ve decided to go ahead and put down some of the facts we’ve come across during our research for this holiday.

• In the early 1900s, jelly beans were popular penny candy.
• Over 16 billion jelly beans are made every year just for Easter.
• Most jelly bean assortments feature a core group of 8 flavors.
• It can take anywhere from a week to three weeks to make a jelly bean.
• Jelly beans are the American version of Turkish Delight—a candy made of chewy jelly.
• Jelly beans are often associated with Christmas by some people.
• Blueberry jelly beans were invented by U.S. President Ronald Reagan.
• Ronald Reagan loved jelly beans so much, he had a jelly bean jar installed on Air Force One.
• In 1983, Ronald Reagan sent jelly beans to the Challenger space shuttle.
• The most popular jelly bean flavor in the U.S. is cherry.

Observing National Jelly Bean Day

National Jelly Bean Day can be observed by simply picking up a bag of jelly beans at your local grocery store or gas station. Of course, this holiday can also be celebrated by making one of the many recipes that use jelly beans. These recipes include Jelly Bean Pop-Tarts, Jelly Bean Bark, Jelly Bean Ice Cream, or even Jelly Bean Donuts. And while you’re whipping up a new jelly bean creation, be sure to use the hashtag #NationalJellyBeanDay on your social media accounts.