Gummi candy, gummy candy, gummies or jelly sweets are a broad, general type of gelatin-based, chewy candy.
Gummi bears are the most popular and well known of the gummi candies. Other common shapes include bottles, worms, frogs,[1] hamburgers, cherries, sharks, army men, hippopotami, lobsters, watermelons, octopodes, apples, peaches, oranges, and even full-size rats, large human body parts (hearts, feet, faces), Ampelmännchen and Smurfs.
Gummi candy is sometimes combined with other forms of candy, such as marshmallow and chocolate as well as made sour.
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Gummies have a long history as a popular confectionery. The candy was invented by Hans Riegel Sr., the father of Hans Riegel, in 1922.[2]
In 2008, R.M. Palmer Co. signed an agreement with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey to become a licensee producing seasonal novelty gummies sold in bags, boxes or tins.[3][4]
Gummi worms are a common variation first introduced by Trolli a brand of the German Mederer GmbH (note that the American branch is owned by Kraft Foods since 1996) on July 15, 1981, the 60th anniversary of gummi bears. The average gummi worms created by Trolli are about two inches long. Each gummi worm varies from four inches to ten inches and has two different colors and flavors that mix in the middle of the gummi worm. Some other brands of gummi worms have more than two colors, and are longer than the original Trolli Brite Crawlers, and may have a sour coating or other variations.
Cola bottles are sweets in the shape of classic Coca-Cola-style bottles with a cola flavor. They are produced by numerous companies. "Fizzy Blue Bottles", made by Lutti (formerly part of the French division of the Leaf Candy Company, now controlled by a private investment group), are sweets typically found in a pick and mix selection. They are very similar to cola bottle gummies in shape, but blue and pink coloured and usually sour. "Blue Bottles", a variation from another company, have small rims around the sides, and are chewier and thicker, with a sweeter taste.
Ring shaped gummi candy that is often covered in sugar or sour powder. The most common and most popular flavor is the peach ring, but other flavors include green apple, melon, blue raspberry, strawberry, and aniseed - although these are typically coated in chocolate. A commonly know producer of gummi rings is Trolli, for which the gummi rings are an important asset.[5]
In Australia, jelly confectionary in the shape of frogs has been very popular since the 1930s. They are coloured red or green, although they are usually referred to as "Red Frogs".
In February 2005, following complaints by the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Kraft decided to stop production of the controversial Trolli U.S. Road Kill Gummies. The society complained that the products, shaped as partly flattened squirrels, chickens and snakes, would give children an incorrect message on the proper treatment of animals.[6]
Along with chocolate, chocolate chips and buttons, fudge, chocolate coated nuts and fruit, bubble gum, lollipops, toffee, jelly beans, marshmallows, sherbet, and Turkish delight, gummies landed on the "What's out in 2009" list for some Canadian schools.[7] An audit in parts of Victoria, British Columbia was planned for 2009 to ensure the government ban on selling the confectionary in school canteens and vending machines is obeyed.[7]
Scientists have studied adding tooth-protecting sugar substitute xylitol to gummies to fight tooth decay.[8]