Brits have been left shocked after discovering that all of Jelly Babies actually have names.
The sweets, which were first invented in 1864, meaning they're more like jelly geriatrics these days, have actually had a number of different names throughout their existence.
After both world wars, their name was changed to 'Peace Babies', which is probably one of the earliest examples of marketing trends. They were first called 'Unclaimed Babies', which is actually quite sad.
Once they got their modern-day name and packaging, customers have rarely taken the time to learn the names or personalities of the different sweets in the bag, probably just scoffing them down without a second thought.
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Although added sugar is rarely a good thing, there's no doubt that these particular sweeties are great for the long run, and they're likely to stay on our supermarket shelves for many years to come.
But the next time you pick up a pack, you might want to cast a glance at the back, where it turns out that all of the separate babies have their names listed, alongside their differing shapes and colours.
Richard Price, a British Grocery expert at Brit Superstore, shed some light on this, saying: "Whilst every Brit undoubtedly has a favourite flavour or often colour, few British consumers or expats realise they actually have a name. As part of their rebrand in 1953, Bassetts gave each colour a distinct shape and name."
The official Jelly Babies' names
- Brilliant - Red
- Bubbles - Yellow
- Baby Bonny - Pink
- Boofuls - Green
- Bigheart - Purple
- Bumper - Orange
While red is undoubtedly the best flavour (in my opinion), it does feel like slight favouritism to call that one Brilliant, while poor green is stuck with a name like Boofuls.
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Despite them always appearing on the back of the sweets for many years, it seems as if the vast majority of Brits have been left shocked by the news.
After a conversation was prompted on Reddit, one commenter said: "I think they had them in the 90s, definitely the 00s."
Another wrote: "I feel like I've definitely seen Bonny baby before but I don't recall the others."
A third commented: "They definitely have because I remember being irritated by the word ‘boofuls’ before."
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However, Boofuls is nothing compared to some of the names you see on Instagram these days, with one woman left shocked after she suggested a name for her best friend's baby as a joke, only for her son to actually be given it.
James Moorhouse