9 Things You Didn't Know About Gummy Bears

Who doesn't love gummy bears? Those sticky, chewy little bear-shaped gelatin-based candies are one of the most popular treats around, and they come in a wide variety of flavors and colors. But even if you never rode the school bus without a few in your pocket, we bet that there are some things you didn't know about this tiny treat.

The "gummy" in gummy bear comes from the original thickener used by Riegel, gum arabic (the resin of an acacia tree). He called the product Gummibären, and the name stuck. 

The "gummy" in gummy bear comes from the original thickener used by Riegel, gum arabic (the resin of an acacia tree). He called the product Gummibären, and the name stuck. 

All the gummy products you see today, from worms to frogs, cherries and other fruit, sharks, and even hamburgers, were inspired by the success of the original gummy bear.

In the United States, Haribo gummy bears come in five flavors: raspberry (red); orange (orange); strawberry (green); pineapple (colorless); and lemon (yellow). Trolli's gummy bears are sold in the same colors, but their red is strawberry-flavored, green is lime, and colorless is grape. 

In the United States, Haribo gummy bears come in five flavors: raspberry (red); orange (orange); strawberry (green); pineapple (colorless); and lemon (yellow). Trolli's gummy bears are sold in the same colors, but their red is strawberry-flavored, green is lime, and colorless is grape. 

To produce gummy bears, the design is carved into plaster by an artist, then duplicated in a tray filled with cornstarch called a starch mogul (the shape of the gummy is stamped into the starch first). The hot liquid is then poured into the molds, and after they set, the molds are turned out and the starch is recycled. 

To produce gummy bears, the design is carved into plaster by an artist, then duplicated in a tray filled with cornstarch called a starch mogul (the shape of the gummy is stamped into the starch first). The hot liquid is then poured into the molds, and after they set, the molds are turned out and the starch is recycled. 

Haribo uses animal-derived gelatin to make its gummy products, so in areas where pork can't be eaten they need to be made with bovine gelatin. In Turkey, there's a Haribo factory that does just this, making halal/kosher gummies. Some gummy bears are made with starch or pectin instead of gelatin, and so are suitable for vegetarians and vegans.  

Today, some gummy bears come in the form of multivitamins, some contain vitamin C, and some contain the wood sugar xylitol, which fights cavities. 

In the U.K., you'll find gummy bears' British equivalent, called jelly babies. Slightly firmer and less rubbery than gummy bears, these homuncular candies have been around since the 1850s but got their name in 1953.

From 1985 to 1991, Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears aired on NBC and later ABC, and was later rebroadcast as part of the syndicated Disney Afternoon block through the 1990s. The show was an essential part of television viewing for a generation of kids, and its theme song is a legitimate earworm. The show was actually dreamed up by none other than Disney CEO Michael Eisner himself, who had the idea for the show when his son requested the candies one day. 

Gummi Bears was the very first animated TV show by Walt Disney Animation Television, and is widely regarded as having jump-started the TV animation boom of the late 1980s and '90s. Without Gummi Bears, there may not have been Darkwing Duck, DuckTales, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, Goof Troop, or TaleSpin!