This little sugary snack has been the favorites of presidents, movie stars (and movie-star presidents) and kids of all ages since their creation. But did you know there is a National Jelly Bean Day, celebrated on April 22nd?

Although the holiday is not official (there appears to be no congressional records or presidential proclamations), it is a day favored by jelly bean aficionados everywhere. A favorite as a cheap treat at Easter, jelly beans have increasingly moved into the realm of gourmet snacks with an amazing variety of colors, flavors and mixtures, some of which are simply experiments with flavor molecule combinations that produce amazingly real but disgusting flavors. The flavors are seemingly only limited by the imagination of the candy makers.

Jelly beans date back to the early 1860s, when advertisements promoted sending the candy to Union troops fighting the Civil War. Jelly beans are thought, however, to be descended from a earlier candy known in England as Turkish Delight.

Turkish Delight, the English name for Lokum, is a gel confection made of starch, sugar, and lemon or rosewater and often flavored with dates, finely-crushed nuts, and dusted with powered sugar or cream of Tartar. Apparently, English traders began to bring the sweet home where it caught on and eventually came to the United States.

If you are curious how good or bad jelly beans are for you, consider this: Just Born® Original Jelly Beans contain 0g total fat (and no transfats), and for 23 pieces have 140 calories, 36g carbohydrate, and 27g sugars. We also offer Mike & Ike as well. If you are adventurous, you can create your own jelly beans for homemade use with a few simple ingredients and some creativity.

To celebrate National Jelly Bean Day, switch out the current load of candy or gumballs to vend a nice handful of jelly beans. Vendors who own routes may want to create stickers or small posters to commemorate the day and encourage the puchase of jelly beans from their Rhino Vending Machines.