Quick! Name three candies that go in an Easter basket.

Were Jelly Beans on your list? If they were, you’re like most Americans. For decades, Jelly Beans have been a staple of the American Easter tradition.

In fact, jelly beans are America’s third favorite Easter candy. The first favorite is the chocolate Easter bunny, of course, followed by marshmallow Peeps. About 16 billion jelly beans are eaten during the Easter season alone.

If given a choice, most people will go for the red jelly beans. People just like red candy better. Cherry or strawberry are the preferred flavors. But jelly beans come in a huge array of flavors from butter popcorn to coffee to Dr. Pepper.

One story claims that Jelly beans became especially popular during the U.S. Civil War when they were marketed to union soldiers. Nobody knows if that’s true. Ads of the confection wer spotted in newspapers around 1905, but they were not widely associated with Easter until the 1930’s when a marketing campaign point out that the sweet, colorful candies look a little bit like eggs – a fact that helped make them a vital part of the modern Easter basket.

An Array of Sweet Flavors

If your kids (and you!) love the readf beans, feed the love of red candy with a 2 lb bag of red jelly beans from Lolliland. They’re the cherry flavor you crave in a bulk candy bag enough to fill every Easter basket.

If you need some extra color in your Easter, try Starburst Jellybeans made with real fruit juice. Each bag comes with an assortment of six flavors including Strawberry, Orange, Cherry, Green Apple, Grape, and Lemon.

If you’re looking for more flavors than the Easter Bunny can carry, you’re looking for Jelly Belly Jelly Beans. With 49 original flavors including Bubble Gum, Sizzling Cinnamon, and Cappuccino, Jelly Belly has the variety your little chicks are looking for.

Get adventurous with the 49 assorted flavor bulk pack. Or try one flavor at a time with the individually wrapped flavor twists. Pyramid Packs are the perfect treat for Easter Eggs with about ten assorted jelly beans per pack.

For a slightly more predictable, but no less tasty option, try one of Jelly Belly’s famous mixes. They include: Cocktail Mix, Cold Stone Ice Cream Mix, Kids Mix, Smoothie Blend, Snapple Mix, Soda Pop Shoppe, Sunkist Citrus Mix, Tropical Mix, Jewel Collection, Fruit Bowl, or Sour Mix.

Surprise! They’re Skittles

Did you know that Skittles also count as jelly beans? Technically any sugar candy with soft candy shells on the outside and sugary gel on the inside is a jelly bean, and Skittles fit the bill. Get your Skittles in the original assortment of grape, green apple, lemon, strawberry and orange. Or walk on the wild side with Wild Berry punch, strawberry, melon berry, wild cherry and raspberry.

If you need a candy that’s even edgier, check out Sour Skittles. These orange, grape, lemon and strawberry skittles jelly beans have a sour coating that will make your mouth water.

Or unwind with Tropical skittles in banana berry, kiwi lime, mango tangelo, pineapple passionfruit and strawberry starfruit flavors.

Even More Easter Fun

If you want even more Easter fun, visit our bulk candy store or check out our post on why we give chocolate bunnies on Easter.