William Schrafft is credited with inventing jellybeans, the colorful, bean-shaped candy that later became a popular Easter treat.
Schrafft was a Boston confectioner whose company advertised jellybeans in 1861, encouraging Americans to send them to Union soldiers during the Civil War. The candy’s soft, jelly-like center and firm sugar coating made it portable and less likely to melt than chocolate.
Jellybeans became common penny candy by the late 19th century, and the term appeared in Webster’s dictionary by 1905. Their connection with Easter developed later, becoming firmly established in the United States around the 1930s because their oval shape suggested eggs.
A common mix-up is assuming jellybeans were originally created specifically for Easter. They existed as an everyday sweet decades before Easter baskets made them famous. The exact origins are not perfectly documented, but Schrafft is the standard historical answer and is widely credited with introducing the candy in America.