It all started in 1897. Since then, it has been a treat for everyone. Whether you enjoy cherry, strawberry-banana (or strawberry anything!), berry blue or lime, there’s a flavor that will add a little wiggle to your diet! Explore the world of Jell-O™ at – where else? – the Jell-O™ Museum and Gallery. A half hour’s drive from Rochester, NY, this museum is devoted to the tasty treat with exhibits that are deliciously fun and educational!

Jell-O™ was created in 1897 when Pearle Waite, a carpenter in LeRoy, was mixing a cough remedy and laxative tea. He experimented with gelatin and created the fruit-flavored dessert that his wife, Mary, dubbed Jell-O™. Waite then sold the formula to his neighbor Orator Frank Woodward for $450 in 1899! From there, the rest is delicious history!

At the museum set in a renovated 1898 schoolhouse, you can journey through the history of Jell-O™ as shown through early advertisements, radio and TV commercials, promotional products such as toys, cookouts and celebrity pitches. 

Fun Fact: Some of the ads from the early 1900s featured the brand’s first trademark, the Jell-O™ Girl, who was Elizabeth King, daughter of Franklin King, an artist for an advertising company. 

So who are some famous names behind the dessert? Besides Jell-O™ spokesperson Bill Cosby (undisputedly the king of the Jell-O spokespeople), TV personalities such as Andy Griffith and Lucille Ball praised the wiggly treat. Jack Benny was the first pitchman – first on radio in the 1930s, then later television – singing the praise of the product. 

Also on display at the museum are many of the original 1920s oil paintings commissioned for magazine ads and early recipe books with some featuring illustrations from notable artists like Norman Rockwell and Maxfield Parrish.  There is plenty of memorabilia ranging from the early 1900s, which feature the Jell-O™ Girl up to the present day.

Of course, you’ll learn a little trivia along the way, for example, that the first Jell-O™ flavors were strawberry, raspberry, orange and lemon! Or that the people of Salt Lake City consume more lime Jell-O™ than any other city! Did you know that the powdered gelatin was sponged on the horse of a different color in The Wizard of Oz to change its color? 

Stop by the Jell-O™ Gallery Gift Shop that sells brain-shaped Jell-O™ molds (since the gelatin and human brain exhibit similar brainwave patterns!) along with every other Jell-O™ theme item you can imagine. From T-shirts to Christmas ornaments to shot glasses, there’s something for everyone. (We must advise you that there is no Jell-O™ for sale at the museum!)

With nearly 300 million boxes of Jell-O™ gelatin sold in the United States each year, there’s no question why Jell-O™ is “America’s Most Famous Dessert.” Don’t just taste it – experience it at the Jell-O™ Museum.

The museum is located at 23 East Main Street in LeRoy, NY. It is open year-round, seven days a week from April through December and weekdays only for the rest of the year. For more information, call (585) 768-7433 or visit www.jellogallery.org.