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 advertising and promotional products.
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, 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.
Of course, you’ll learn a little trivia along the way, for example, that the first Jell-O™ flavors were strawberry, orange, lemon and raspberry! Or that Salt Lake City consumes more lime flavored Jell-O™ than any other city! Did you know that the powder was used to dye the horse of a different color in The Wizard of Oz ?
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 any other Jell-O™ theme item you can imagine. From Christmas ornaments to T-shirts 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.
