Rowntree’s Jelly Tots

When I was a kid, I used to spend a lot of time waiting. In particular, I have a lot of memories at a subway station. My parents used to work at a very convenient location that was very close to the subway, but daycare was expensive and finding someone to watch me was tough. So I went with my parents as they went to the office, and spend some time traveling around the subway station. It’s not as boring as it sounds (though sometimes I was tedious) because of how many things were around said subway station. Plenty of vendors and storefronts peppered the station area, so I would always go for walks and explore the areas. As a kid, obviously I was drawn to candy.

After a while I came to discover that I had a strong preference for certain candies, and one of those was something called Jelly Tots. They were these small, sugar coated jellies that were small, colourful semi circles that can in various flavour varieties. They also had a distinct packaging, with what I can only describe as classic 90’s cartoon packaging. What a wild time. I loved these so much that I would go back to the same store so often I’m fairly certain the owner recognized me when I came in with my spare change, and hopeful eyes, ready to buy another pack of those tiny little sugary treats.

I should probably mention that the Jelly Tots I grew up loving were made by Wonka, and had various flavour varieties, which Berry was my favourite. Unfortunately, they weren’t around for very long. I don’t quite remember how long they were around for, but I feel like they didn’t stick around Canada for much more than a decade. It’s one of the few candies that I’m sad didn’t survive the test of time. It wasn’t exactly a unique idea though, and it probably faced some fierce competition. Especially from the original company that created them, Rowntree’s.

Fast forward to today and I happened across Rowntree’s version. Apparently these have been around since the 1960s. I’m not sure if these will be anywhere near what I expect, but based on the packaging they seem to be of a similar concept, so I part of me is slightly hopeful.

One of the most memorable things about the Wonka Jelly Tots was the consistency. It wasn’t that soft, but rather it was a bit firm and chewy. It was more like a firm, fruit snack rather than a jelly like a jujube. I don’t remember it getting stuck in my teeth as often than jujubes, so there’s that.

These Rowntree’s jelly tots however, are more like a jujube and end up stuck in your teeth if you aren’t careful. The sugar coating helps to keep it from sticking together and gives the jelly a nice crunch texture to the outside. But once you get inside it’s very soft and pliable, and kinda sticks everywhere if you aren’t careful. I think I need a toothpick. Speaking of jujubes, the texture isn’t the only thing that is very similar. Let’s talk about flavours.

Lemon is pretty typical of the lemon flavoured lollipops you get as a kid. It has the flavour of lemon, without much tartness and a lot of extra sugar to it. Nothing offensive or special about it really. Orange is almost very much like those generic lollipops as well. Are you noticing a pattern yet? The orange flavour is recognizable, but it doesn’t have much tart or strong rind flavour to it. Lime is yet again, like the typical lollipop flavour of childhood’s past. It has that distinct, bathroom cleaner feel to it. When you taste it, you instantly think of those strong smelling cleaning products that have a citrus smell to it. You obviously would never be silly enough to taste them, but based on smell alone, you feel like this is what they might taste like, were they natural and not chemical concoctions.

Strawberry is a pleasant, jammy flavour. Rather simple in it’s delivery, but maybe that’s not such a bad thing? At the very least, this one is a decent flavour and doesn’t remind me of a super clean bathroom or freshly cleaned surface. It reminds me of something I could spread on top of a piece of toast.

Blackcurrant is by far my favourite. I’m sure I’m not alone in this either, as Rowntree’s sells blackcurrant on it’s own under it’s other brands, Frutips. It has the distinct, berry like flavour that currants have, without the tartness. Again, it’s simple but distinct. So much so that I’d argue that anyone who has had Rowntree’s blackcurrant flavour will be able to recognize this immediately.

Apart from the blackcurrant, the other flavours are pretty standard, generic affair you could probably also find in a tub of jujubes, though the flavour would be less pronounced I wager. I guess now is a probably a good time to mention that these are basically identical to Frutips, which are the larger, almost cylindrical version of these candies. The flavours are nigh identical, and the consistency and texture is the same as well. While that’s not a bad thing, it doesn’t help to sate my craving for the Wonka Jelly Tots. I guess it doesn’t help that I used to eat Fruitips religiously as well as Jelly Tots. I was a really hyper kid. All the time.

These aren’t very easy to find in my neck of the woods, and for that reason, and that reason alone I can’t really recommend this over something like Fruitips which are far, far easier to find. These aren’t bad, but they also are no different from Fruitips which are everywhere. In fact, I have it on good authority that all of Rowntree’s jelly snacks use the same flavour and consistency. So get whatever you can find for a decent, potentially nostalgic taste that may or may not bring you back to your childhood. As usual, your mileage may vary.