How George Harrison's Love For This Candy Led To A Strange Concert Trend

The phenomenon known as "Beatlemania" hit such a fever pitch in the 1960s that the Beatles' press officer called it "entirely out of control" (per The Guardian). Amid the boundless enthusiasm fans exhibited, concertgoers habitually pelted the famous musicians with candy. Lead guitarist George Harrison inadvertently created the confectionary mayhem when he mentioned in a 1963 television interview that his favorite sweet was a British product called Jelly Babies. Beatles admirers latched onto the factoid and began mailing Jelly Babies to the band en masse, as well as chucking the candies at the Fab Four during their concerts.

Jelly Babies are baby-shaped gummy candies, akin to U.S. treats like Sour Patch Kids or gummy bears. When the Beatles came to the United States in 1964, for a whirlwind tour that included 32 performances in 33 days, a reporter mistakenly printed that jelly beans, not Jelly Babies, were the favored candy. As a result, instead of being thwacked with Jelly Babies (which, at least, were a soft sweet) as they encountered back home, the foursome faced an onslaught of not-so-soft jelly beans. 

Harrison compared the candies hailing down on the band to being hit with bullets. "It's a bit dangerous, you know, because a jelly bean traveling about 50 [miles] an hour through the air hits you in the eye, well, you're finished, you know. You're blind, aren't you?" Harrison told a reporter (via YouTube). It was fortunate fans didn't know his favorite sandwich — Marmite with lettuce and cheese — or they might have thrown jars of the yeasty British spread, a great ingredient for upgrading shepherd's pie but definitely a dangerous projectile.

The hazard of being hit in the eye wasn't mere speculation on George Harrison's part — it reportedly really happened to the guitarist, per a letter he wrote to a teenage fan. "We don't like Jelly Babies, or fruit gums for that matter, so think how we feel standing on stage trying to dodge the stuff, before you throw some more at us," the star wrote (per American Songwriter). "Besides, it is dangerous. I was hit in the eye once with a boiled sweet, and it's not funny." Boiled sweets, another British confection, are a hard treat similar to old-school U.S. candies like Jolly Ranchers or Life Savers. These candies, more rock-like in composition, would hurt even more than a jelly bean.

In addition to posing a physical threat to the Fab Four, these crazed candy onslaughts were so frenzied that at times reportedly Beatles concerts had to come to a full halt. Concertgoers were sometimes ejected from performance venues for throwing the treats.

The candy bombing wasn't the only hazard The Beatles faced on their American tour. Though annoying and occasionally painful, the jelly-bean chucking wasn't a threat to life, but other dangers were. For instance, someone sent a threatening letter to a concert promoter who had booked a Beatles performance in Colorado. "If you know what's good for you, cancel Denver engagement," the note spelled out, using letters clipped from magazines. "I'll be in the audience and I'm going to throw a hand grenade instead of jelly babies." It was signed, "Beatle Hater." The FBI investigated the threat, but was unable to identify a perpetrator. The concert ultimately took place without incident.