Ah, the time when many items were still offered by weight.  Yeah, the wrappings Tom pulled from his pocket did not look to be factory measured and sealed, just blank paper, usually white.  That's why I posted that lil' "scenario" on July 23, to suggest the Doctor is continually visiting a sweet shop in the 40s or 50s, buying the sweets "old school".

Sincerely,

Bill

Quote from: Rassilons Rod on Apr 21, 2021, 01:58 pmI'm sure Russell will have a good answer too, but I would imagine that they just sent someone out to the shops to buy some.

In those days (and at least until the early 80's when I was still a child), you could go into shops here in the UK that had many shelves filled with jars and they would sell you what you wanted, in the amounts you wanted and they came in little paper bags, just like Tom had in his pockets.

If you look around there are still a few shops around the country that still sell them like that!  You can't beat them like that! Yum!!

I love the Iron Legion!
You beat me to posting that opening splash page, mate!!

That is exactly how I imagine the 4th Doctor restocking up on his Jelly babies...pop back in time to a little corner shop & buy a few!

I always hoped that one day I'd be in my little sweet shop where I got my stocks from. I'd turn round & there queueing up behind me would be the 4th Doctor ready to buy up the shops entire stock!!

(Mind you, I was hoping NOT to see the shop owner ruthlessly gunned down by a Roman space robot!!)

Happy days,

Russell

The last remaining original Met box it at Crich Tramway Museum.. and they also have a sweet shop where you can buy things by weight and in little paper bags!  (Or they did last time we went before lockdown began.)

Italy and Spain also still have a decent number shops were you can buy sweets by weight. No paper bags though, they've moved with the times and are now plastic. These shops are very common actually. Well, at least in Italy a decade ago and in Spain until last year. And surprisingly, no, they didn't go under. All the sweet shops decided that February 2020 was the perfect time to pack up and leave Spain. There's a reason why, but it doesn't involve jelly babies, so it doesn't belong in this thread.

You've got me intrigued now...

Russ

Someone pointed out an American chain that sells Jelly Babies by weight.  Lolli & Pops, IIRC.  There's 2 stores on the Rich side of town.  Bought a bag awhile back.  Plastic, not white paper, so since the white paper bags wear out, I'm always on the lookout for more.  I might argue that a better question is "why did they use licorice allsorts for "Jelly Babies" in more than a few episodes?  (The Pirate Planet being the most egregious.)   

AArrgghh!  Don't remind me of that!!
I try to blot it out of my mind as it bugs me to hell.

I'm sure it was one of those time constraint things:

"We've run out of jelly babies...nip out & get some."
"No time! This scene needs to be in the can in half an hour!"
"Ok, well I've got some liquorice allsorts in my bag... let's use those...No one will EVER notice..."

Over 30 years later a viewer sits screaming at the telly...
"They're NOT jelly babies!!  What were they THINKING??!!??!!"

Regards,

Russell

Actually, Tom Baker didn't like jelly babies! So that's why a lot of the times he offers jelly babies but in reality are liquorice allsorts, which he did like.

I heard he didn't like jelly babies too, so It's a possibility....

Perhaps in the earlier years he behaved himself, but in the later seasons when he started to "throw his weight around" a bit more, he substituted the jelly babies for sweets he preferred, because it was HIS show & he could do what he damn well liked!!

Russ

I've tried both since the local Publix (a slightly upscale chain supermarket popular in the southeast States) carried both.  Ugh!  I'm normally adverse to wasting food, but the "Allsorts" tasted so vile (on my tongue, anyway) that I sacrified the 3 dollars and chucked them.  On the other hand, I genuinely love "jelly babies", and not simply because of Doctor Who.  Oh, that's how I learned of them, yes, but I find the texture and flavors quite pleasing in of themselves, and I'm normally a chocolate kind of fellow.

Sincerely,

Bill

Around 1988 a drug store chain in the US had Jelly Babies for awhile.  Had the classic yellow Basset's box (IIRC, it *was* a long time ago) and they were shaped like Jelly Babies, but they didn't have the cornstarch coating and they basically tasted like Gummi Bears.  I wish I could get those again. 

A "box modeled" jelly baby mesh employing extrusion and subdivision techniques loosely based upon the Taveners brand I can locally purchase.  I also created a greyscale "displacement" map to depict the eyes, nose and navel.  The underside is slightly concave, just like the actual sweet.

Sincerely,

Bill

That looks good!

"Fake" jelly babies would be a great way of ensuring you don't have to keep buying new ones. They'd be great as part of a Dr Who collection display, as well.

Of course, you wouldn't then have the fun of handing them out at conventions....

I'd be terrified someone might get hold of them & start munching on them by mistake... a bit like those comedy scenes where someone takes a big bite out of a piece of wax fruit...

Btw:  How do you eat your jelly babies?
I always bite the head off first... It's kinder in the long run..

Cheers,

Russell

You may be onto something there.  Actually this crossed my mind but I never pursued it:  Jelly Baby molds.  I have a line on Jelly Babies now, but they are spendy and I don't particularly like them.  I would think any of this kind of confection would melt when heated and resolidify when cooled, so you could (in theory) melt down store brand Gummy Bears and pour them into Jelly Baby molds.  I wonder if I'd have to line the molds with cornstarch, thus leaving only the money savings as a reason for all the extra work.