The aesthetic appeal of candy sprinkles is undeniable—they’re a timeless classic that everyone loves. You can put sprinkles on everything from ice cream to cakes, doughnuts, cupcakes, and pancakes. Honestly, is your ice cream for parties even complete without the fun sprinkles?

However, did you ever wonder where sprinkles came from? They may look simple, but sprinkles have a long and convoluted history.

In this article, we will be giving you a quick run through the history of this versatile addition to your favorite ice cream cart treats. 

Sprinkles All over the World

Sprinkles are eaten in various ways and by a large number of people all over the world. If you're an American who has never heard the words "hundreds and thousands" before, it's a perfect description of sprinkles. Sprinkles are also known as "jimmies" in some parts of the United States, and they're smeared liberally on just about every dessert. 

Sprinkles are a common bread topping in the Netherlands and Australia. They are referred to as "hagelslag," or "hail-storm" in Dutch, and "fairy bread" in Australia. Fairy bread typically has rainbow sprinkles, whereas hagelslag usually has chocolate sprinkles.

Theories of Its Origin

Sprinkles have many applications and merits, but their origins remain a mystery. Many people say the first batch of sprinkles was produced by the French or the Dutch, although others claim it was invented in the United States of America. 

Many questions remain unanswered as to what and why they were termed this way. There's been a lot of debate in the United States over a particular hue of sprinkles and their names, but the evidence supporting this claim is shaky at best. 

Why Are Sprinkles Sometimes Called "Jimmies?"

Why do some people refer to sprinkles as "jimmies" in various parts of the country? 

Samuel Born, a Brooklyn entrepreneur in the 1920s, is said to have founded the Just Born confectionery firm. You may not recognize the name of this company–but do you recognize Peep, Hot Tamales, or Mike & Ike? These sweets, along with many others from the Just Born candy brand, have become a classic.

A coworker at the firm, Jimmy operated the machine that manufactured Born's latest invention: small sweet candy pieces. "Jimmies" was born as a trademarked term after the inventor.

After World War II, the latest creation from Just Born found its way to Boston, where Brigham's Ice Cream remained the undisputed king. When Edward Brigham started his ice cream business, it was said to be the first to offer free-of-charge jimmies on the ice cream served.

There's another angle to the story. "Jimmies," according to Mr. Sprinkles, were not named after Just Born at all but instead after Dr. Sidney Farber, an uncle of Edward Brigham. He formed a benevolent foundation named after one of his patients titled The Jimmy Fund, which still exists today. 

As part of this initiative, Brigham's is said to have helped by charging an additional cent for "jimmies" on a cone of chocolate sprinkles.

However, despite this other tale, Just Born has always claimed to have invented "jimmies" itself. Further evidence has been uncovered by Snopes.com, which unearthed newspaper advertising from this time that shows that chocolate sprinkles were already in existence before the creation of Just Born. 

As a result, this merely shows that Just Born may have taken the name of an already-existing confection and used it as a marketing tool in a quickly becoming more diverse market.

Conclusion

The origins of sprinkles remain a bit of an enigma. All we can say for sure is that they appeared in the early twentieth century, went by various names, and are today popular around the world.

You too can add some fun ice cream and sprinkles to your party. You can rent an ice cream cart in Denver for fun and tasty party ice cream. Besties Ice Cream offers fresh, local, dairy-free, and organic ice cream options for your party needs. Reserve your truck today!