gummies are relatively moist, chewy candies manufactured by immersing a sugar syrup in a gelling agent, pouring the mixture into a starch mold, and leaving it to solidify. Gummies are spiritual successors to the lozenges, pastilles, and other gum arabic- and gum tragacanth-based fruit gums that spread from the Middle East to Europe. See lozenge; pastillage; and tragacanth. Modern gummies are a thoroughly industrial phenomenon, mass produced in factories, and with ingredient lists that typically include food dyes, artificial sweeteners, and gelatin. Gummies are easily molded and come in a bewildering array of shapes, from dinosaurs, sharks, frog legs, fried eggs, and phalluses to teeth, brains, aliens, hamburgers, and soda bottles.
