Jelly Charm Bracelet Styles of the Past & Today

Updated April 1, 2021
Jelly bracelets

Jelly bracelets first arrived on the scene in the 1980s as a fashion accessory. However, by 2003, the jelly bracelet had a sexual meaning that had parents and school officials worried.

History of Jelly Bracelets

Jelly bracelets were popularized as a fashion accessory by pop singers like Cyndi Lauper and Madonna. The thin, rubbery like wristbands came in the rainbow of colors and were all the rage in the late 1980s to mid-1990s. These spaghetti-thin rubber bangles were worn in groups of five, ten, and even twenty on one arm. Wearers collected at least one of every color. The bracelets had a resurgence in popularity around 2003 when they were blamed as the game piece in a teenage sex game called Snap.

Snap and Jelly Bracelets Meaning

Around 2003, parents and school officials became concerned that innocent-looking jelly bracelets had been commandeered as game pieces for the sex game, Snap. Participants in the game would take the jelly bracelet and pull on it, then release so it snapped the person wearing it with the goal of causing the bracelet to break. If the jelly bracelet broke, the person wearing it would perform whatever sex act the bracelet color represented.

School Officials Banned Jelly Bracelets

Many people believed the Jelly Bracelet Snap Game scenario was purely an urban legend. However, as a precautionary measure, many school officials banned the wearing of jelly bracelets on campus. Parents prohibited their children from wearing the cheap bracelets. The thin jelly bracelets seemed doomed to be forever associated with supposed sex game. It was difficult to overcome what many believed was just an urban legend.

New Wider Jelly Bracelet and New Message

In 2004, Nike designed a yellow jelly bracelet for its cancer fundraising campaign, Livestrong. Cancer survivor and professional cyclist, Lance Armstrong was chosen as the campaign spokesperson. However, Armstrong's jelly bracelet was more sophisticated. It was a wider silicone band than the thin jelly bracelet and sported the embossed lettering, Livestrong. The Livestrong style of jelly bracelet set off a new trend of message bracelets for various causes. It is often referred to as a silicone bracelet or silicone wristband.

Livestrong bracelet

Jelly Bracelet Color Meanings Chart

Over the years, the color coded meanings of jelly bracelets have been relegated to causes. Each color has many meanings and represents several causes. You just have to find the one that best fits your campaign or cause.

Color Cause
Yellow
  • Bladder cancer
  • Childhood cancer
  • Childhood obesity
  • Endometriosis
  • Liver cancer
  • Liver disease
  • Parkinson's disease
  • Sarcoma
  • Spina bifida
  • Suicide prevention
  • Support our troops
  • Testicular cancer
Red
  • AIDS/HIV
  • ALS
  • Bleeding or blood disorder
  • Blood donor
  • Congenital heart defect
  • Diabetes
  • Firefighters
  • Head and neck cancer
  • Heart disease
  • Hemophilia
  • High blood pressure & yypertension
  • Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (M.A.D.D)
  • Stroke
  • Substance abuse
  • Tuberculosis
  • Von Willebrand Disease
Burgundy
  • Brain aneurysm
  • Meningitis
  • Multiple myeloma
  • Sickle cell anemia
Purple
  • Alzheimer's disease
  • Animal abuse
  • Cancer survivor
  • Chiari malformation
  • Cornelia de Lange Syndrome
  • Crohn's disease
  • Cystic Fibrosis
  • Domestic violence
  • Epilepsy
  • Fibromyalgia
  • General cancer
  • Hodgkin's disease
  • Hodgkin's lymphoma
  • ITP
  • Leiomyosarcomas
  • Lupus
  • Migraine & headache
  • Neuropathy,
  • Pancreatic cancer
  • Premature birth
  • Relay for Life
  • Rett Syndrome
  • Seizure disorders
  • Thyroid cancer
  • Ulcerative colitis,
  • Prince, The Artist
Orange
  • ADHD
  • Children's diabetes
  • Cultural diversity
  • Gun violence prevention
  • Hunger
  • Juvenile diabetes
  • Kidney cancer
  • Leukemia
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Human rights
  • Racial tolerance
Peach
  • Uterine cancer
Green
  • Bipolar disorder
  • Bone marrow donors
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Environment
  • Eye cancer
  • Gastroparesis
  • Glaucoma
  • Hurricane victims
  • Kidney disease
  • Liver cancer
  • Lyme disease
  • Lymphoma
  • Missing children
  • Muscular dystrophy
  • Natural disasters
  • Organ donors
  • Safe driving
  • Scoliosis
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Vision impairment blindness
Lime Green
  • CTE
  • Depression
  • Lyme disease
  • Lymphoma
  • Muscular dystrophy
  • Mental health awareness
Blue
  • Arthritis
  • Bowel cancer
  • Child abuse
  • Colon cancer
  • Down syndrome
  • Colorectal cancer
  • Education
  • Human trafficking
  • Juvenile arthritis
  • Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis
  • PKU
  • Prostate cancer
  • Rectal cancer
  • Chronic fatigue syndrome
  • Reyes syndrome
  • Mental health awareness
Light Blue
  • Prostate cancer
  • Eating disorders
  • Thyroid disease
  • Graves disease
  • Lymphedema
Dark Blue
  • Paralysis research
  • Police & law enforcement
Black
  • EMS & paramedic support
  • Gang prevention
  • Melanoma
  • Metastatic breast cancer
  • Mourning
  • POW/MIA
  • Skin cancer
  • Sleep disorders
Light Gray
  • March of Dimes
  • Disabled persons
Gray
  • Aphasia
  • Asthma
  • Brain cancer
  • Brain disorders
  • COPD
  • Concussion awareness
  • Hearing impairment
  • Lung cancer
  • March of Dimes
Periwinkle
  • Eating disorder
  • Esophageal cancer
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Pulmonary hypertension
  • Stomach cancer
Pink
  • Breast cancer
  • Inflammatory breast cancer
  • Birth parents
  • Metastatic breast cancer
  • Testicular cancer
Teal
  • Cervical cancer
  • Ovarian cancer
  • Gynecological cancer
  • Myasthenia gravis
  • Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
  • PTSD awareness
  • Sexual assault
  • Tourette syndrome
Multi-Colors
  • Asperger syndrome
  • Autism
  • Gay pride
White
  • Blind & vision impairment
  • Bone cancer
  • Osteoporosis
  • Head and neck cancer
  • World peace
  • Victims of terrorism
Girls with jelly bracelets

Shop for Jelly Charm Bracelets

You can find all kinds of jelly charm bracelets. You may decide to wear a jelly bracelet to showoff various charms. Just like Italian charm bracelets, you can purchase individual charms to accessorize your bands. Each charm simply slides onto the bracelet. You can change them, or add as many as your bands will hold.

Jelly Bracelets From the Past and Present

You can find jelly bracelets that are like the originals sold in the 1980s and 1990s. You may prefer the more modern version that is wider and often features a saying or advertises a specific cause.

Jelly Charm Bracelet Styles of the Past & Today