This is an interesting look at the (racist) 🇺🇸 legend about those twins, Orangello and Lemonjello. But little recognized is that rumors of Black twins named Orange and Lemon circulated in the pre-war 🇺🇸 South. No clue whether this influenced the creation of the “Jello” boys legend, but there you go.

BTW, In thinking about "Lemonjello and Oranjello," I recalled this sad, strange piece, published in 1938. I have often wondered whether reports of "Orange and Lemon" were not uncommon across the U.S. South pre-war and whether this gave rise to the earliest reports of the Jello twins.

Wearing pajamas inside-out, putting silverware under pillows, throwing ice cubes at trees: the folk rituals of American children (and adults) to insure a coming snowfall (The Bridgewater [NJ] Courier-News, 3 January 2006) …

(The earliest version I've found dates to early 1919, but it may have been based on an older tale about drunken turkeys. Note that the drunken-turkey version from 1914 includes the construction of clothes for the poor naked birds, as do versions involving chloroformed turkeys.)

In case I miss you on the day itself, here's an old urban legend for American friends and friends everywhere ...

May all your Thanksgivings be happy, healthy, and chloroform-free.

#HappyThanksgiving2024 #HappyThanksgiving

(Some of you may remember "The girl with the ribbon around her neck" from your childhood, e.g., www.buzzfeed.com/lyapalater/f.... Turns out that the theme goes back to at least 1824.)