Wednesday, April 11, 2012

J is for Jumping Beans

Have you ever seen them? They're seed pods that look like small beans. Larvae of small moths chew their way inside the beans. The larvae don't like heat, so when the beans become too hot, the larvae "jump" as they try to find a cooler spot. The beans are native to Mexico, hence the name Mexican Jumping Beans.

I didn't know that these beans existed until very recently. When I was a kid, I had a toy that was called a Mexican Jumping Bean. It looked like a pill capsule and had something inside of it that would make it twitch. I remember that I enjoyed playing with it, but if I had known there were real jumping beans available for purchase, I'm sure I would have been begging my parents to buy some!

Have you ever owned Mexican Jumping Beans, real or fake?

31 comments:

  1. I have never seen one! It would be cool to see a jumping bean in action :)
    Taylor
    www.thelumberjackswife.com

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    1. I would love to get my hands on the one I had as a child. I'll have to check with my parents to see if it's still somewhere around the house.

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  2. I remember those from when I was a child, but have no idea whether they were realor fake.

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    1. They were great, weren't they?

      Thanks for your comment. :)

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  3. I don't think I ever had one, but that sounds cool! My sons would love that!
    Visiting from the A to Z Challenge. *waves*

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    1. If you do a search, you can find sources for the beans.

      Thanks for stopping by! :)

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  4. Had some when I was a kid. My brother and sister and I were mesmerized! After while they quit jumping and there were small holes in them where we assumed whatever it was inside them had escaped. Moths, eh?

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  5. I've never seen one but have heard of them.. didn't know why they jumped though. It makes sense.

    thanks for stopping by my place :)

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    1. They're pretty interesting. I can see why people might like them.

      Enjoyed your blog!

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  6. I've owned them. They're freaky. LOL.

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    1. I thought the fake one was freaky! Guess I need to get some real ones...for the kids, of course. ;)

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  7. I remember having the fake ones when I was a kid. I loved them! Your post sent me on a trip down memory lane. So, thanks!

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    1. Glad someone else remembered the fake ones. :)

      Thanks for stopping by.

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  8. I've never seen them. The idea of larvae is pretty disgusting. People don't eat these, do they?

    Nice to meet you, and I hope you're enjoying the Challenge!

    KarenG
    A to Z Challenge Host

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    1. No, they're not edible--thank goodness!

      It's nice to meet you, too. I'm having a great time with the challenge!

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  9. Replies
    1. I haven't seen any of the real ones, either--but I'd like to.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  10. This is news to me. Never heard of these jumping beans.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog.

    Happy A-Z.

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    1. Happy A to Z to you as well! Thanks for stopping by.

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  11. Yep, we had some of these. I'm guessing that they were the fake variety. At least I hope they were!

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  12. Thanks for the follow - I had no idea what Mexican Jumping Beans were!

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    1. You're welcome. :)

      I learn something new every day as I read the blogs taking part in this challenge. I love it!

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  13. yes i have, the fake kind--i had forgotten all about jumping beans--thanks for the memory!

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    1. I love it when little things--words or objects--spark great childhood memories. :)

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  14. I never owned the fake kind, and until today I had no idea the real kind was so very, icky, real!

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    1. I know! And yet something about them is so very, very cool. :)

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  15. I've heard of them but never owned any - real or fake. Cute J post.

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  16. I've heard of them but never owned any - real or fake. Cute J post.

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  17. I've seen them in videos, but I never knew where you could get one. That, and I've always wondered, do they jump once or many times? Cool entry. :0)

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