Quimby, who procures the candies for them, isn’t in the army. So how were gummy bears the confection du jour in Portland, Oregon, in 1977? Ramona and Beezus aren’t in German class, and Mr. But it wasn’t until the eighties, when gummy bears started getting mass-produced for the U.S., that they became a huge hit, inspiring TV shows ( The Adventures of the Gummi Bears) and earworms (“The Gummy Bear Song”). In the sixties and seventies, military service members introduced the candies to their families, and German teachers started bringing the bears to American classrooms. In the twenties, German factory worker Hans Riegel, founder of the candy company Haribo, produced the first bear-shaped gummy candies, and they quickly became a beloved confection in Riegel’s home country. How does Ramona know what gummy bears are? Ramona and Her Father was published in 1977, but gummy bears didn’t hit American stores until at least 1981. Quimby always remembers these things.”īut there’s something wonky in the state of Oregon. Last spring powdered Jell-O eaten from the package had been the fad. The chewy little bears were the most popular sweet at Glenwood School this fall. “His daughters pounced and opened the bag together,” writes Cleary. Quimby bringing home a little bag of candy as a present for Beezus and Ramona. Ramona and Her Father, the fourth book, opens with Mr. The Ramona series has many tiny pinpricks of the uncanny-and each is a delight. Cleary writes in Ramona Quimby, Age 8, “Ramona had reached the age of demanding accuracy from everyone, even herself.” As it turns out, this isn’t exactly true. I’ve wanted to escape to Ramona’s Portland, with invisible lizards and makeshift sheep costumes and beloved red rubber boots.Īnd then, escapism turned into an enigma. Seeing images of Portland in tear gas, under an orange sky, I’ve felt enraged, terrified, and helpless. Set on leafy Klickitat Street in Portland, the eight-book series follows the adventures of spunky Ramona Quimby, her sister Beezus (and, later, her baby sister Roberta), her cat Picky-picky, her parents, friends, and neighbors. What I found was even better: a mystery.īeloved Portland, Oregon, author Beverly Cleary wrote the Ramona books over four decades, from Beezus and Ramona (1955) to Ramona’s World (1999). I returned to Ramona Quimby for nostalgia.

Author of ramona and beezus