I was always under the impression that Jelly, or rather, gelatine, was made from seaweed. Nope: Made from bones and some acid. Uh. Yummy.
There are alternatives, which brings me back to the seaweed I just mentioned: particularly agar-agar, that substance my mother used to have in her kitchen cabinet. If I remember correctly they were small strips, sold in little pouches.
Not that I mind the original Jell-O. That gibberish 1substance just gives a different meaning to crushed bones, acidic liquids and Cousin Vinnie.
1. 04/17/05: Actually I thought I meant glibberish (which is a non-existing word). Blubberish, then?