Why JELL-O chose Islanders game to debut 'first-of-its-kind' JELL-OMETER
Watch it wiggle. See it jiggle.
And the more you yell and scream at a sporting event, the more wiggles and jiggles you will see.
JELL-O, the iconic gelatinous treat, on April 3 at the Islanders’ UBS Arena introduced a new way to measure crowd noise.
Fans at the Islanders-Flyers game were treated to the JELL-OMETER, which Kraft Heinz — the parent company of JELL-O — touts as “a first-of-its-kind device that transforms crowd noise, movement and excitement into real-time JELL-O Jiggles (Js).”
So while you may not have known this is something you wanted — and you may be surprised to learn that JELL-O Jiggles has its own scientific symbol in Js — the JELL-OMETER has arrived on Long Island.
“When we did our new partnership with Kraft Heinz, they were looking for some new, innovative ways to showcase their products and in a fan-facing way that they want to test across multiple sports arenas that they are in, and they came together with the JELL-OMETER,” Kelly Cheeseman, the Islanders president of business operations, told Newsday. “I think it’s a cool way to bring this product to the table and let fans have fun with it across sports.”
How does it work? The JELL-OMETER is a red ring of gelatin that sits atop a three-foot electronic platform and wiggles (and jiggles, don’t forget the jiggles) along with crowd noise.
According to its creators, the device, “which is powered by proprietary plate-sensing jiggle technology, captures atmospheric sound pressure produced by the crowd’s energy and converts it into mechanical motion. The intensity of the sound is visible via the iconic JELL-O jiggle atop the device as it’s quantified in real-time on a scale of one to 10 Jiggles (Js) — with a one equating to a microwave’s hum and 10 as an earthquake rumble.”
Unlike the Mets’ Citi Field Home Run Apple — which the JELL-OMETER kind of resembles because of its red color — the JELL-OMETER is mobile and can be moved around an arena or stadium, as it was during the Islanders’ 4-1 loss on April 3.
After missing the playoffs with a late-season collapse, the Islanders could have installed a HELL-OMETER. But this will have to do for now.
“I think it’s fun,” Cheeseman said. “Sports and entertainment is fun. The JELL-OMETER sounds fun. Kids love JELL-O. We all loved JELL-O as a kid. Brands are looking for different ways to break through and be creative in a way that they activate in sports. Not everything is about signs and pictures on the dasher boards. So to do something fun that kids and families can laugh at but also react with, I think it’s a cool idea.”
Why did the company choose the Islanders and UBS Arena for the JELL-OMETER’s maiden voyage?
“Hockey fans are widely known as some of the loudest and most passionate in sports,” Kathryn O’Brien, head of marketing, desserts at Kraft Heinz wrote in an email. “NHL arenas regularly hit noise levels comparable to rock concerts, making them the perfect atmosphere to pilot the JELL-OMETER. Islanders fans did not disappoint. When the Islanders scored a goal, fans got the JELL-OMETER scale up to 8.4 Jiggles (Js), which is comparable to a crack of thunder.”
One important note: The device is pronounced “JELL-OMETER” — no hard “O” as in the word “JELL-O” but more of a “mom” sound with the “OMETER” part. Say “JELL-MOMETER” to yourself and take out the first “M” and you’ll get it. And then ask mom to make you some JELL-O.
Newsday’s Andrew Gross contributed to this story.
Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.
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