It’s October: the start of candy season. Halloween will morph into the holidays and suddenly it’s July 4th. SLOW DOWN TIME AMIRIGHT?
Anyway. Most importantly, who knew Bazooka made and/or distributed candy that is not gum?!
I sure didn’t!
Or didn’t think I did!
(I did actually. This will become clearer as you read on.)
When the good people at Bazooka contacted us about a new slew of Holiday-themed sweets to review, I made the inaccurate assumption that I’d be chewing a lot of pieces of something I would soon after, throw out. Not so. I’m in fact eating sugar masses, and swallowing them. No gum in this crate.
Quick reminder: My takes are always a bit fun, occasionally crass and generally honest. Plus: I’m old. This candy? Created for very young people. This is exactly the candy 5th graders dream about. So just know this review isn’t from someone seeking a sugar rush before math class, nor did this reviewer just pocket 10 bucks for washing the car, skipping to the local 5 and Dime for snacks.
Enough preamble, let’s jump in.
Ye Olde Ring Pop
We start our journey looking at the tried and true “within-hand-grabbing-distance-but-not-in-my-pocket-and-I-can’t-wait-to-suck-on-for-hours” Ring Pop. This one not holiday-themed, but “fashionable.” Just look at the package:
Alice + Olivia is a clothes line from Stacey Bendet. Huh. Ok. Couldn’t find much info on this. So let’s jump to the goods.
You should know this candy already, people. Most importantly to me is the cherry flavor (pretty right on) and the candy that’s hard as nails. I tried biting the thing because the ring isn’t big enough for ol’ fatty fingers over here, and I couldn’t for the life of me break it apart with my teeth. So I’m still eating it. The wife looks concerned as we sit down to dinner.
Juicy Drop Gummies
“If you don’t have to work for it, it’s not worth it.” – Anonymous
I have no idea if that is a real quote.
Either way, here we have the Juicy Drop Gummies and Sour Gel, which is mainly a sour gummy — that on its own is edible — with a whole other wrinkle in time where you squeeze candy goo all over it and THEN eat it.
This particular candy isn’t for me. Too much work, and eating gel ain’t my thing. My teen daughter liked it a lot though. She also said it’s best when you don’t load the goo on. Instead, just spritz a few drops.
Funny thing is we vid-reviewed these (or something close to them) 10 years ago. TBH, my takes are pretty much the same now. Though I did like the flavor profile of this new cherry melon. (Do kids’ candies have a flavor profile?) Anyhoo, watch below. And keep in mind, the older kid is in college and the younger kid is almost in college. Also, I’m much thinner and better looking now.
New Christmas Push Pop Gummy Roll
Again, in the vein of “I don’t want to eat the candy yet. Please let me spend a few minutes figuring out how to GET to the candy first” — we have the Christmas edition of the Push Pop Gummy Roll, a tape measure contraption of watermelon sour ‘strips.’ The strip is one long rolled up sweet. The flavor was fine, the mechanism was challenging. The first package I tried, I actually couldn’t get the candy to come out. I think I pressed too hard on the ‘button’ that holds the candy to rip off a piece, and I dragged the strip candy through it so it go mucky and I couldn’t use it again. I had to break the little machine, and take the entire roll of candy out to consume. No real big whoop, and kinda cool to see how they made it (two words: lotta plastic). Maybe not as interesting nor easy if you are 8 years old however.
Juicy Drop Pop
Should I have written about these candies in the order of what I liked? Because I put the Juicy Drop Pop at the top of my list.
Part of the “you gotta work for it, to get it” family, the cherry melon flavor was strong and tart. Plus the lollipop looks cool (all swirly and sh%$) and lasts a long time.
(Side note: We actually received a lot of flavors of all the candies getting reviewed, like blue raspberry and strawberry and the various types you’d expect in flashy colors. I stuck to reviewing the flavors I was most interested in.)
The Juicy Pops get an extra credit bonus point for having the goo in the same contraption as the pop itself.
My daughter brought some of these to her high school, and she was immediately popular and cool. Dudes loved them.
Again, they are best when you don’t squeeze too much goo on the candy. Use it as a light condiment.
Juicy Drop Remix
The Juicy Drop Remix (this the Blue Rebel flavor) was the candy I was most looking forward to trying. For one, I’m a sucker for packaged candy with 2 sides, like Nerds. And I like the whole ‘one side is sweet and one side is sour’ motif.
A+ to texture. These are Skittles-esque. More than “esque” — I thought they were actual Skittles. The flavor is very different though; Juicy Drops’ morsels perhaps a bit sweeter (even the sour side) and I wanted it to be a bit less “general blue sweet.” But I liked these. And I’m putting them in my pocket and I’m only giving away pieces to friends who ask nicely.
Overall, the Juicy Drop cadre of sweets are fun, novel even. And I guarantee you not a single kid will turn one down when you offer it up in your Halloween bowl or stocking stuffer.
Let the phrase “don’t squeeze too much goo on the candy. Use it as a light condiment” be a warning sign. Terrified.