This…is going to be a painful review to write. We’ve been with Yum Earth since the start, even way back when they were Yummy Earth. We loved everything about them: their commitment to allergen free (at least the top 8) safe candies for kids, but mores because their fruit lollipops were the best we’d ever tried, bar none.

And we still feel that way about them. And we still buy their candy. But now we have to have one of those uncomfortable conversations. About Giggles.

The only way for us to get these locally was at Whole Foods. Each version comes in a large bag with 5 small bags inside. One for regular, one for sour. Clearly, if you haven’t caught on yet, these are a head-on lift of Skittles. And I have no problem at all with that. You wanna make an organic all natural version of an already excellent candy? Go for it.

But something went….wrong. Horribly wrong.

While I can’t say that I like the look of these as much as OG Skits, it’s understandable, as they’re not using artificial colorings. But the taste. Wow. Let’s start with the regular version on the right.

Whereas Skittles have that crunchy exterior and firm, dense chew leading to a tangy fruity flavor, these…don’t. The exterior is less crunchy, and the chew is soft. More troubling though, is the initial taste. There’s an off flavor that hits you immediately. It does wane a bit as you eat it, but it’s gross. My family likened it to a vegetable flavor, but we couldn’t place it exactly. But it IS horrible, and I’m honestly shocked. Yum Earth, for me, is all about their absolutely rock solid flavors. These aren’t close to good, and the overall experience just isn’t worth it. I didn’t finish the bag.

The sour ones are better, but mostly because they’re SO FUCKING SOUR. If you’re familiar with Sour Skits, you know they push the boundary of sour-they’re intense. These are probably just a bit more sour, which is fun in ways. But then that flavor profile eeks in. And all it makes me want to do is buy some real Skittles.

Finally, let’s talk about that “buying” thing. The amount of candies you see above is what comes in each little bag. You get 5 bags in the large bag. And it’s $6.99! Basically these cost $7 for a normal sized or perhaps King sized bag of Skittles. That’s criminal. Even if these were outstanding and much better than Skittles, I’d say that they cost way too much but as is? This is a very easy, and very sad hard pass.

We love you Yum Earth, but you whiffed this one big time. Now I literally am off to buy some Skittles.