It’s been a big year for gummies coated in crunchy sugar. Last spring, I discovered Target’s Blue Raspberry Crunch Coated Bears. Those fellas blew my mind, and I immediately ordered several more bags to be shipped to our home. Over the summer, I put Sweet Stash Rock Jams to the test. They’re easily my favorite of the Sweet Stash lineup now.
But now one of the biggest names in candy has entered this world. Skittles Gummy Crystals are set to hit the TikTok Shop on Nov. 2 before going nationwide in 2027.
“Consumer-led innovation is at the heart of Mars Snacking, and the true magic of Skittles lies in delivering the unexpected,” Ro Cheng, marketing vice president at Mars Snacking, said in the company’s announcement. “Skittles Gummy Crystals answers the growing demand for dynamic, multi-textured treats by pairing a soft gummy center with a crystal crunch — giving fans an entirely new way to experience the rainbow.”
But Skittles Gummy Crystals aren’t the only Skittles review I have for you in this edition of the newsletter. I also got my hands on the new Skittles Pop’d Wild Berry and Skittles Pop’d Creepy Crunch.
I’m not sure about the pricing yet for Skittles Gummy Crystals, but I paid $7.49 for the 5.5 oz. bags of Skittles Pop’d Wild Berry and Skittles Pop’d Creepy Crunch at Target.
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When I first saw the announcement for Skittles Gummy Crystals, my mind instantly jumped to “Oh, Skittles is coming for Nerds Gummy Clusters.” (Seriously. I actually wrote “Skittles Gummy Clusters” when I started to write this section.)
Once I took a good look at Skittles Gummy Crystals, though, it was clear that despite sharing common elements with Nerds Gummy Clusters — a chewy inside, a crunchy coating of candy bits — these new Skittles are doing something very different than Nerds Gummy Clusters.
This early look at a major new addition to the Skittles lineup is for Snackology+ and The Omnicosm+ subscribers. To read this edition of Snackology, please upgrade your membership or sign into your account.
Nerds Gummy Clusters are compact, and deliver a densely chewy bite. Skittles Gummy Crystals are much airier, with a lighter crunch. These fellas are also much more evenly and consistently coated with “tangy, crunchy candy crystals” than Target’s Blue Raspberry Crunch Coated Bears or Sweet Stash Rock Jams.
Skittles Gummy Crystals Original come in five flavors: Strawberry, Lemon, Grape, Orange and Green Apple.
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Skittles Gummy Crystals Original Snack score: 5 out of 5
Skittles Gummy Crystals Tropical Splash are identical to the Original version in terms of size, squishiness and texture. The only difference is that this bag delivers Fruit Punch, Pink Lemonade, Mango Melon, Pineapple and Watermelon flavors.
The traditional lineup of flavors gives Original an edge over Tropical Splash, but I found myself eating out of both bags at the same time while writing this review.
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Skittles Gummy Crystals Tropical Splash Snack score: 4.5 out of 5
I reviewed Skittles Pop’d when they first debuted back in the early days of Snackology. (That review was only the 13th installment of the newsletter.) When I tried both Skittles Pop’d Original and Skittles Pop’d Sour, I wrote that “if you’ve never had freeze-dried candy, Skittles Pop’d are a reasonable gateway entry into the world.”
Despite my lukewarm endorsement in November 2024, I’ve actually purchased Skittles Pop’d on a few occasions since then. Before securing the large bag of Skittles Pop’d Wild Berry, I found a small bag of the new flavor at a Walgreens and wound up eating the entire thing before I could bring it home to take pictures for Snackology.
Skittles Pop’d Wild Berry. / Snackology
That’s my way of saying that this flavor of Skittles Pop’d, which debuted in August, is very good. I’ve always been fond of the purple-branded Skittles Wild Berry candies, and they really hold up as a freeze-dried format.
Skittles Pop’d Creepy Crunch thankfully doesn’t have any tricks up its sleeve. Or, in its bag, I guess.
Skittles Pop’d Creepy Crunch. / Snackology
The Halloween take on Skittles Pop’d actually comes in five delicious flavors: Ghastly Lime, Cursed Apple, Blood Orange, Beastly Blackberry and Red Raspberry. (The marketing folks over at Skittles must’ve been ready to call it a day when they hit that last name.) I love that after decades of making fans choose between Lime and Green Apple, we finally have a lineup that includes both.
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Skittles Pop’d Creepy Crunch Snack score: 4 out of 5
The Omnicosm founder. Snackology, Popculturology and The Cold Open writer. A Rochester, N.Y., native now living in the Washington, D.C., area. Won’t pass up a Genny Cream Ale.
