Skittles is transforming the texture of its famously colorful candies with an brand-new creation: gummies.
Anyone who loves gummy bears, fruit snacks or any kind of sugary treat that falls somewhere between juicy and gelatinous, can get excited about the new confection. Wrigley Company, which is owned by candy conglomerate Mars Inc., announced on Wednesday morning that Skittles would be getting into the gummy game.
But fans will have to wait a little while before the candy hits shelves. Like other rainbow-themed things (April showers, May flowers — you get the picture), Skittles gummies won't be available at retailers nationwide until spring 2021.
According to an article on the history of candy from Penn State University, Skittles were first produced in the U.K. in 1974. The hard-shelled candies with a chewy inside landed in the U.S. in 1979 and got their "Taste the Rainbow" slogan in 1994 from an advertising agency in New York City. Today, the slogan is still going strong and, yes, folks who eat the gummies should still experience that same taste.
The gummies will be available in two flavor bags: One will be Original, with the five color-coded flavors of strawberry, green apple, lemon, orange and grape. And, no, for those still wondering, the rumor that red, yellow and green Skittles are all the same flavor is not true. The other bag will be Wild Berry, which exists in the candy's regular lineup and includes berry punch, strawberry, melon berry, wild cherry and raspberry.
Before this, Skittles played around with new flavors pretty often but rarely texture. The brand did introduce Skittles bubblegum for a hot second in 2004 and, in 2018, removed the shell and called them Chewies.
In terms of flavor innovations, in 2017, Wrigley debuted spicy spin called Sweet Heat Skittles. And in 2018, the company introduced a limited-time flavor mashup called the Love Mix for Valentine's Day.
"This is Skittles first ever gummy variety in the U.S. and is the brand's most innovative product to-date," a spokesperson told TODAY Food in a statement. "The bite-sized gummy candies will feature a bursting like texture and flavor experience that is sure to wow fans’ taste buds."
Well, Skittles. We'll just have to wait and see about that. Until spring, it is.
