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10 Fun Facts You Didn't Know About Sour Patch Kids, Everyone's Favorite Movie Snack

Sour Patch Kids candy is a favorite among candy connoisseurs, whether you go for the family size or snack packs. The unique combo of the sour then sweet flavor sets it apart from similar gummy candies like starburst and Swedish fish. This flavor on your taste buds is fun, and the chewy candy texture makes it the best candy for snacking during a movie or chowing down on Easter or Halloween.

First introduced in Canada, the sour and sweet treat became a hit in America in the 1980s. The sour-sweet candies are addicting no matter your age, and the unique flavor keeps you from getting bored after a few. Many people know Sour Patch Kids candy best from the hilarious commercials we grew up with, depicting the Sour Patch Kid doing things like cutting a girl's pigtail off and wrecking a car with a giant pineapple.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UPyOJ2nSwI

Although Sour Patch Kids have long been a part of American culture and the experience of being a kid, there are many surprising facts about this unique candy that even the most avid fans might not know. From the history of the candy's name to the wide assortment of little-known and creative flavors, there's more than meets the eye when it comes to this popular candy. The next time you get a packet of Sour Patch kids at the movie theater or hand them out for Halloween, knowing more about their background and flavors will make the experience even more enjoyable. Here are 10 fun facts about Sour Patch Kids candy.

1. Sour Patch Kids were originally Mars Men.

Created by Canadian confectioner Frank Galatolie in the 1970s, the candy was designed to capitalize on the interest in space and aliens. When Jaret International, the company Galatolie worked for, introduced the candy to the United States in 1985, they changed the name, most likely to take advantage of the huge popularity of Cabbage Patch Kids.

2. Raspberry wasn't one of the original flavors.

The original sour patch flavors were lemon, lime, orange, and cherry. It wasn't until 2014 that the fruity blue raspberry joined the regular lineup. But the candy has also introduced special flavors for their Sour Patch Kids Berries, Sour Patch Kids Tropical, and Sour Patch Xploderz.

3. You can get Sour Patch Kids ice cream.

And ice pops and chewing gum and yogurt, because everything is better with a sweet and sour candy kick. Mondel?"z International, the candy company that makes Sour Patch Kids, has partnered with several other companies on candy tie-ins, including 7-Eleven for a Sour Patch Redberry Slurpee.

4. Some flavors are only made in the UK.

The United Kingdom tops the candy game. The regular U.K. flavor lineup includes blackcurrant and they get special artificial flavors like the Soda Popz and the Halloween-themed Heads and Bodies. That's right — in the U.K. you can buy packs that have had their little Sour Patch Kids heads severed from their gummy bodies.

5. The logo was based on a real person.

The original mascot for the candy (a blond boy with his tongue sticking out) was based on Frank Galatolie's son, Scott. The packaging for the candy stayed mostly the same for years, although they added a ball cap on the kid and in 1992 they added a girl on the packaging as well. It wasn't until around 2010 that the brand started to change the mascot to the gummy candy itself.

6. The border on the bag is made up of many tiny Sour Patch Kids.

Look closely. Starting in 2012, the dotted design on the edge of Sour Patch Kids bags changed to the shape of tiny Sour Patch Kids. So every bag of Sour Patch Kids has piles of the kids spilling around the edges of the packaging.

7. There's a brand new tropical flavor: Mango.

Hot off the candy press, our favorite gummy candy has a brand new flavor. Junk Food Mom, over on Instagram, notes that they taste terrific, but it's weird that the candy is shaped like the fruit but still called a Sour Patch Kid. (Other Sour Patch Fruits, like Sour Patch Watermelon, are shaped (mostly) like the fruits they represent.)

8. The advertising makes "kids" out to be jerks.

The brand has upped its presence on social media and created a new advertising campaign built on the sour, then sweet idea. The sour-sweet candy is shown engaging in activities like sawing through a support post so that a giant pineapple falls on someone's car, but it's okay because then they weld the pineapple to the car so that it looks cool.

9. There's a video game.

No, really. There's a Sour Patch Kids video game called World Gone Sour where a green Sour Patch Kid falls out of a package in movie theater and then goes on a quest to get eaten.

10. Sour, then sweet, then gone.

The candy works because the sugar coating is made with tartaric acid and citric acid that reacts with the saliva on your tongue to create a strong sour flavor. Then you get to the sweet gummy candy under the coating, so your mouth experiences both tastes. Then the candy is gone and it's time to go back to the bag for another.

Got a hankering?

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Editor's Note: Products featured on Wide Open Eats are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.

This post was originally published on October 11, 2019. 

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