Have you heard about Hershey’s largest sugar confection launch in a decade? It’s called Jolly Rancher Crunch & Chew. It’s a new twist on the popular brand.
Did you know that sugar brands are leading the way in candy-mint-gum growth, and Jolly Rancher and Twizzlers are both Top 10 brands? In fact Jolly Rancher sales are up 16.8% (source: Nielsen 7/9/11 FDMxC). That is an impressive increase.
My kids are crazy for Jolly Ranchers. I find them a tad bit too sweet for my tastes, but I do enjoy the Watermelon flavor. That is my favorite.
Jolly Rancher has introduced a new twist to their brand called Crunch & Chew. They are the same Jolly Rancher flavors that you have come to love, but now you can crunch them and chew them. You can crunch them like the original Jolly Rancher hard candies AND chew them like the Jolly Rancher Chews.
Outside is a crunchy candy shell. Inside is a soft, chewy center. They come individually wrapped too.
When I learned about the new candy I knew my kids would go ga-ga over them. I just had to try them out.
Hershey’s send me some samples of the new Jolly Rancher Crunch & Chew to try, as well as share with my family and others. Just one taste of them and my kids were hooked. If I didn’t keep an eye on them I’m sure my kids would have gobbled up the entire bags in one evening.
I tried a couple of them myself. I had to try the Watermelon since it’s my favorite Jolly Rancher flavor. I also tried Green Apple. The Watermelon tasted just a good as with the original candy. The Green Apple was sour (as it’s supposed to be) and tasted exactly like Green Apple.
I really liked the soft, chewy center. That is my favorite part. First you suck on them for a bit then when the outer candy shell is the right thickness you crunch down on it to reveal the soft center.
I tried to crack one open to take a picture but it was easier said then done.
I sent my kids to school with a handful of the Jolly Rancher Crunch & Chew candies to share with their friends. Of course I gave them some for themselves too. I wanted to see what their friends thought of the new candies. Both of my kids came home from school and told me that their friends want to know if they can bring in more the following day. Both kids also told me that their friends kept asking them all day if they had anymore of the Crunch & Chew candies. I would assume that means the kids like them.
I was at the grocery store yesterday afternoon with my daughter and we saw a display for the new candies and my daughter asked me if I could pick up more. 🙂
To celebrate the candy launch, Jolly Rancher has teamed up with Poptent, an online videographer community, to create three original video spots highlighting the crunchy-chewy essence of the new candy. Now through February 15, you can visit JollyRancher.com to vote for your favorite video.
Here are the video choices.
– Do You Wanna Crunch – A group of teens create a funky, catchy Crunch ‘N Chew rap highlighting the product’s crunchy and chewy characteristics.
– Brand New – Young artists are inspired to create a fresh new track that starts on the basketball court and finishes as a colorful music video.
– The Adventures of Bart the Bold – “Bart the Bold” goes on a bold adventure, defeating villains and eating Crunch ‘N Chew candy along the way.
You should take a moment and check them out. They did a fantastic job on them. I’m curious to see which one will win. It’s hard for me to pick my personal favorite. I like them all.
The new Jolly Rancher Crunch & Chew candies are available at retailers across the country where ever candy is sold. If you don’t see them yet keep an eye out for them.
For more information about the new candy and to view these videos, please visit www.JollyRancher.com.
Kimberly
*I received free product samples in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and are not influenced in any way.
Betty Baez says
Interesting! Illhave to find these to try them out I love joly ranchers!