Ah, promotional tie-ins. As if Angry Birds isn’t on enough stuff already – T-shirts, toys, and just about anything else you can slap a logo on – I found these Angry Birds gummies near the till at my local Calgary Co-op.
Perhaps parenthood has taught me to think three steps ahead with these sorts of things, but honestly: how much reasoning power is it going to take for a kid to make the leap between hurling birds at pigs and hurling gummies at their little brother or sister? These things just scream “food fight,” and I’m concerned about that.
Nevertheless, assuming it’s only responsible adults eating these, and that they’d never dream of launching candies at other responsible adults, let’s have a taste, shall we?
The Pitch: Beyond the fact that these are shaped like characters from Angry Birds, the box also notes they’re nut-free, gluten-free, fat-free and made with real fruit juice. (That real fruit juice? White grape juice concentrate, listed third after sugar and corn syrup.)
The Look: The box is theatre-sized, but it’s far lighter than its bulk would suggest. The graphics are very Angry Birds, but the gummies are less bird-shaped than I would have hoped. One imagines more emphasis was placed on getting these to market before the world tired of Angry Birds than on nailing the precise gummy look. I can only imagine Gangnam Style gummies are in the works, with the birds retooled to look like Psy’s head.
The Taste: Middle-of-the-road gummies. Nice chewy bite to them; my teeth got a good workout. They’re firm, but not sticky; think gummy bears, not Sweedish fish. Nothing special in the flavour department. Standard candy flavourings, with very little intensity. Lemon is the best of the lot, probably because you can taste it above the blended sameness of the other birds.
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RATINGS AND DETAILS
Cost: $2.19 for a 99 gram box at Calgary Co-op.
Value for cash money: OK.
Availability: No idea. I’ve seen these at Co-op fairly regularly. Probably limited time, until the next big Internet fad hits.
Nutrition?: Per 13 pieces (40 grams): 120 calories, 0 grams of fat, 15 mg of sodium, 0 grams of fibre, 3 grams of protein.
Vegetarian?: No. Contains gelatin.
The verdict: Regrettably forgettable.