10 Candy Brands That Tried Weird Spin-Offs
Here's a look at 10 candy brands that launched unusual spin-offs, ranging from sodas to cereals, with mixed success.
- Alyana Aguja
- 3 min read
Candy companies have always sought ways to reinvent their classics, but not all experiments succeeded. From Life Savers Soda to Tic Tac Chewy, these spin-offs often strayed too far from what made the originals beloved. While some, like M&M’s Crispy, managed to return, most remain quirky footnotes in candy history.
1. Reese’s Pieces Cereal
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Reese’s is known for its peanut butter and chocolate perfection, but its cereal version took the brand in a new direction. Launched in the 1990s, Reese’s Pieces Cereal was colorful and sweet but lacked the creamy texture fans loved. It became a nostalgic oddity rather than a household staple.
2. Life Savers Soda
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In the 1980s, Life Savers attempted to transform its fruity candy into a carbonated drink. The soda tasted much sweeter than traditional soft drinks and struggled to find an audience. It was pulled from shelves after only a brief run, but collectors still remember the colorful cans.
3. Skittles Gum
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Skittles tried to take their “taste the rainbow” slogan into chewing gum form. Each piece delivered a short burst of fruity flavor but faded quickly, leaving many disappointed. It never achieved the same popularity as the original candy and was quietly discontinued.
4. Butterfinger BB’s
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Butterfinger reimagined its candy bar into bite-sized, round chocolate-coated treats. Popularized in the 1990s, BB’s were beloved by fans and even featured in Simpsons commercials. Despite their success, they mysteriously disappeared from the market in the mid-2000s.
5. Hershey’s Bites
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Hershey’s launched Bites as poppable, resealable versions of their classic chocolates. The line included Reese’s, Kit Kat, and Hershey’s Crunchers, but packaging issues and limited sales doomed the experiment. Fans still wonder why such a convenient snack never lasted.
6. Pop Rocks Chocolate Bars
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Pop Rocks teamed up with chocolate brands to create bars that combined popping candy with creamy milk chocolate. The unusual texture made each bite snap, crackle, and fizz in the mouth. While fun as a novelty, the flavor pairing proved too strange for mainstream audiences.
7. 3 Musketeers Mint
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Known for its fluffy chocolate nougat, 3 Musketeers tried a mint version in the early 2000s. It offered a cooling twist but was criticized for overpowering the original’s light texture. The mint spin-off never lasted long on shelves.
8. Tic Tac Chewy
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Tic Tac, the iconic breath mint, experimented with a chewy candy format. Instead of the crisp, dissolving mint, these had a soft candy shell and fruity center. The drastic change confused loyal fans, and the product was quickly phased out.
9. Jolly Rancher Soda
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Jolly Rancher’s intense fruit flavors inspired a soda line in the 2000s. While it delivered the same tangy punch, it was too sugary for most consumers. The drinks developed a cult following but never reached widespread popularity.
10. M&M’s Crispy
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In 1999, M&M’s released Crispy, a variation filled with crunchy rice puffs. While initially discontinued in the U.S., they remained popular abroad and were eventually reintroduced due to fan demand. This spin-off is one of the rare candy experiments that made a comeback.