Angry Birds Fruit Gummies!

CC_Angry Birds TITLE PLATERovio released its signature game Angry Birds on December 11th 2009 and in just over three years since then it has become a marketing behemoth.  With multiple sequels dominating the charts, Angry Birds also led to a deluge of licensed products including a number of notable consumable treats.  Today I’ll be taking a look at the candy packaging side of Angry Birds with Healthy Food Brands’ Angry Birds Fruit Gummies!

When I first came across Angry Birds Gummies I thought they were a fad licensed product that would be here-and-gone in six months.  Contrary to my first impression, these have stuck around and I’ve grown to appreciate them quite a lot.  And of course I’ve had to collect all the candy boxes.

The first series was released in 2011 with four different boxes each featuring a different bird and color scheme.  The graphics for these are sharp and distinct – which no doubt grabbed consumer’s attentions.  I should note that these are some of the few examples of current candy packaging that encourage any kind of saving with the “Collect Them All” call-out:

Healthy Food Brands - Angry Birds - Fruit Gummies - 1 of 4 - Red Bird - candy box - 2011

Healthy Food Brands – Angry Birds – Fruit Gummies – 1 of 4 – Red Bird – candy box – 2011

Healthy Food Brands - Angry Birds - Fruit Gummies - 2 of 4 - Yellow Bird - candy box - 2011

Healthy Food Brands – Angry Birds – Fruit Gummies – 2 of 4 – Yellow Bird – candy box – 2011

Healthy Food Brands - Angry Birds - Fruit Gummies - 3 of 4 - Blue Bird - candy box - 2011

Healthy Food Brands – Angry Birds – Fruit Gummies – 3 of 4 – Blue Bird – candy box – 2011

Healthy Food Brands - Angry Birds - Fruit Gummies - 4 of 4 - Bad Piggie - candy box - 2011

Healthy Food Brands – Angry Birds – Fruit Gummies – 4 of 4 – Bad Piggie – candy box – 2011

I like that the main mascot on the front of each box features a cut-out die line around it, encouraging one to use the cardboard birds for any manner of Angry Bird-themed craft or art projects.

The first series of Angry Birds Gummies proved to be popular in 2011 and in early 2012 a new series of gummies were released based upon the futuristic sequel to the original game, Angry Birds Space.  As with the original, Angry Birds Space Fruit Gummies came in four different boxes each with its own star mascot:

Healthy Food Brands - Angry Birds Space - Fruit Gummies - 1 of 4 - Red Bird - candy box - 2012

Healthy Food Brands – Angry Birds Space – Fruit Gummies – 1 of 4 – Red Bird – candy box – 2012

Healthy Food Brands - Angry Birds Space - Fruit Gummies - 2 of 4 - Purple Bird - candy box - 2012

Healthy Food Brands – Angry Birds Space – Fruit Gummies – 2 of 4 – Purple Bird – candy box – 2012

Healthy Food Brands - Angry Birds Space - Fruit Gummies - 3 of 4 - Bomb Bird - candy box - 2012

Healthy Food Brands – Angry Birds Space – Fruit Gummies – 3 of 4 – Bomb Bird – candy box – 2012

Healthy Food Brands - Angry Birds Space - Fruit Gummies - 4 of 4 - Bad Piggie - candy box - 2012

Healthy Food Brands – Angry Birds Space – Fruit Gummies – 4 of 4 – Bad Piggie – candy box – 2012

Beyond the two main Angry Birds gummies releases, Healthy Foods also gave us two different holiday-themed editions in 2012.  These use graphics from the Angry Birds Seasons game and both of the boxes released thus far are visually pretty wonderful.  Lots of seasonal Angry Birds imagery on both, with nice touches of the visual humor the series is known for.

The first, a Halloween release, was one of my favorite seasonal releases for Halloween 2012 – here it is:

Healthy Food Brands - Angry Birds Halloween - Fruit Gummies - candy box - October 2012

Healthy Food Brands – Angry Birds Halloween – Fruit Gummies – candy box – October 2012

Not to be left out, Christmas also received its own Angry Birds Fruit Gummies special edition package:

Healthy Food Brands - Angry Birds Christmas - Fruit Gummies - candy box - December 2012

Healthy Food Brands – Angry Birds Christmas – Fruit Gummies – candy box – December 2012

It’s unusual for a licensed candy like this to last long.  Typically by the time the initial excitement around the property has diminished, the candy has already been discontinued.  But I suspect that Angry Birds Fruit Gummies could end up sticking around for years to come.  It just feels like it could have more long-term popularity.  The closest candy comparison I can make would be with Frankford’s Spongebob Squarepants Gummy Krabby Patties, which have been on the market for more than five years now.

And that’s all I’ve got for my coverage of Angry Birds Fruit Gummies.  I wonder what the next brand extension for this one is going to be?  If anyone spots a Valentine’s or Easter edition 3.5 oz box, let me know!

See you next time!

 

About Jason Liebig

A New York City based writer, editor and sometimes actor. After spending much of the 1990′s in the comic book business helping tell the stories of Marvel Comics’ X-Men as series editor, he has since split his time between developing his own entertainment properties while still consulting and working on others. Having been described as “the Indiana Jones of lost and forgotten candy”, Jason is one of the country’s premier candy collectors and historians with his discoveries appearing in countless blogs, magazines, newspaper articles, and books. Always happy to share his knowledge and unique perspectives on this colorful part of our popular culture, Jason has consulted with New York’s Museum of Food and Drink and has also been a featured guest on Food Network’s Heavyweights, France’s M6 Capital, and New York’s TheActionRoom.com. My Google Profile+
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3 Responses to Angry Birds Fruit Gummies!

  1. Jason K says:

    Not in the Fruit snacks line, but they are coming out with Angry Birds Star Wars Exploding Candy (pop rocks) with 6 different “collect them all!” Flavors – I haven’t seen them in stores yet, but have read about them online-
    Also worth noting, the website http://www.angrybirdssnacks.com shows 3 more flavors of the First release boxes from 2011 – A Pink, Orange, and Black box. Wonder why those never made it into the line (but they are still up on the website…..)

    • jasonliebig says:

      Jason K,

      Good eye! I hadn’t noticed the other three boxes but they sure are there!

      I’ve got an e-mail into Healthy Foods Brands to see if they can tell me what the story is.

  2. Pingback: Angry Birds Fruit Gummies – Second Edition! | CollectingCandy.com

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