Leftovers is our look at a few of the product ideas popping up everywhere. Some are intriguing, some sound amazing and some are the kinds of ideas we would never dream of. We can’t write about everything that we get pitched, so here are some leftovers pulled from our inboxes.
Skittles bring a crunch to gummies
Skittles is doing more than tasting the rainbow with its latest texture-focused offering.
The Mars-owned candy brand is launching Skittles Gummy Crystals, which combines sweet, squishy gummies on the inside with the tangy crunch of edible crystals on the outside. Skittles said the offering taps into consumer interest in bold texture experiences.
The product is available in two varieties: Original, featuring strawberry, lemon, grape, orange and green apple flavors, and tropical splash, a mix of fruit punch, pink lemonade, mango melon, pineapple, and watermelon.
Consumers will be able to purchase Skittles Gummy Crystals starting Nov. 2 on TikTok Shop. The candy will be available at select retailers later this year before expanding nationally in 2027.
"Consumer-led innovation is at the heart of Mars Snacking, and the true magic of SKITTLES lies in delivering the unexpected," Ro Cheng, marketing vice president for Mars Snacking North America, said in a statement.
The candy joins Skittles’ fast-growing lineup that has added new formats including gummies and Skittles Pod'd, a freeze-dried candy, in recent years.
Mars said shoppers are seeking out novelty through multi-sensory experiences within their treats. The company's yearly Halloween trends report found 71% of consumers surveyed want texture in their treats, while nearly 60% are looking for extreme flavors.
Skittles Gummy Crystals follows the successful launch of Nerds Juicy Gummy Clusters in 2020, another treat that leans into multi-textural experiences. Ferrero, which owns Nerds, said last year that sales of the brand were on track to reach $900 million in sales in 2025, a more than 1,700% increase from the $50 million in sales when it acquired the confection in 2018 from Nestlé.
— Christopher Doering
Cup Noodles bites back for Halloween
Cup Noodles is digging its fangs into a spooky Halloween innovation.
Vampire Noodles is a limited-edition flavor transforming the packaged ramen into a striking blood-red color when hot water is added due to natural beet coloring. It’s paired with hot garlic and savory chicken umami flavors that are “so irresistible that even garlic despising vampires can't resist it.”
"Halloween is the perfect moment to create something unexpected, and Vampire Noodles does exactly that," Priscila Stanton, senior vice president of marketing at Nissin Foods. "The blood-red transformation and bold hot garlic flavor turn an everyday meal into a memorable Halloween experience.”
Cup Noodles has leaned heavily into holiday innovation to spark online conversation and connect with consumers. The brand previously released turkey and pumpkin pie flavored ramens for Thanksgiving and jokingly introduced a Cup Noodles Heatless Curls kit for April Fools.
Vampire Noodles are available for $1.18 exclusively at Walmart nationwide, while supplies last.
As part of the launch, Cup Noodles is partnering with Titan Casket, a direct-to-consumer casket company, to create a custom collector casket inspired by the limited-edition launch. Consumers can enter on line to win the custom casket, or buy one of their own for $3,999.
— Christopher Doering
Nowadays founders move beyond THC with new functional beverage launch
The founders of THC cocktail brand Nowadays are launching a relaxation-focused beverage without the buzzy ingredient.
Unwind launched Oct. 1 in 1,000 Walmart stores and on TikTok Shop. The sparkling drink contains magnesium L-threonate and L-theanine to “support a calm state of mind.” It’s caffeine free, and has low sugar and calories.
The brand is meant to be a counter to the energy drink market, with co-founder Justin Tidwell saying relaxation is a growing market opportunity for companies to reach consumers who want to “turn down the noise.”
The drinks are available in berry, cherry, citrus, tropical and spicy lime flavors. It retails for $2.79 per can and $10.99 for a four pack. The company plans to expand to additional retailers in 2027.
Unwind is a separate company than Nowadays, despite having the same co-founders and team. In a press briefing, Tidwell said this was intentional, emphasizing the importance of having two distinct entities for very different consumer bases. Unwind will be more CPG focused, he said.
Other THC beverage companies have launched their own relaxation-focused beverages in the midst of a pending ban on hemp-derived THC products set to take effect later this year. THC cocktail brand Cann released a 0 THC milligram option earlier this year that had mood-boosting attributes from magnesium.
“While we’re continuing to invest in the growth of Nowadays, we wanted to take what we’ve learned and apply it to a completely different consumer need–making relaxation feel more approachable,” Tidwell said in a statement.
— Laurel Deppen
