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Skittles are small, round fruit chews that come in hard, sugar shells with the letter "s" printed on them, representing the sweet's name. They are similar in outward appearance to the plain variety of the chocolate M&M's, which, like Skittles, are produced by Masterfoods, a division of Mars, Incorporated.

Skittles Bite Size sweets, originally made by a company in England, were first introduced in the United States in 1974. Around 1981-1982, the production of Skittles began in the United States. Skittles sold in the United Kingdom are made in the Czech Republic, where Mars Incorporated makes them for export to many European Union markets. The company also produces the product in Victoria, Australia, for distribution in the New Zealand market.

Skittles are a non-kosher food and not vegetarian in the USA. However in Europe they are kosher and vegetarian because they do not contain any gelatin.

Advertising

Skittles has established itself as a popular modern product with advertising campaigns often associated with rainbows due to their color. Skittles slogans include "Taste the rainbow". There have been several television commercials, centering on surreal scenes, with people joyously receiving a bounty of Skittles raining from a rainbow in the sky. Skittles new slogan is "No Handful Is Ever The Same". Around early 1992, Skittles was renamed.

Varieties

Original Fruit Skittles (Red Package)

The flavors are:

• Grape (purple)
• Lemon (yellow)
• Cherry (red)
• Lime (green)
• Orange (orange)

In the South Korean, Taiwanese, and Australian versions of Original Fruit Skittles, Apple (green) replaces Lime, and outside the United States and Canada Purple is flavored black currant. In the UK the red Skittles are strawberry and the purple Skittles are blackcurrant.

Wild Berry Skittles (Purple Package)

In 1990, Wild Berry Skittles were introduced. Wild Berry is a mix of exotic berry flavoring, and the product is sold in purple bags or boxes.

The flavors are:

• Raspberry (blue)
• Wild Cherry (red)
• Strawberry (magenta)
• Berry Punch (purple)
• Melon Berry (green)

Tropical Skittles (Light Blue Package)

In 1990, Tropical Skittles were introduced. Tropical is a mix of exotic tropical flavoring, and the product is sold in either light blue bags or boxes.

The flavors are:

• Banana Berry (yellow)
• Kiwi Lime (green)
• Strawberry Watermelon (pink)
• Mango Peach (orange)
• Passion Punch (blue)

There are now three new flavors of Tropical Skittles, apparently replacing the Strawberry Watermelon, Mango Peach, and Passion Punch flavors. They are:

• Pineapple Passionfruit (blue)
• Strawberry Starfruit (pink)
• Mango Tangelo (orange)

The new packaging of Tropical Skittles mentions nothing of them being a limited edition.

Sour Skittles (Green Package)

In 2000, Sour Skittles were introduced. These types of Skittles are coated with very sour citric acid crystals, and the product is sold in either bright green bags or boxes.

The flavors are:

• Sour Blue Raspberry (blue)
• Sour Lemon (yellow)
• Sour Strawberry (red)
• Sour Orange (orange)
• Sour Grape (purple)

There used to be a sour Green Apple flavor, but it has been replaced by sour Blue Raspberry.

As part of the Shrek The Third promotion, a pink Wizard Watermelon, replacing Grape, and a green Apple-y Ever After skittle was added to the variety of Sour Skittles.

Double Sour Skittles (Green Package)

In 2007, Double Sour Skittles were introduced. These types of Skittles are, as the name suggests, coated with a double portion of very sour citric acid crystals. Like Sour Skittles, the product is sold in either bright green bags or boxes.

The flavors are:

• Sour Blue Raspberry (blue)
• Sour Lemon (yellow)
• Sour Strawberry (red)
• Sour Watermelon (pink)
• Sour Green Apple (green)

It is not clear whether Double Sour Skittles will be available only on a limited time basis.

Easter Skittles (Yellow Package)

Every year around Easter time, Limited Edition Easter Skittles fill the shelves of stores across the country.

Smoothie Mix Skittles (Orange Package)

In 2005, Smoothie Mix Skittles were introduced. The name comes from a smoothie, which is a fruit mix drink, and the product is sold in either orange bags or boxes.

The flavors are:

• Peach Pear (light green)
• Mixed Berry (pastel purple)
• Lemon Berry (light yellow)
• Strawberry Banana (light peach)
• Orange Mango (faded orange)

Ice Cream Skittles (Whitish Package)

In March 2006 Skittles released a 'Limited Edition' Ice Cream Skittles variety. This also went along with their "Chillin' for a Million" campaign. By late 2006 they were very difficult to find. They have discontinued.

• Vanilla (light yellow)
• Strawberry (deep pink)
• Chocolate (dark brown)
• Caramel Ripple (light brown)
• Orange Vanilla Swirl (orange)

There were also flavors in the packages of regular Skittles. In the Original there was Strawberry, in the Wild Berry there was Cherry Vanilla Swirl (deep red), In the Sour there was Lemon Sorbet (yellow with white powder), and in the smoothie Mix there was Orange Vanilla Swirl.

Carnival Skittles (Yellow Package)

In October 2006 Limited Edition Carnival Skittles (also known as Unlimited Skittles) began circulating. It is unknown when the first production of this variety began. References to this variety have also been difficult to obtain. In 2007, flavors of Carnival Skittles were made available in regular packs of Skittles (Green Slushy in Original Fruit packs, Candy Apple in Wild Berry packs, Cotton Candy in Smoothie Mix packs, and Bubble Gum in Tropical packs) to help coincide with the Text Thru Time promotion.

• Cotton Candy (baby blue)
• Bubble Gum (pink)
• Candy Apple (light yellow)
• Red Licorice (red)
• Green Slushy (green)

This variety of Skittles contains very sweet and accurate flavors causing some to liken them to Jelly Belly flavors.

In June 2007 Carnival Skittles became available in Australia, known as Showtime flavours. The flavours are

• Popcorn (light yellow)
• Jam Donut (brown red)
• Toffee Apple (green)
• Fairy Floss (pink)
• Bubblegum (baby blue)

Xtreme Fruit Skittles (Black Package)

Xtreme Fruit Skittles will be introduced in 2007, and will have the same flavors as Xtreme Fruit Skittles Bubble Gum. Xtreme Fruit is a mix of exotic extreme fruit flavoring, and the product will be sold in either black bags or boxes.

The flavors are:

• Wild Cherry (red)
• Tangerine (orange)
• Watermelon (pink)
• Blue Raspberry (blue)
• Green Apple (green)

Mint Skittles (Blue Package)

Mint Skittles were made in 2000. They came in spearmint and wintergreen. Unlike ordinary Skittles, they came in plastic containers instead of bags. They are hard to find, as they have been discontinued.

Skittles Mints (Green Package)

Skittles Mints (different from Mint Skittles) are a variety of mint flavored Skittles sold for a time in Europe. They were sold not in the usual bag nor in the plastic containers, but in a 55g box, deep turquoise in colour. Skittles Mints were released in 2001.

The flavours were:

• Coolmint (blue)
• Peppermint (white)
• toffeemint (green-brown)
• Spearmint (dark green)
• Sweetmint (Pale green)

Chocolate Skittles (Brown Package)

Chocolate Skittles released in 1998. They have now discontinued as of 2001. They were sold in 55g bags just like M&M's.

The flavors were:

• Milk Chocolate (brown)
• Wild Chocolate (blue)
• Hot Chocolate (white, later red)
• Nutty Chocolate (tan)
• Mocha Chocolate (green)

Liquorice Skittles (Black Package)

Liquorice Skittles were made in 1982. They are hard to find because they have discontinued. They were sold in Europe in 55g boxes rather than the usual bag.

The flavors were:

• Black Liquorice (black)
• Liquorice Aniseed (green)
• Liquorice Spice (red)
• Liquorice Vanilla (orange)
• Liquorice Mint (white)

Fresh Mint Skittles (Dark Green Package)

Fresh Mint Skittles was the very first type of different Skittles made. They released in 1977 and ended them in 2005.

Skittles Bubble Gum (Black Package)and other products

In 2004, Original Fruit Skittles bubble gum was introduced. Later that year, Skittles introduced a product made in partnership with Lip Smackers, Skittles-flavored lip gloss. Mint Skittles, which came in two mixes (Peppermint and Spearmint mixes) were also made. In 2005, Xtreme Fruit Skittles bubble gum was introduced. In the future, Sour or Mint Skittles bubble gum will release, but to be dated. Carnival bubble gum released in 2007.

Skittles in the News

Advertising agency TBWA\Chiat\Day won Gold Clio Awards in 2007 for their Skittles candy advertisements "Beard", "Trade" and "Leak".

In May, 2007, a man was charged for stealing a tractor-trailer containing $250,000 worth of Skittles.

References

1. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20030411211658/skittles.com/product_info/
2. http://www.masterfoodsnews.com/products_detail.asp?prodId=157
3. CLIO awards, Winners 2007

External links

• Official U.S. Website

Template:Candy products of Mars

• Mars brands