TikTok influencers have helped make many unique items go viral, oftentimes showcasing food or products with compelling testimonials or turning goods into a trend.
The latest craze to hit the platform is the Walgreens “Nice!” branded “Gummy Mango” candies, which went viral several times once content creators figured out you can peel the candy, like an actual mango, and find a chewy, squishy center to snack on.
Now, Walgreens can’t keep the $1.99 bags of candy in stock.
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“Literally in about four to five days after we launched it, we sold through nearly all of the product,” Marty Esarte, vice president of Walgreens’ owned brands, told CNN. “If we had expected that to happen, we probably would have had more.”
In January, the influencer credited with creating the initial hype (@trinhdoesthings), posted a clip peeling and eating the candy that’s since garnered over 8.9 million views.
@trinhdoesthings Peelable mango gummies ? #gummies #mango #candy #snack ♬ original sound – trinhdoesthings
“I work at Walgreens the amount of people coming in asking for these is crazy,” one viewer commented.
On TikTok, searching “peelable gummy mango” will garner thousands of videos; the most liked video so far was posted by content creator @linder_surprise, garnering over 804,000 likes and 8.3 million views.
@linder_surprise Replying to @Azula FOUND IT AT WALGREENS!! ?? (beginning video belongs to @xo-deliciousfood) #fyp #mangopeelinggummy #peelinggummies #mangopeelingcandy ♬ original sound – Linda
“The interactivity of it is really cool and it’s what makes the peelable candy really fun,” Esarte told CNN. “It also creates a discussion point: Is the outer layer better than the inner gummy or are they better together or separate?”
And for those fixated on the mango craze, a new flavor is set to hit shelves soon.
“We’re launching a peelable banana gummy next,” Esarte said. “Banana is a common favorite flavor across the U.S. and the world and we think it’s another great item to add to the peelable gummy mix.”
Esarte noted that the new flavor will launch next month in roughly 5,000 Walgreens locations.
Related: Walgreens Audited for Billions By the IRS
Walgreens reported a rough Q1 2024, where the company slashed its quarterly dividend by nearly 50% in an attempt to “strengthen [its] long-term balance sheet and cash position.”
“We are evaluating all strategic options to drive sustainable long-term shareholder value, focusing on swift actions to right-size costs and increase cash flow, with a balanced approach to capital allocation priorities,” CEO Tim Wentworth said at the time.
Walgreens Boots Alliance was down over 48% year over year as of Monday afternoon.
