Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Au’some Snerdles Super Mario Power Up BoxI’m sure some folks recognize it, it’s a Super Mario Power Up Box. Inside this mystery block are eight power ups: Starman, Super Mushroom and the gold coin in the form of Snerdles. Next question: What are Snerdles? They’re are a candy mosaic made by Au’some. Chewy fruit strips covered with tangy, crunchy candies. Think of them like a Nerds Rope, but flat with the Nerds forming an image. Au’some introduced Snerdles about 10 years ago and they appear on the market from time to time. The last time I heard of them was when they did a limited edition for Marvel back in 2003-2005 including Spiderman. They also made a generic version which was little squares or strips with images of the different flavors of fruit on them. The promo material I got last year said: Each candy fruit strip is decorated with tiny and tart crunchy candies for an amazing mouthful of texture. I was fascinated and really wanted to see them in person. Each Power Up Box holds eight individually wrapped Snerdles. Each weighs 11 grams (.39 ounces). They’re not quite square - they’re 2 inches high and 1.75 inches wide and about an eighth of an inch thick (without the toppings). They absolutely look like the box illustrates. The translucent fruit squares have designs made from little crunchies in different colors. They’re not quite as perfect, but the effect is quite cute and all of mine were faithful and easy to identify. They come in three flavors to go with the designs (though they’re not matched at all, any color can be any design). Blue Raspberry is Aqua, Strawberry is red and Apple is green. Apple Snerdles It doesn’t smell like much out of the package. The fruit bar is a little sticky but very pliable. There’s a little pull to it, but it’s not at all a gummy. It’s not quite fruit leather, it’s not as pulpy as that. Goodness, this was realistically like an apple. The peel flavors and actual flavor of a granny smith were in there. The second ingredient is pear puree, so it really is fruity. Really authentic scent of strawberry jam. It’s tangy and sweet with just a hint of grape in the background, but mostly a vague strawberry flavor. The candy pieces provide a crunch and flavor somewhere between a nonpareil and a Nerd. They’re tangy and sweet, but not quite flavored. They’re crunchy but have a slight starchy and chalky afterglow. I found I could just bite them and eat them that way, but like a fruit roll up or fruit leather I did play a bit. I rolled some up, with the crunches on the inside to keep them from falling off (they’re little devils inside a keyboard). I also pulled some apart, so the mosaic was distorted, like the scattering of galaxies after the Big Bang. The crunchies just sit on the top, they’re not pressed into the fruit square. Blue raspberry was certainly an odd color, an ocean aqua. It had an appealing scent, a mixture of floral berries and limes. This one was more tart than the others, though I can’t say that any rise to the level of sour candy. The flavors were like a berry jam, though not subtle or nuanced. Just straight ahead real berry flavor. These really are an inventive candy. They’re not quite a fruit leather and without the nutrition panel I can’t say exactly whether I’d call these a snack or a candy. The fact that they’re made with a substantial amount of fruit puree should make parents happy and the cute designs and inventive package should make any kid who gets these the envy of his friends. Made in a no peanut facility but no other notations of allergens on the list (such as tree nuts, eggs, milk, wheat/gluten). They’re also Kosher. Full ingredients: Sugar, pear puree from concentrate, dextrose, corn syrup, tapioca starch, citric acid, apple fibre, sodium citrate, artificial flavors, pectin, maltodextrin, carnauba wax, colours. They are made in China, though it says “Made responsibly in China.” I talked to some folks at the company, it’s a family run business who supervise the manufacture of the candies themselves so it appears that there’s more oversight than a company that outsources the production. They have more information on their website. The box is easily reusable, it’s a 2.5” cube with a well fitted lid. I think you can peel off the top sticker and then throw change in there or game tokens or just keep refilling it with different candy. I don’t know the true retail price, I expect a box like this will be under $2.00, but on the internet where licensed merchandise can go for more, they might be around $3. Aggrogate had a roundup of many Nintendo-themed candies, including Snerdles. Related Candies
POSTED BY Cybele AT 2:00 pm Candy • Review • Au'some Candy • Compressed Dextrose • Jelly Candy • Kosher • 7-Worth It • China • |
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Meticulously photographed and documented reviews of candy from around the world. And the occasional other sweet adventures. Open your mouth, expand your mind.
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Words cannot express how cool I think this candy looks. I grew up on Nintendo.
where to buy, where to buy?...
Cute! I wish I knew where to buy them - they would be perfect birthday party favors for my almost-7yo.
You’re missing part of a sentence in the Apple section: It’s not quite fruit leather, it’s not as pulpy as that. It’s also not quite - not quite what?
i grew up on nintendo too. looks like fun eats.
Well, I found these earlier today in a Hot Topic (which tends to overprice candy novelties), and bought it on a whim. The price was $4.90 (slightly more than the other Super Mario ? block themed candy), but they were having a buy-two-get-one-free candy sale, so I had other items as well.
There is a bit of a dry, powdery aftertaste, unfortunately, but it’s overall a rather addicting candy.
Found these at Kmart in Latham NY for 1.99 each, along with the Mario Kart pez-ish candy.
I bought these today at my local hot topic. They definitely were awesome, and the candy was delicious.
Cool. I just found 3 packs for 25 cents at a grocery store
OMG i remeber getting this with extra GameStop credit from trading in stuff. Except they were marvel characters and were long like the wonka tangy wonka taffy! I forgot what these were called and have been looking for awhile to get some more of these. They pretty much taste like nerd ropes but better cause you get more fruity gummy candy! The mario ones will have to do as I havent seen that Au’Some Candies who makes the candy isnt making those anymore. They will still taste amazing! Im going to order in bulk online. I can get a whole box for 25 bucks!
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