Friday, September 7, 2007
Shockers SqueezLast year a new product came out called SweeTarts Squeez. It’s basically a paste made of a little water and mashed up SweeTarts. I never reviewed them here even though I tried them because it only came in two flavors: Cherry and Green Apple. Since they’re not really my favorite flavors, I didn’t think it was a good idea to evaluate them based on those, I kept thinking that they’d come out with the classic Grape, but no such luck. However, last week I saw an announcement that Wonka was bringing out a Shockers version of the Squeez line and one of their first flavors was going to be lemon. I enjoy the SweeTart Shockers ... they’re blisteringly sour (I’m salivating just thinking about them!) and the citrus flavors are undoubtably the best. When I was a kid I used to make a version of this Squeez stuff. It involved taking Pixy Stix (or the cheaper and less flavorful Filled Plastic Fruit) and a little water and making a paste. This could then be spread (or glopped) onto lips as a special tangy lipgloss (and facial peel) or slathered onto a green apple Jolly Rancher Stix. As a special treat, sometimes I made something else: take a little single-serve pack of saltines (like you get with your soup at a diner), smash the crackers completely into a fine power while still in the wrapper. Then carefully open the package at the top and pour in as many Pixy Stix as you have. Jello-O powder will also do in a pinch. Add a small amount of water, enough to form a dough. Mash completely together. Spread on other crackers or eat by squeezing bits onto the tongue. )If the dough is particular firm, small balls can be created, lined up on the windowsill to dry for later.) The combination of salt, light crunch from the crackers that weren’t completely soggy yet and the sour of the Pixy Stix was, well, an interesting way to pass a half hour in front of the TV watching old episodes of the Monkees. But enough of about that! Shockers Squeez comes in a little tube, larger than a travel size of toothpaste. Flip the top and squeeze some out onto your finger. The texture is rather like toothpaste, except that the “grit” actually dissolves. Tongue Trippin’ Lemon smells pretty good, but not much like lemons. It smells like that cloud of powder the comes out of a can of Country Time Lemonade Drink Mix. It’s immediately sour and then has a metallic lemon note that tastes like, well, lemonade drink mix, but a bit more intense. The sugary part feels slightly cool on the tongue, like Pixy Stix do. Mouth Blastin’ Berry also has a similar tangy scent, like a fruit punch drink mix. The thick paste isn’t quite as tart as the lemon, but still similarly sour like a SweeTart. Unlike Shockers, which start tangy and then become rather sweet, these are tart all the way. There are probably many ways to eat these, I found that just squeezing a dot out of the tube and wiping it up with my finger and into my mouth was the cleanest and most satisfying. Amy, from next door, just put it directly onto her tongue in much larger proportions that I did. The blue does make the tongue, well, bluish. I could see experimenting with other candies, like putting it on Red Vines or maybe throwing a dollop on a lollipop every once in a while. I can say that it doesn’t go very well with coffee, but you probably already knew that. I haven’t tried it on Saltines ... I could only find some Rye Crisps left over from the last time I got soup ... that’s not so hot. They might make a good icing accent on some cupcakes. I’m eager to try them on my Peeps! But the price is kind of prohibitive. Regular SweeTarts are far cheaper. These are available in stores now. I saw them at the checkout at Von’s last week (the same day that these samples from Wonka arrived). The first ingredient is high fructose corn syrup. The last two ingredients are yellow #5 and sodium benzoate. Kosher. Related Candies
POSTED BY Cybele AT 6:56 am |
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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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I was always too attentive to the Monkees to even *consider* eating at the same time! :D
Ewwwww this is so gross to meeeeeee! *runs away flailing arms*
Just imagining this texture makes me want to throw up. :x
How in the world did you first think to mix pixy stix with saltine crumbs? Bizarre!
But yeah, I remember those sugar-filled plastic fruit. Those were fun.
I know this has nothing to do with this candy, but I’m not sure how to go about telling you…
I saw 2 new kinds of Hershey Kisses at the CVS today. Neapolitan and Double Fudge.
I’m not a fan of strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate all at once so I went with the Double Fudge which were two-tone in color and tasted nice. I thought there may have been coffee undertones…
why aren’t there any Coffee Hershey Kisses yet?
I’m having trouble conceiving of any candy idea that might be more disgusting.
Nope, can’t do it.
I would like to know how many pixy stix are eaten each day or year, for that matter. Any way to find out?
Thanks
I might have to try these. I skipped the SweeTart Squeez because I don’t like cherry or sour apple flavors. But my love for blue candy might make me try this.
And today a coworker brought in candy corn Hershey’s kisses. Interesting.
I would like to know how many pixy stix are eaten each day or year, for that matter. Any way to find out?
Thanks
Glenn - I think the best way to find out would be to contact Nestle’s directly.
http://www.nestleusa.com/Public/ContactUs.aspx
They can probably only tell you how many are produced, I’m not sure if they know if people actually consume them.
Thanks Cybele, I contacted Nestle. There reply was an astounding 900 million Pixy Stix sold each year!!! Thank you again for helping satisfy my curiousity.
I’m so happy you reviewed these! (Whether you liked them or not is not exactly the case, I just know I’ve been looking on your blog for them for awhile.)
I really like the cherry flavour, but I’m a nut for the insane sugar high I get off of eating them.
These are just quite special to me. Enough that I’ll cut open the tube and lick the rest off of the wrapper like a crazy person.
I tried the lemon one, it tasted like lemon-scented floor cleaner to me.
I love these! First off, i have always loved shocktarts…when i saw these (at my local blockbuster), i grabbed both the berry & lemon…I loved both of them!! I heart wonka!
This stuff is pure HEAVEN. Sometimes i’ll sit there and squeeze as much as i can in my mouth. HERE’S A SUGGESTION:
Buy the SweeTarts Rope 2 pack (available at Blockbuster or 7-11). Buy a SweeTarts or Shockers Squeez Tube. Squeeze the juice all over the ropes and WA-LA you have the sweetest treat EVER.
i luv this candy! it sooooooooooo good!
This candy is by far the best gel candy I have ever tried!!! I love the blue. I’m cautious to try the other flavors. Cherry is probably good. But it was funny because I was eating one while reading this and I read Christina’s comment about cutting open the tube, i just did that. this is only the second tube i’ve ever had.
I just wanted to say this is the best candy I have ever eatin…i buy up every blue flavor at all the Meijer, target and cant beleive these are not out all over…i bought 40 blue ones between the stores because i can never find them…the blu Rasberry is by far the best…the yellow is not. they should sell these individually with blue in a box…they should make the grape and red but blue is by far the best
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