Jelly Donut and Banana Split Flavored Bubble Gum

Dubble Bubble Bubble Gum - Dollar Tree

As soon as Collecting Candy posted these jelly donut gumballs on Instagram, I knew I had to have them. 

I'm not sure how historically accurate this is, but in my mind, the 90's were all about bubble gum. We had Blow Pops, Bubble Tape, Big League Chew, and Bubblicious, but there was also a wonderful world of gumball machines to explore. At roller rinks and malls, I could buy seedlings, which were gumballs shaped like fruits filled with tiny candy sprinkle "seeds," Tongue Splashers, which would change your mouth to a different color, and tons of other novelties. I even lost a decent chunk of my hair, and a few articles of clothing, to childhood gum-chewing mishaps. Getting the chance to re-live that in my 30's, and only paying a dollar to do so? Priceless! (Being an adult and paying one dollar for an entire bag of gumballs makes you realize how messed up paying .25 cents just for one gumball actually was/is back in the day.) 

I went to Dollar tree to grab one bag, but left with two, so today's post isn't only Dubble Bubble, it's Dubble Trubble!

First up, the main event, Jelly Donut! 

The candy is an orange-y tan color, fairly fried-donut-like in appearance, just a little over-saturated, and it's covered in a light dusting of fine sanding sugar. On a sacle of one-to-donut, it's looking pretty dought-y.

And it smells donut-y too! Upon closer inspection, the candy smells sugary, slightly cinnamon-y,  and buttery. I'm really impressed, but how does it taste? 

I popped a gumball into my mouth, the sanding sugar exterior helps with the whole donut-illusion, and the flavoring is sweet and very pleasant, but it certainly doesn't taste like a jelly donut.  

Everything starts out sweet and sugary, but as you chew, you get a hint of artificial purple grape from it's gooey center, but it's extremely mild. Overall, this tastes like a sweet, sugary, vanilla gumball. It's good, but I wish the filling had been a bit more intense and present. It's a fairly thin layer, and I think opting for something more-so in the raspberry family would have helped with the dounut-illusion a lot more. 

Next up, Banana Split!  

I bought these thinking all the colors were a novelty, and that each one would taste the same, but I was wrong. Each color is it's own flavor. Yellow is banana, white is vanilla, brown is chocolate, and pink is strawberry. I love the idea, but to get a true banana split bubble gum experience you need to each one of each flavor at once. Four gumballs as once? My jaw isn't made of steel! Still, I gave it my best shot. First, I tried them one on one, then I went in for the four-flavored finale! 

Banana (yellow) - the flavoring is a milder version of banana Runts. It's banana-y, but a fake kind of banana that only certain people can appreciate. I like it quite a bit, but I wish it were a bit bolder.  

Strawberry (pink) - Started out tasting like almost nothing, but fades into a really creamy strawberry flavoring that is kind of reminiscent of ice cream. I'm honestly impressed! Fruity, creamy, and surprisingly authentic! 

Chocolate (brown) - Tastes a tiny bit like coffee at first, with some bitter cocoa powder notes, but quickly fades into Hershey's syrup territory. If you took a pink piece of classic bubble gum, and covered it in chocolate syrup, it would be this. Not terrible, but I would never want this flavor in a stand alone bag. 

Vanilla (white) - this one reminds me a little of coconut, but the overall flavoring is kind of similar to vanilla salt water taffy from the Jersey shore. It's sweet, and tastes like almost nothing. It's not bad, but it doesn't bring much to the table.  

Here we go, jaw don't fail me now! When combined, first of all, I look absolutely deranged, but the flavor combination isn't all that bad. The fruity flavors, banana and the strawberry, shine through with the chocolate getting mellowed out a bit by the bland vanilla. It certainly doesn't taste like a banana split, but you know what? It's not all that bad either. (Even though I look like I need to be hospitalized while chewing them all. No sir, it's not an allergic reaction, I, A grown adult-woman, am eating four gumballs at once.)

Even though neither of these flavors lived up to their flavor namesakes, these were a lot of fun and they were crazy cheap! I enjoyed all of the flavors, and I only spend two dollars (plus tax.) I would definitely buy both of these flavors again, and I recommend them to anyone looking to relive a little childhood gumball-nostalgia, but be warned, your jaw might not be ready for it. (Mine is definitely sore after this work-out!)

Fans of these would also like: Polly Pocket, Banana Split Twinkies, Banana Split Oreos, and Jelly Donut Oreos

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