Sometimes Foodie: Candy Salad Controversy - Mike & Ike Red, White and Blue

Mike & Ike Red White & Blue

Probably should have reviewed this on Memorial Day, but better late than never.
I think the Candy Salad trend has come to an end. In case you're not chronically online (like me) it was when a group of people get together and they each bring a bag of candy to share with the group. All the candies are combined in a large vessel, usually a bowl, and then redistributed to the group Pick-a-Mix style for snacking.
I thought this trend was a lot of fun, and I plan on doing it with my little cousins at our next sleepover, but it also sparked controversy. Everything from people hating on the unhealthy amount of sugar consumption (fair) to critiquing candy contributions.
While preferences will always differ, there are a few faux pas that I agree with:

No mixing chocolate candies with fruity/gummy candies (Pick one theme and stick with it.)
No peppermints or licorice (love both, but they will corrupt the flavor of all other candies)
No gross/wet/messy items (no liquid or powdered candies, and no vomit jelly beans)
No individually wrapped items (No lollipops, loose easy to eat candy only)

Pretty simple and straightforward concepts that are courteous to the other candy consumers and make eating at parks or the movie theaters convenient.

What I didn't expect, or agree with, was the Mike and Ike hate. I saw a lot of comments along the lines of, "Mike & Ike's? Uninvited."

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but these comments were so frequent and had so many likes on them that it made me want Mike & Ike's out of spite. So, here we are.

This mix has 3 flavors:

Cherry Pie - bright red artificial cherry flavoring. It's simple, bold, recognizable, and borders on cough-drop-y. I like it, it's actually my favorite of the trio, but it's just cherry. There's nothing "pie" about it.

Blueberry Cobbler - This is more of an indiscriminate artificial berry flavoring, it leans more "purple" in flavor than "blue." It's sweet, fruit adjacent, and vanilla'd. I don't think it lives up to "cobbler," but I would give it "berries and cream." It's enjoyable, but cherry is still my favorite.

Vanilla Ice Cream - Sweet, sugary, a warm vanilla flavoring. It's reminiscent of white jelly beans more-so than ice cream, but it's pleasant and mixes nicely with either of the other flavors.

Normally I like to eat my flavors solo, or in groups of two, but this mix actually tastes best when you grab one of each flavor and eat them all together. It's like a mixed berries and cream and it's rather enjoyable.

The naming convention is annoying, but it's a solid candy. I'd prefer the OG flavor line-up, but if they swapped the vanilla out for a lemon and go the bomb-pop route, this would be a contender. Either way, I wouldn't kick these out of my candy salad. Would you?