"Straw-bursts," A Missed Opportunity

Starburst Swirlers - CVS 

I love Starbursts. I love them so much that made this purse! It was made using clear vinyl, thread, tons of Starburst wrappers, and nylon strapping for handles. I had just taught myself to sew, so it wasn't great, but I still have it and it still works!    

I remember hoarding wrappers for ages and being pissed when the logo changed from a round "S" to a tear-drop. (I have since comes to terms with it.) I remember when Sours were first introduced, and their spiky sunburst-logo blowing up my spot (seen in the blue area of the bag), and I remember a Retro themed mix that had an awesome "Optimus Lime" flavor, and trippy white wrappers, that I thought were really ugly at the time, but looking back they were really cool. (Wish I saved more of those!) 

So yeah, I'm a pretty big Starburst fan. That said, when these were announced, I was pretty "meh," about the whole concept.   

Come On Baby, Light my Fire - Sweet Heat Starbursts

Sweet Heat Starburst - Target

Sometimes gimmicky things are done for gimmicky reasons, like when companies release obviously bad flavors in order to generate hype and publicity. After all, we all know there's some sadistic joy in sharing knowingly bad food with friends, otherwise those Beanboozled and Bertie Botts beans wouldn't be as popular as they are. The real question is, are these Starbursts one of those items? I'm not sure. Sweet and spicy is one of my favorite combinations, like honey-hot-wings. (Oh man, I really want some wings right now...) These could either be great, and fill an area that's lacky on USA's candy shelves, or they could be disgusting flops. We won't know until we try!

Starburst Ice Cream Jelly Beans - AKA Candy-Coated-LIES

Starburst Ice Cream Jelly Beans - Target $1.99 (on sale) 

I've been against this mix since the day CandyHunting spotted it on the showroom floor. Sure, "Ice Cream Starburst Jelly Beans," may sound great, but this is all flash with no substance.

Look at these flavors! We've got: lemon sorbet, strawberry, orange sherbet, and red raspberry. I like sorbet and sherbet as much as anyone, but they are NOT ice cream. Not only is this mix poorly named, but it's (almost) completely unoriginal! With the exception of red raspberry, these flavors are re-named repeats from the original Starburst jelly bean line-up. I declare shenanigans!

I planned on going with my gut, and leaving this product on the shelves, but...I'm a sucker for a bargain. These were on sale at Target for $1.99, so though it'd be interesting to see if my gut feeling about this product was on-the-money.