Every Popular Trolli Candy, Ranked Worst To Best

You might be familiar with the little cute candies called Sour Patch Kids, but they aren't the only tangy treats in town. Trolli seems to have cornered the market on something a little less anthropomorphic and a little more gross. It's Trolli's sour gummy worms, or Sour Brite Crawlers, and they come in a wide variety of colors and flavors. A little less acidic than the Kids, Trolli's gummy worms focus more on flavor profiles than acidity, while still making your mouth pucker and your eyes water. Although Trolli is widely known for its worms, the company also has other shapes in its snack catalog, just not as expansive. I tried a few of its non-wormy shapes for this ranking, and I think one really hit it out of the park.

Trolli's introduction to American smackers began 45 years ago just after another popular brand made its way across the pond. Following on the coattails of Haribo Gummy Bears (nee Goldbears), introduced to Americans in 1981, Trolli launched its worms. Perhaps not as popular as the colorful ursine treats, they eventually caught on, especially by kids enamored by the gross-out factor.

Now, decades later, gummy candies have come back into fashion. While the market has expanded, Trolli still keeps coming out on top, probably because it keeps making its candy fun, its packaging eye-popping, and its flavors tongue-twisting. Ranking Trolli's most popular products based on flavor, texture, and a little bit of nostalgia, let's explore 10 of its offerings and rank them from worst to best.

I'm not the person that Sour Brite Crawlers Very Berry is aiming for. Berry flavoring, to me, isn't pleasant unless they come straight from the bush. As a kid in Northern California, I used to go to the creek and pick fresh blackberries for my grandmother to make pies. 

Trolli is good at creating trendy flavors or developing interesting combos of its own, but this one is just too niche for people like me, and it isn't a winner. I'd rather eat the Blackberry/Lime offering from the Sour Brite Squad than any of these. That's not to say it's all bad. The sour factor feels more pungent than the original Sour Brite Crawlers, and the Strawberry-Blackberry option tasted fine. 

The other two, Raspberry-Blueberry and Blue Raspberry-Berry Punch, didn't hit as much because they feel too cozy to be a fun, sour candy. And maybe they were designed that way. Some berries are naturally sour, so the profile tracks. Still, if you gave me a choice of red or white wine on a hot summer afternoon, I'm going to choose a chilled glass of chardonnay every time. Meanwhile, these Very Berry candies feel like they should be served by candlelight.

Easter is synonymous with candy; usually, it's associated with chocolate bunnies or jelly beans. Although Trolli's Sour Brite Eggs aren't specifically marketed for the holiday, they are probably a popular option during that time.

However, these are hard little beasts that feel like chewing sweet rubber. I popped one in my mouth, and it felt like I was making a dentistry mold. Once my jaw relocated itself, I was able to enjoy the delicious candy coating, which saves this treat from dropping to the bottom of the list. It's not very sour, and the package contains Trolli's classic combo flavors: Cherry-Lemon, Strawberry-Grape, and Orange-Lime, but strangely all I tasted was mango. If you do hand these out at Easter, be warned that I feel like they could be a choking hazard.

It's a shame, too. These are the perfect portion size and might serve well as a snack if the chew commitment wasn't so strong. If I wanted a workout, I'd have bought Haribo Gummy Bears, famous for their "Q texture."

I love a good textural culinary adventure, and Trolli's Sour Duo Crawlers have gone into innovative candy design. Trolli seems to really get that candy is supposed to be fun and isn't afraid to take risks. What's neat about this candy is it has a split personality. On one side, you have the familiar gummy density Trolli is known for, and on the other is a softer, squishier experience. There's nothing new about the soft/rubbery texture, but there is a balance that needs to be in place. Unfortunately, the Duo Crawlers skew in only one direction. 

The flavors are: Mango-Pineapple, Citrus-Watermelon, and Strawberry-Guava. Each of them packs a puckering punch, and as I ate them, my eyes began to involuntarily close. But the textural gimmick didn't stick the landing. I felt these all had the same density, leaning toward the harder side, so don't be disappointed if you're excited about the texture variation and then there isn't one. That aspect was disappointing, but the flavors are really strong, and if they had actually accomplished what they promised, these would be higher on the list. 

I love a good mash-up of flavors, and there might be no better distribution method to try them than through candy. Trolli has embraced the concept wholeheartedly with its Sour Electric flavors, which are hit and miss.

The problem, for me, is that with this much variety, I found myself liking one over the other and wishing for a bag solely committed to the one flavor. I subscribe to the proverb "variety is the spice of life," but with these candies, I felt like the meme where the guy has to choose between two red buttons and is sweating with indecision. The individual worms were flavored in combinations of Watermelon-Strawberry, Blueberry-Lemonade and Mango-Dragonfruit.

Despite the name, these aren't overly sour, and I found them softer than the other products. The Blueberry-Lemon had me at hello; the two flavors were distinct, but as they formed a paste in my mouth, it became a whole new satisfying profile. Meanwhile, the other two flavors show that Trolli can be silly and sophisticated.

It's apparent that Trolli is trying to establish some kind of mascot to represent its Sour Brite product line, and the result is this trio of goofy worms called the Sour Brite Squad. These are not as sour as some of Trolli's other options, and that's a good thing. I loved the Blackberry-Lime combo, and the Strawberry-Lemon was a refreshing twist.

I did find that after eating a few, my teeth felt like they were wearing wool sweaters, but that's to be expected when chewing through a handful of sugary citric acid and sodium citrate confections. The shapes have personalities of their own, but they all have wide derpy eyes. One looks like a large, engorged earthworm, another looks like a smaller, less segmented version, and finally, there's a classic gummy worm. 

The marketing department seems to be gearing these toward gamers who need an easy snack grab and sugar rush. They could lead to a whole new line of Trolli products. I think they're perfect for people who want a sour experience without going into extreme territory.

Sometimes you just need a tried-and-true classic and Trolli's Sour Brite Crawlers have never let me down. They're the ones I go for when I'm in the mood for a gummy experience or am making baked goods for Halloween. These sweet and stretchy candies might be the best snack to keep in the center console on a long road trip. They provide an immediate sugar boost while also giving your mouth a fidget toy to ward off boredom.

In the bag, you're getting Cherry-Lemon, Strawberry-Grape, and Orange-Lime flavor worms, but unlike Trolli's Sour Electric worms, these have a smooth, comforting sourness that doesn't jump scare your taste buds. The worms are vibrant with neon yellows, oranges, and blues — colors that, if you saw them in the wild, would signal danger and toxicity. Coated with a variety of edible acids, these originals will nip you back but then apologize with a sweet finish. I found that the Cherry-Lemon flavor was exceptional.

I have enjoyed Trolli Peach Rings for many years. That distinctive sugary grit, the intense artificial peach flavor, and the soft density of the orange candies are always something I consider buying while walking through the Walgreens candy aisle. They are a mood, and once that craving hits me, there's no fighting it.

It's a good thing the recipe hasn't changed over the years because these sweet little confections feel like home. That being said, I haven't had the little ombre colored Os in a long time, and it was nice to revisit them for this review. They seem smaller than I remember. Perhaps Trolli has succumbed to shrinkflation, but some things haven't changed — like that sweet aroma, or the bag that inevitably split up the side even after I carefully tried to open it up at the top seam like I was cracking a safe.

As I put one in my mouth, I began to salivate and, of course, tried to pry open the center with the tip of my tongue. Sadly, my tongue has no gains, and I was reduced to chewing it in half. That fake peach flavor hit all the right pleasure receptors and left me wanting more, perhaps two at once the next time.

Branching off into the oceanic animal kingdom, Trolli has taken perhaps one of the smartest mollusks from the depths and given it a whimsical twist. It feels like something Willy Wonka would create to fill his saltwater aquarium at the chocolate factory.

These cute little gummies are a mouthful with tiny legs that give your tongue a sensory experience while distributing the Trolli range of tartness. I had the original flavors: Cherry-Grape, Strawberry-Blue Raspberry, and Orange-Lemon. My favorite of the bunch is the Cherry-Grape flavor. They make great flavor buddies, whereas I feel the other two combinations are a bit overplayed. Can we get a new flavor trend and semi-retire blue razz, please?

Each octopus took up over half my mouth and turned it into a waterworks that put my salivation glands into overtime. That fun factor raises this sweetly sour tentacled creature higher on the list, because you have eight legs swimming over your tongue, coating it in candy. While that's happening, those same eight legs flail about, touching every tooth. These are a really fun candy, perfect for sour gummy lovers who want to try something new.

Here comes Trolli using its hyperbolic packaging to sway candy lovers into sampling its collab with Mountain Dew on impulse alone. This label is a masterclass in attention-grabbing merchandising. It's almost like I didn't care if the confection was good or not; the tractor beam powered by the vivid wrapper was subconsciously pulling me in. Despite the energetic packaging, you won't find any caffeine in these chewy sweets, although the sugar content is probably enough of a stimulant.

I know what you're thinking: Do these taste like Mountain Dew? I can confidently say, yes. It's a bit uncanny. The Mountain Dew recipe isn't widely known, and most people call it citrus, which is apt. But there's also another flavor in there, something hackers have tried to duplicate, but have yet to identify or confirm. The trade secret may still be intact, but somehow Trolli has managed to copy its essence. These are very sour and nicely soft. Any sweetness is muffled by the spirit of Mountain Dew and cut even further by tanginess. I really felt like I got the candy version of the soft drink, and PepsiCo might want to consider formulating a beverage around it.

I loved the Original Citrus flavor, while the Original Citrus with Cherry came in second. The Blue Razz was only middle-of-the-road for me. If you can find these at your local drug or grocery store, snatch them up, especially if you're planning an all-nighter on your Twitch stream.

I feel like Fruit Punch was big in the '70s. As a kid, I remember a TV commercial in which a cartoon mascot in a funny hat would ask the audience, "How about a nice Hawaiian Punch?!" at which point he would make a fist and sock the screen. I was immediately intrigued; however, I'd have to wait until I made my own money to try it since my parents controlled the household drinks.

Breaking open the bag of Trolli Fruit Punch Crawlers was like getting hit in the face with nostalgia. The fruitiness took me back to walking along the intertidal zones of Huntington Beach, CA, during the thick of summer. There are hints of cherry, orange, apple, and grape, despite the ingredients listing none of those fruits. Also, the red and yellow dyes are working overtime as you could probably signal for help on a deserted island using the bright neon worms to spell out "SOS." I surmise the bright colors are a tactic to distract from its competitors who occupy space on the same shelf. It works!

Juicy and nectarous, the fruit punch gummy will put you over the edge with supercharged dopamine. There isn't a single fruit flavor that sticks out, but these feel tropical and should come with tiny paper umbrellas. These will definitely be on my snack rotation this summer.

I am a big lover of gummy candy. This might be a controversial take, but I think Haribo should adjust its gummy bear recipe because even after all these years, they still feel like chewing on a Kong dog toy, and I don't want to wait for them to soften in my mouth to enjoy the chew.

I feel like Trolli has perfected its recipe to accommodate all kinds of jaw pressures, so I was excited to sample each of its most popular brands to determine the ones that stand out from the crowd. The company also has a way of grabbing a consumer's attention.

For this article, I ordered all of the brands through Walmart and Amazon. I made sure none of the products had melted in the intense Arizona heat. I reviewed each product based on sourness, sweetness, texture, and to some degree, nostalgia. I also took into consideration Trolli's shelf appeal. The company seems to have a hip branding department that uses darker and muted colors, but they manage to be attention-grabbers. I tasted each candy individually two different times, just to double-check myself.