(WGN-TV) — A candy sold at Walgreens has unexpectedly become a viral hit thanks to TikTok.
The pharmacy store chain has been forced to impose a one-bag limit per customer on Walgreens' Nice! brand Gummy Mango peelable candy.
It went viral after being introduced last year, and ever since, Walgreens has had trouble keeping the candy in stock.
The mango-flavored treat sells for $1.79. The candy is believed to be so popular because it can actually be peeled, making for a good TikTok review video. The snack's popularity has been building for months, with one early popular TikTok video review being posted by user @trinhdoesthings back in January.
Per video reviews, including Trinh's, both the mango candy peel and the candy contained inside are edible — though Trinh notes in her first Mango Gummy video that she prefers the inside candy to the outer gummy shell.
"This is so funny," Trinh says as she peels the candy and tries it for the first time. "That's so fun to eat. I do like the inside more than I like the outside, though. It's more juicy if that makes sense."
Walgreens makes a variety of similar fruit snacks — though they don't indicate peelability — in flavors like orange, spearmint leaves, peach and pineapple. Walgreens said they plan on introducing a banana version of the candy next month.
Walgreens is the latest company to see a boost in sales originating from TikTok trends. The free marketing of TikTok users would likely be among the hugest drawbacks for businesses should the U.S. ultimately decide to ban the social network if China-based parent company ByteDance doesn't sell to a U.S. owner.
Last week, President Joe Biden signed a piece of legislation that requires ByteDance to sell to an American company in the next year or face a shut down — though the possibility that the law could be challenged still exists. Despite rising to prominence as a place for tweens and teens to perform dance challenges and lifestyle "hacks," concerns over the security of TikTok user data have snowballed in recent years.
But considering the extreme impact the social network can have on getting consumers to spend money, it's unlikely businesses are rooting for TikTok to go away. Just ask Stanley. According to CNBC, the drinkware company's profits increased tenfold between 2019 and 2023 due to the brand's constant viral attention. Could mango gummy candy be Walgreens' big hit?
