TikTok influencers have helped many unique items go viral, often showcasing foods or products with compelling testimonials or turning merchandise into a trend.
The latest trend on the platform is the Walgreens “Nice!” branded candy called “Gummy Mango,” which went viral several times when content creators discovered that you could peel the candy like a real mango and leave a chewy, mushy core can find something to snack on.
Now Walgreens can’t keep the $1.99 candy bags in stock.
Related: How TikTok changed e-commerce forever
“Literally about four to five days after we launched, we sold almost all of the product,” said Marty Esarte, vice president of Walgreens private labels CNN. “If we had expected that, we probably would have had more.”
In January, the influencer (@trinhdoesthings) who first sparked the hype posted a clip of himself peeling and eating the candy, which has since amassed over 8.9 million views.
@trinhdoesthings Peelable mango gummies? #gummies #mango #sweets #snack ♬ original sound – trinhdoesthings
“I work at Walgreens. It’s crazy how many people ask about this,” one viewer commented.
On TikTok, searching for “peelable gummy mango” returns thousands of videos; The most liked video to date was posted by content creator @linder_surprise and received over 804,000 likes and 8.3 million views.
@linder_surprise In reply to @Azula FOUND IT AT WALGREENS!! ?? (Initial video belongs to @xo-deliciousfood) #fyp #mangopeelinggummy #peelinggummies #mangopeelingcandy ♬ Original sound – Linda
“The interactivity is really cool and makes the peelable candies really fun,” Esarte told CNN. “It also creates a discussion point: Is the outer layer better than the inner rubber layer or are they better together or separately?”
And for those excited about the mango trend, a new flavor will be hitting shelves soon.
“Next, we are launching a peelable banana gum,” Esarte said. “Banana is a popular flavor in the U.S. and around the world and we think it’s another great addition to the peelable gummy mix.”
Esarte said the new flavor will roll out to approximately 5,000 Walgreens stores next month.
Related: Walgreens audited for billions by IRS
Walgreens reported a difficult first quarter of 2024, in which the company cut its quarterly dividend by nearly 50% in an attempt to “strengthen.” [its] long-term balance sheet and liquidity position.”
“We are evaluating all strategic options to drive sustainable, long-term shareholder value, focusing on rapid actions to right-size costs and increase cash flow, with a balanced approach to capital allocation priorities,” said CEO Tim Wentworth back then.
Walgreens Boots Alliance was down over 48% year-over-year as of Monday afternoon.