Starburst Squirts Crazy Babies

Well, here's a blast from the past! Way back in 2003, Starburst introduced us to Squirts, their signature Gummi Fruits with a liquid-filled centre. They were revolutionary, bringing the liquid-filled lolly to the Australian market for the first time. (View the commercial here; note the plastic tray packaging.) The release expanded to include Squirts Crazy Babies; the same idea, used on the Starburst Babies. And then, inexplicibly, the product faded from the market in 2009-2010. Google the  product name to see a number of forum posts lamenting their disappearance

Luckily for us, Squirts Crazy Babies seem to be back! Head after the jump to read more!

 


What I find most intriguing about this sudden and silent appearance of a an old fan favourite is that the packaging appears to be exactly the same. I'd be fooled into thinking someone has found some (really) old packets out the back and put them on the hanger if the expiry date wasn't fresh (October 2014). Anyway, moving on. The bag contains six different gummi flavours (strawberry, apple, passionfruit, mango, watermlon and blackcurrant) and two different centre flavours (raspberry and orange). The combination of gummi and centre flavours are consistent; for example, all apple gummis had raspberry centres. There appears to be three different moulds in use, and they are all small, maxing out at 2cm tall. The allocation of flavours is random; I had a ton of blackcurrant but only three strawberry in my bag.

The gummis themselves are not the glossy type, despite being glazed with carnuba wax according to the ingredients. They are firm and not very bouncy, possibly made with a slightly different recipe to withstand the injection of the centre. The actual insertion of the liquid centre seems to fairly consistent; only a few pieces were leaking.

Red: Strawberry with raspberry centre.
The gummi is sweet and jammy, but not distinctly strawberry in flavour. The raspberry centre is sweet with a touch of tartness that quickly fades. Good combination.

Orange: mango with orange centre.
At first taste, I thought the yellow piece was mango, until I tried an orange piece. This is definitely mango. It has that bold, strong flavour that screams mango. The orange centre matches it step for step. I dislike mango, so avoided this piece.

Purple: Blackcurrant with orange centre.
Aside from the visual clash (this looks like a Halloween lolly when you bite into it), the lolly is pleasant. The flavour of the gummi is weak and vaguely berry-ish. The orange centre makes it nice but nothing special.

Green: Apple with raspberry centre.
A classic pairing, again with a colour clash. The apple gummi sweet and very artificial. It's rescued by the raspberry centre. I like this one.

Pink: Watermelon with raspberry centre.
Light and refreshing, it's sweet like an ice tea. The raspberry flavour gain brings the piece to life, making it one I reached for repeatedly.

Yellow: Passionfruit with orange centre.
As mentioned above I thought this was mango at first. It's bold and artficial, and not really a flavour I'd label as passionfruit. Orange centre adds a little citrus zing and makes it taste a bit like Passiona.

I'm glad they're back, but I do wonder if the remergence of Starburst Squirts Crazy Babies is due to The Natural Confectionery Company's Squishy Bugs? Hmm...

Score: 4 out of 5 jelly beans

Starburst Squirts Crazy Babies are made in Australia for the Wrigley Company. There's no allergen statement but they contain glucose syrup (from wheat).

Note: I purchased these from an independent supermarket in metro WA. They don't seem to have appeared in major supermarkets yet, so if you're looking to pick up some, try your local independents!