Runts

The Runts lineup as of 2009 (l-r: banana, orange, strawberry, green apple and grape

The 2007 Runts flavors: banana, orange, strawberry, pineapple, and mango

A lineup of Runts from the late nineties (l-r: cherry, banana, orange, strawberry, watermelon and blue raspberry)

Original Runts introduced in 1982: banana, cherry, strawberry, orange, and lime

Originally, Runts had colorful centers. Left: 1982, Right: 2015.

Runts in a bulk vending machine (on the right) with the 2007 and 2008 flavor lineup

Runts are crunchy candies sold by Nestlé. First seen on the market in 1982, the candies are in the shape, color, and flavor of a selection of fruits. Runts have a hard candy shell with a compressed dextrose center (similar to the consistency of SweeTarts).

Flavor changes

Since its introduction, Runts has offered five different flavor assortments.

• In 1982, Runts were introduced with banana, cherry, strawberry, orange, and lime.
• In the late 1990s lime was replaced with watermelon and blue raspberry.
• In 2007 the flavor assortment was changed to a more tropical array. Watermelon, blue raspberry, and cherry were replaced with pineapple and mango. This tropical themed mix was short-lived, as 2 years later it changed again.
• In 2009 pineapple and mango were replaced with green apple and grape. Green apple reused the original cherry shape, and grape reused the mango shape. At the same time, the color of strawberry changed from pink to red.

Varieties

A chewy version of Runts known as Chewy Runts was previously available, including the same mix of fruits as the original crunchy runts. Chewy Runts were discontinued in 2014.

A seasonal product named Runts Freckled Eggs was released each year for Easter. The candy pieces were not shaped like fruits as in every other Runts mix. Instead, they were all shaped like eggs. Freckled eggs were available in large bags and smaller single-serve boxes with a built-in handle.

In the 1990s, a variation known as Tropical Runts was available. The pineapple and mango Runts originated in this candy.

A similar variant, Rock'n Runts existed in the 1990s, containing watermelon, grape, pineapple, lemon, and raspberry.

Often the banana flavor is sold separately and has often been given a name coined Bananarama.

Other changes

Originally, Runts had colorful centers that matched the color of the outer shell. The colorful centers have since been discontinued, as current Runts contain a white center.

Ingredients and nutrition information

Ingredients include: dextrose, maltodextrin, and less than 2% of corn syrup, malic acid, calcium stearate, carnauba wax, artificial flavors, color added (red 40 lake, yellow 5, yellow 5 lake, yellow 6).

As stated by the Wonka website, the box comes in two sizes: theater size (6 oz.) and single box (1.8 oz.)

Nutrition facts as given on a box of Runts: Serv size: 12 pieces, servings: about 3.5, amount per serving calories: 60, total fat: 0 g (0% DV) Sodium: 0 mg (0% DV) total carb: 14 g (5% DV) sugars: 13 g protein: 0 g (Percent daily values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.)