The Return of Mike and Ike Cotton Candy and Root Beer Float Flavors!

It’s been an exciting month in the world of candy already and the fun keeps on rolling as today I get to share the news that Mike and Ike Cotton Candy and Root Beer Float flavors are returning!   Not seen on shelves for over a decade, these past favorites follow on the heels of Just Born’s previous relaunches of the Lem and Mel and Cherry and Bub flavors back in 2012.  I’ve got a tasty bit of history on these two to share, so make the jump to check it out!

MIke and Ike Root Beer Float and Cotton Candy have returned for 2015

Cotton Candy happens to be one of my all-time favorite confectionery flavorings.  I always tend to enjoy it when I find it has been applied to a confectionery product as it was with the recently returned Cotton Candy Big League Chew.  But perhaps nothing ever cemented my love of cotton candy-flavored things so much as a product called Magic Milk Mix.

Magic Milk Mix featuring Cotton Candy Magic Milk – 2007

Back in 2007, Magic Milk Mix was put on the market and my far-and-away favorite flavor was the cotton candy variety.  It turned the milk blue (and delicious) and I enjoyed it pretty regularly for as long as I could.  Sadly, the product didn’t last past that one year, but I retain my happy memories of it.

So upon learning that Mike and Ike Cotton Candy were returning, it should come as no surprise that I was elated.  Not just because I love the flavor of cotton candy but also because I missed out when Mike and Ike Cotton Candy was first sold as part of their “Featured Flavors” series back in the early 2000’s.

Mike and Ike Cotton Candy Featured Flavor candy box – early 2000’s – Image source PeepsShow.com

Not only did I miss the chance to try them back then, but that Mike and Ike Featured Flavor Cotton Candy is a box I still need for my Just Born candy box collection.  To this day, it has remained elusive.  [Hey Just Born, you guys have any extras of these lying around?  😉  ]

While my search for that original Mike and Ike Cotton Candy box continues, I finally get to enjoy the candy itself in its resurrected form.

It should be noted that with the original Featured Flavors version, Mike and Ike Cotton Candy appear to have only arrived in a single color –  pink – rather than the pink and blue mix of the new release.   Here’s a look.

Just Born – Mike and Ike Cotton Candy photo with candy – January 2015

Delicious stuff.   Here’s a look at the complete box:

Just Born – Mike and Ike – Cotton Candy – 5oz candy box – January 2015

Moving on to the other half of today’s feature, Mike and Ike Root Beer Float has a similar history to that of Cotton Candy, albeit with an extra historical lineage.   You see, while Mike and Ike Root Beer Float was also originally a part of Just Born’s early 2000’s Featured Flavor line, it wasn’t the first time that Just Born put out a root beer-flavored Mike and Ike type of product.

All the way back in the 1960’s Just Born gave us Root-T-Toot as part of their candy line-up.  And it features an appealing tug boat mascot character on the original packaging.

Just Born candy industry trade ad – Hot Line to Profits – early 1970’s

This vintage Root-T-Toot box is one of my favorites:

Just Born – Root-T-Toot – personalized ring – candy box -1960’s to Early 1970’s

The original Just Born Root-T-Toot was discontinued by the mid-1970’s but returned as an anniversary limited edition in 1998, as you can see here:

JustBorn – Mike and Ike Anniversary Edition Root-T-Toot box – 1998

When root beer was selected to become one of the early 2000’s “Featured Flavors” Mike and Ike products, Just Born gave it a little twist and called it Root Beer Float.  I can’t say for certain, but I’m guessing that the flavor was tweaked from the original Root-T-Toot root beer version.  Here’s a box for the original Featured Flavor Root Beer Float Mike and Ike:

JustBorn – Mike and Ike Featured Flavor Root Beer Float – 2003

I think that’s a great-looking box and it brings us to our final piece for the day, the newly returned edition of Mike and Ike Root Beer Float.  So here it is:

Just Born – Mike and Ike Root Beer Float photo with candy – January 2015

Another great modern Just Born box design and for me this is an instant classic.  I love it!

Just Born – Mike and Ike – Root Beer Float – 5oz candy box – January 2015

It’s great to see Just Born bringing back these discontinued favorites and by doing so, feeding into the fun of their classic brands.  I’m a big fan and I can’t wait to see what they do next.

For now, that’s everything I’ve got on the return of Mike and Ike Cotton Candy and Root Beer Float flavors.  See you next time!