Today we’re kicking off our 2013 Twelve Days of Christmas series with a look at some new gingerbread-flavored candy.
Today’s post will showcase the great new limited edition releases of 2013 that all bring gingerbread flavoring into the mix. Including two fun new releases from the M&M/Mars company – Gingerbread M&M’s and Twix – as well as Just Born’s delightful new Gingerbread Marshallow Peeps!
The last few years, Mars has been pretty steady with specialty holiday releases, especially where M&M’s are concerned, but seeing a specialty flavor represented across two of their brands is unusual.
M&M’s Gingerbread is a new limited edition for 2013 and this year it’s a Walmart exclusive flavor. Target had exclusive bragging rights this year for their Halloween M&M’s Pumpkin Spice, so I guess it was Walmart’s turn to get the exclusive for Christmas. Here’s the package:
Mars – M&M’s Milk Chocolate Gingerbread – 2013 Walmart-exclusive Holiday Flavor – 9.9 oz package – 2013
The M&M’s Gingerbread packaging looks great with a gingham-esque design on each end that works well to bring a sense of “home-for-the-holidays.” Interestingly, the gingerbread man element of this design is pretty subtle – it’s just a small, rather plain-looking gingerbread man cookie on a plate that the Red M&M is holding. So the focus is definitely meant to be on the Santa-hat-wearing M&M’s mascot. Overall, a great bit of festive holiday packaging.
Next up is Mars’ other gingerbread-flavored limited edition for 2013 – Twix Gingerbread!
Mars – Twix Giingerbread – 10 oz chocolate bar candy package – November 2013
For the Twix Gingerbread release, a more colorful cookie graphic takes on a prominent position for the overall design and provides the focus of the package. You won’t miss that these are gingerbread flavor.
With the Gingerbread Twix, not only do we have an outer wrapper but also the individual themed foil wrappers for the snack-sized bars inside. Here’s one:
Mars – Twix Giingerbread – foil mini bar candy wrapper – November 2013
The smaller wrapper necessitates a simpler graphic style, but it’s still quite appealing. I’d love to see what a full-size bar release of Twix Gingerbread would look like, as I think it could result in a dynamite and colorful limited edition wrapper.
M&M/Mars aren’t the only ones bringing gingerbread flavoring to one of their classic products in 2013. Just Born’s got Gingerbread-flavored Peeps on shelves this year and after sampling these I gotta say; I really enjoyed the mix of the gingerbread flavoring with the classic sugared marshmallow Peep:
Just Born – Peeps Gingerbread flavored Marshmallow Gingerbread Men – 3-pack candy package photo – 2013
Here’s the empty, flattened package – I think they did a great job with the gingerbread house design for these:
Just Born – Peeps Gingerbread flavored Marshmallow Gingerbread Men – 3-pack candy package – 2013
After those three new products, it’s clear that gingerbread as a flavor is as popular as ever — today I even spotted a Wonka-branded giant gingerbread man kit:
Wonka – Giant Gingerbread Pal cookie decorating kit – 2013
So while 2013 is shaping up to be the season of gingerbread as an additive confectionery flavoring, it’s important to remember that gingerbread men and gingerbread houses have been around for a very very long time. Even as a flavoring for other classic treats, I started noticing the gingerbread-trend last year when Nabisco introduced their Gingerbread Oreo cookies (which are back for an encore in 2013):
Nabisco – Oreo Gingerbread flavor limited edition cookie package – November 2012
And that’s everything on the year of gingerbread and our first entry in CollectingCandy.com’s 2013 Twelve Days of Christmas.
See you next time!
Great coverage! I hope to sample some of those gingerbread Peeps sometime soon –i’ll be on the look-out for them! Thanks, bud!