How A TikTok Trend Inspired Airheads To Open A 'Shake Factory' Gym

If you thought you were correctly eating Airheads candy your entire life, think again. For those of us candy lovers who have been ripping open the package and taking a bite, we've been missing out on an entirely new experience. In May 2023, Tiktok creator Jordan Howlett, aka jordan_the_stallion8, discovered a trend involving shaking an Airhead to reduce it to a small cube. Apparently, if this is done with the white mystery flavor, shaking it changes the flavor. After seeing a 2021 restitched video from another creator, Howlett tried the trend and confirmed, "The flavor tastes different."

His original video garnered about one dozen comments, but after Airheads stitched the video, his views skyrocketed. The stitched video garnered over 12 million views and 17,000 comments from people who tried the trend themselves or wanted to. One issue people faced was the time it took to shake the candy to the bottom of the wrapper. Howlett spent over a minute shaking the candy to shrink it down. Between the effort to shake and the popularity of the challenge, Airheads jumped in on the fun by opening the official Airheads Shake Factory. The one-day-only shake factory took place at the famous Muscle Beach Gym in Venice, California, on June 21, 2023. Attendees were encouraged to try the shaken vs. unshaken varieties to determine if they tasted a difference.

Luckily for those who attended the one-day Shake Factory gym, there were professional shakers, aka bodybuilders, on-site to do the hard work of shaking the candy. Attendees who wanted an arm workout could also compete in a 60-second shakedown competition. Those who shook their candies into the tiniest cubes in the specified timeframe were eligible for prizes. 

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Airheads used Howlett's stitched video to officially start the #AirheadsChallenge on social media, so even if you couldn't attend the in-person, you could still feel included. Even though the event has passed, people can still upload videos of themselves shaking their favorite Airheads. Some people have known about this trend for several years, but others are still in complete shock. The comments on the TikTok video ranged from "I've been doing this since I was a kid" to "My mind is blown." One person questioned if this trend is why the candy is called Airheads — because you are shaking air into the candy.

While Airheads cannot confirm or deny whether the taste of mystery white flavor changes when shaken, it hasn't stopped fans from trying and giving their input. One woman shared, "I swear one tasted like peach lemonade and the other was like fruit punch." If you're going to try the trend at home, be prepared for some potential pain. Several people complained that their knuckles hurt after shaking, but it's a small price to pay for a unique candy experience.