A Fan-Favorite Gushers Flavor Is Returning After A Decade-Long Hiatus

Once upon a time — that time being 1997 — a candy was born. That candy, or perhaps it was a fruit snack, was watermelon-flavored Fruit Gushers (now known simply as Gushers after the rebrand), and it lasted for some 16 years until suddenly the manufacturer pulled the plug. At some point, it introduced a variant version called spicy watermelon, but this, too, seems to have been gone by the late 20-teens since the last Amazon review dates from 2019. (The product only averaged 2.6 stars, so perhaps it wasn't much of a loss.) Now, however, over a decade after watermelon Gushers went away, they are slated to return to store shelves, thus removing them from the ranks of fruit snacks from the '90s that you thought you'd never have again.

This time around, though, watermelon Gushers aren't a solo act as they come in tandem with another flavor, this being sour apple. According to an email received by Mashed, you can buy this product pairing in boxes of either six or 20, with the former being priced at around $4.29 and the latter at $10.29. These figures are only the manufacturer's suggested retail prices,however, so individual stores or chains may mark them up or down as they see fit.

We don't really know exactly why the original watermelon Gushers went away in the first place, since they, unlike the spicy watermelon ones, seem to have been a pretty popular product. A Change.org petition requesting their return launched in 2018 and garnered some 908 signatures over the course of its six years. Although this number in itself isn't too overwhelming, it seems the manufacturer may have received other comments directly as the email it sent refers to watermelon as the "most requested and beloved [Gushers] flavor."

Watermelon candies in general seem to have been on a bit of an upsurge. In a 2017 survey of top fruit candy flavors for Halloween, it came in third behind cherry and strawberry, although only receiving about half as many votes as either of the top two. McCormick, however, reported that the availability of watermelon-flavored products in general grew by 21% between 2021 and 2022, while Hersheyland reports that watermelon is currently the most popular flavor of Jolly Ranchers. Watermelon candies seem not to be just a U.S.-based phenomenon, either, as these rank among the most popular types of fruit confectionary worldwide.