How Once-Discontinued Creme Savers Returned Triumphantly To The Shelves
If you were around in the early 2000s, chances are you enjoyed a Creme Saver here and there. The hard candies featured swirls of fruity and sweet, creamy flavors, blending together to create a fruity, warm flavor. The size and shape of the candies were both similar to those of Life Savers, which were owned by the same brand – Nabisco, and then Wrigley – though there was no hole in the center.
Though they became a staple in waiting room candy dishes and grandmas' purses (along with Werther's Originals), the candies were discontinued in 2011 without much of an explanation as to why they were no longer being made. The colorful, fruity candies have been missed by fans ever since disappearing from store shelves.
The disappearance inspired a few different online petitions, some of which garnered hundreds of signatures. Fortunately, in 2021, those fans were heard, and the brand was revived after a decade off the shelves.
Two Creme Savers flavors returned to store shelves
The announcement of the brand's revival came just days after a tweet about the candies went viral. "If you remember these, your knee pops when you stand up," read the post, with an image of the candies attached. The August 21, 2021 tweet garnered thousands of retweets and likes, with many replies wishing that the candies could be purchased again. Fortunately, on August 30, 2021, those wishes were granted.
If you remember these, your knee pops when you stand up. pic.twitter.com/LoKz20LVNV
— Dr. Jon Paul (They/Them/Tired)🏳️🌈 (@DoctorJonPaul) August 22, 2021
The revival was thanks in part to Iconic Candy, a brand specializing in bringing discontinued candies back to store shelves, and appealing to childhood nostalgia. The brand partnered with Mars Wrigley to bring back the iconic hard candy, ensuring the flavors stayed the same as the original recipe.
The rerelease brought back the Strawberries & Creme and Orange & Creme flavors, though the candies were initially only available for purchase at Big Lots locations. The candies' nostalgic appeal proved beneficial for the relaunch, however, and they can now be purchased at other retailers, including Walmart, Kroger, and Amazon in a variety of package sizes.
Creme Savers fans remain thrilled about the candies' return
Today, Creme Savers are only available to purchase in the strawberry and orange varieties, the flavors of which one Instagram commenter compared to "hopping in a time machine." But plenty of the candies' fans are thrilled they can enjoy them once again, with one Twitter user even dubbing the return of the candies "one of 2023's biggest W's."
Most people seem to agree that the candies taste just as good as they did during their initial release. "Got a bag of strawberry Creme Savers for the first time in like 20-plus years and lemme tell ya, they didn't last long," wrote one Twitter user, while another tweeted, "Creme Savers still hit like the old days."
Though there are only two flavors available right now, Creme Savers' successful return proves the brand's enduring popularity. Who knows? Maybe the brand will someday reintroduce other discontinued flavors as well, if fans of the candy brand voice their cravings once more.