REVIEW: Mountain Dew x Trolli Cherry-Lemon

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Every year since 2019, Mtn Dew, no, sorry, Mountain Dew (they decided to spell it out again) has unleashed a spooky-themed mystery flavor under the name VooDEW. The freaky flavored opaque grey bubbly liquid ranged from the inaugural candy corn to “fruit candy chews” to 2023’s official collaboration with Airheads candy for a branded cherry flavor. But now Mountain Dew VooDEW is a ghost of the past, at least for 2025. Skipping over the frightful mystery contest in favor of a straight-up co-branded candy collab, this year’s newest Dew is a Trolli Cherry-Lemon gummy, available in only zero sugar.

While this absurdly vibrant red soda may lack the suspenseful surprise of the VooDEW branding, what it doesn’t lack is a punch when it comes to flavor. The cherry lemon gummy presence is just as bold as the coloring, with a strong cherry that verges on syrupy without ever going into the “not good” territory. It’s a big pop of cherry followed by lemon and the classic Dew flavor, which is already lemony in its own right.

The taste of this Trolli collaboration reminds me a lot of the early 2000s fan (and personal) favorite Code Red, with just a touch more citrus flare than I recall from Code Red, which favors the cherry. I imagine that side by side, there may be some additional nuance that comes out, but I’m not sure how much more gummy flavor can be injected into an already potent sweet mix like the foundation of Dew. In the same breath, it does taste remarkably like the yellow and red Trolli gummy worm, so it’s also quite accurate.

Regardless of whether this is a sneaky re-skin or not, it’s a close enough and tasty enough comp for a SKU whose zero sugar version is nowhere to be found in my area. As someone who tries to avoid full sugar drinks, I’m really enjoying this zero sugar Trolli Dew. It is a super sweet, almost-too-much-but-just-enough type of soda that is unique but familiar enough that I can absolutely see myself buying a 12-pack of cans and having no issue finishing it over the course of spooky season.

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 20 ounces
Purchased at: Safeway
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 Bottle) 15 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 85 milligrams of sodium, 1 gram of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 0 grams of total sugars, 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Trolli Limited Edition Mountain Dew Sour Brite Crawlers

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If you’ve been waiting for your chance to “DO THE DEW” and “DO THE WORM” simultaneously (I wish I could take credit for this tagline, but alas, it’s ripped straight from the Mountain Dew website), you’d best slither on over to a package of the new limited edition Trolli x Mountain Dew Sour Brite Crawlers.

These candy critters aren’t the only option to fulfill all of your Dewy/wormy desires—this fruitful (ha) partnership also includes a Zero Sugar Cherry-Lemon soda—but I’m not opening that can of gummy worms today, so I’ll focus on this wriggly business.

As soon as I opened my pack, I was rewarded with a scent cloud that was certainly Mountain Dew-esque. The worms come in three flavors: the green Original Citrus, the red Original Citrus Cherry, and the blue Original Citrus Blue Raspberry.

You may, like me, be disappointed to note that there’s nary a “Code Red” or “Voltage” in sight—the savvy shopper suspects that this decision was made to broaden the pool of potential buyers to those who may be interested in gummies but unfamiliar with Mountain Dew’s intense yet vague naming conventions and while that is a bit of a bummer for Dewhards like Yours Dewly, fair enough. (What I can’t forgive as readily is the omission of Baja Blast, but maybe that’s another marketing thing—I concede that “Original Citrus Tropical Lime” does have a weird ring to it.)

Of course, I had to try the OG flavor first, and my verdict was… yeah, that tastes like what a Mountain Dew-flavored sour gummy worm should taste like! It starts with a burst of mild sourness that quickly recedes into sweetness, with a bright, refreshing throughline of fizzy citrus-ness. I usually don’t opt for snacks much sourer than a Sour Patch Kid, and fortunately for me, these fall on the lower side of the sour scale, such that even if you’re tentative towards tart treats, you shouldn’t have much of an issue. Because of the mellow flavor, if you told me these were Sprite gummies, I would have believed it, but they’re credible as Dew too. While I noticed an oddly artificial aftertaste (how dare my sugary snacks based on a radioactively-hued soda taste artificial!?), I found that to be minimized when I took smaller bites rather than gulping down a whole worm at once.

The red and blue variants had even more intense flavors, which I would say made me enjoy them more than the green, but the tradeoff was that they didn’t strike me as especially Dew-like. Rather, they tasted like pretty generic cherry and blue raspberry slushies. Appearance- and texture-wise, all of the worms are quite satisfying—they are thick, chewy but not too hard, and somewhat stretchy, with an appealing marbled pattern. (I tried to discern whether the lighter parts and the darker parts tasted different, but as best as I could tell, the difference was purely aesthetic.)

If you’re thinking about picking these up, I suggest you Mountain Dew it; they won’t be around forever, so make like an early bird and get that worm.

Purchased Price: $3.79
Size: 12.3 oz package
Purchased at: 7-Eleven
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (serving size of 5 pieces): 100 calories, 0 grams of fat, 45 milligrams of sodium, 23 grams of carbohydrates, 14 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Trolli Gummi Pop

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Being a fan of all things sour, I’m certainly no stranger to the Trolli brand… I also really love popsicles, so I figured I had a good idea of what I was getting into. Well, dear Impulsive Buyer, I’m here to tell you that I was 100% wrong.

These are, in a word, weird. In two words, they’re very weird. That’s not to say that they’re bad, not exactly, or that you shouldn’t try them. I’m just hoping that some of you will be better informed than I was before jumping into this big old pop of strange.

The flavor is great. Very reminiscent of a good Sour Brite Crawler but kicked up a notch, although not in sourness. I actually found these to be even less sour than the aforementioned Sour Brite Crawlers themselves. My Walmart, unfortunately, only had the Cherry Lemon variety, but I like both of those flavors, and that turned out to be important, as they are strong despite their frozen state. They never reach cloying or unpleasant levels at all, but both the lemon and the cherry are most assuredly there, and they announce their presence with gusto!

Next, we have no choice but to talk about the texture. It’s not gummy at all, like I’d been expecting, but nor is it exactly a popsicle either. Rather, it exists in some unique, third state…maybe even a different state of matter entirely, somewhere between Jell-O and an Italian Ice. The only thing I’ve ever tasted that even comes close to this texture was a “Not Melting Popsicle” from Kanazawa Ice I had while on a trip to Japan. It’s wholly unique, but not terrible, at least not once you get used to it.

Trolli Gummi Pop Cherry Lemon 4.

Did I hate these popsicles? No. Did I enjoy them? Also, no, but not as strong of a “no,” if that makes sense. I liked them enough to finish the box, and I’d probably buy the blue variety if I happened to see them (even if just to try that texture on my favorite flavor).

Purchased Price: $4.97
Size: 10 pops
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 pop) 70 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 0 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of total carbs, 0 gram of dietary fiber, 15 grams of total sugar, and less than 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Now and Later WTF and Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers WTF

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Now and Later WTF

If your taste buds like to play detective, there are two new mystery flavor candies from the Ferrara Candy Company — Now and Later WTF and Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers WTF. In these instances, the WTF doesn’t mean what the acronym has usually stood for — the World Taekwondo Federation. Instead, it asks, What The Flavor?

Now and Later WTF Closeup

Now and Later WTF consists of mixed fruit chews. Every piece is white, which, of course, gives no clues to what the flavors could be. It tastes as if there are four of them in the bag.

One is definitely pineapple, which is quite tasty. It’s not overly sweet, but I knew it was the tropical fruit the moment I put it into my mouth. Another one is watermelon, but it’s not as potent as a Jolly Rancher. As for the others, it’s either passion fruit, kiwi, or a strawberry Fruit Roll-Up, my taste buds can’t decide.

My taste buds also can’t recall the last time they’ve had Now and Later candy. They don’t remember how tough they are. “Hard Starburst” is what I’m going to start calling Now and Later from now on.

Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers WTF

Unlike, the Now and Later, the Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers WTF have color, which is a little disappointing. I wish they were transparent or white, making them look like albino snakes or gummy worm ghosts. But the colors do not give hints to what they may taste like. Also, unlike the Now and Later, the gummies are easier to eat.

Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers WTF Closeup

There seem to be three flavors. I’m positive one of them is peach because I love gummy peach rings and will never forget that taste. Another one, I think, is blue raspberry. And the last one, I believe, is lemon lime. Ugh. I’m a horrible flavor detective.

I’m a sucker for mystery products, but I’m a little disappointed by these. All the flavors, whatever some of them are, are tasty. But they all seem to be fruity varieties that have already been made. It would’ve been nice if there was at least one new or utterly wacky flavor (wasabi would’ve made me wail WTF).

I realize I should’ve started this review with a SPOILER ALERT because I might’ve ruined the mystery for all of you. It would be like me saying Avengers: Endgame involves [DELETED] going [DELETED], then they travel to [DELETED] in order to [DELETED], and then they figure out [DELETED]. Knowing that would’ve made you angry, like the Hulk in Endgame where he [DELETED] and ended up [DELETED].

A special thanks goes to TIB reader, and regular Spotted photo contributor, Robbie for sending me a bag of each candy.

Purchased Price: 2 for $4
Size: 5 oz. bags
Purchased at: Stripes (7-Eleven)
Rating: 6 out of 10 (Now and Later)
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Trolli)
Nutrition Facts: Now and Later (7 pieces) – 120 calories, 1 gram of fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 40 milligrams of sodium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, 18 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein. Trolli (8 pieces) – 100 calories, 0 grams of fat, 40 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 14 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

VIDEO REVIEW: Trolli Sour Brite Sloths

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Purchased Price: FREE*
Size: 4.25 oz. bag
Purchased at: Received from Trolli, but available exclusively at 7-Eleven
Nutrition Facts: (5 pieces) 90 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 30 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 13 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

*Disclosure: Received free samples from Trolli. Receiving samples did not influence the review.

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