The Last Bag of Wonka Runts Freckled Eggs

I’ve always liked Wonka’s Runts candy. Standing at just 5 feet tall, “Runt” has long been my nickname around these parts. I recall riding my bike up to the dime store as a kid in the 80s and plunking down my pocket change for the candy in a package that looked like this. Much to my dismay, Wonka changed the flavor lineup in the 90s and removed my favorite, the beloved lime.

I don’t recall the first time I purchased Runts Freckled Eggs, but they were in a fun basket-style box. Later, the packaging changed a bit to the one you can see in this post on the Candy Blog from 2007. I even have one of these empty boxes around here, somewhere. By the way, if you take a close look at that post, and scroll down to the comments, I even commented back in 2009, under the username “Peloria.”

Runts Freckled Eggs were Wonka’s Runts adaptation for the Easter holiday. The cute little egg-shaped candies came in four flavors: orange, blue raspberry, strawberry, and lime. Yes, LIME. Woo hoo! I’m one of the few who do NOT like banana Runts, so the absence of the flavor here is just a bonus to me.

The eggs’ “freckles” are little flecks of dye that coordinate with the flavor of the candy. Some are very lightly splattered, and on others, the coloring is more dense. Unlike their regular Runts equivalent, these do not have a super shiny outer coating, though there is a thin candy shell. The mouthfeel is different, but inside, it’s the same great tart candy.

I love these things. I don’t know if it’s the shape, the difference in shell, or the fact lime is back in the mix… but around every Easter I searched for these candies and hoarded them for the year. I would even rejoice in a tweet if I found a bag:

http://twitpic.com/1dg2pc – Score!

— Heather Gray (@heatherpowers) April 5, 2010

Eventually, these got harder and harder to find. Then, there were none. Wonka announced that they had been discontinued due to “low sales volume.” Aargh! It’s Mr. Pibb and Jell-O Pudding Pops all over again. Companies seem to love taking away my favorite treats. I swear it’s a conspiracy. But, as luck would have it, during the time that Runts Freckled Eggs were discontinued, I happened to have a bag of them in my pantry. That yearly hoarding ritual served me well.

Since then, I’ve been delicately doling out small portions of Freckled Eggs to myself when the mood strikes. My wrinkled, well-loved bag is now just half-full, as you can see in my photo above. I’m fairly certain I won’t have it in me to finish them. As usual, I’m not the only one missing this candy. Even one of my local radio stations made a blog post about it last year. C’mon Wonka… it’s a seasonal treat. Bring them back, make them easier to find, and your sales volume will go up. I’ll personally guarantee it.