Runts (also known as Fruit Runts) are candies sold by Nestlé under their Willy Wonka Candy Company brand. First seen on the market in 1982, they are fruit flavored and shaped candies and are very much like large Nerds. Original Runts have a hard candy shell with a somewhat powdery center.

There are six different flavors of Runts in each package. Orange, cherry, banana, strawberry, lime and now, blue raspberry and watermelon. Back in the day, you could only get orange, cherry, banana, strawberry and lime. But since everything now is “new??? and “extreme??? I guess it was time for some new flavors to be added to the mix. Runts are crunchy, hard candies that basically turn to dust when you start eating them. They are fruity and have a slightly sour side to them, but not nearly as intense other sour candies. I guess you could say that these are both sweet and tart. My favorites in this bunch are, hands down, cherry and blue raspberry. While lime and banana are voted “least likely to be eaten??? in the candy box beauty contest.

Runts are not a candy I eat very often. In fact, it has been a good 10 years since I have had any. But for you, candy kids, for you I will report the highs and lows of Wonka’s Runts. High points for the candy: there is a nice assortment of flavors, there is a good “crunch??? factor to the candies, and since they come in boxes with multiple candies, they are easy to share. Kids love Runts. Low points for the candy: there are banana runts lurking in the box and I detest banana flavored things – especially banana flavored candies. I like real bananas, as in the fruit, but banana flavored things gross me out. So there ya go, outside of scary banana shaped candies, Runts are pretty cool.