New Nerds Gummy Clusters Candy Wins ‘Most Innovative' Award During Debut
The Sweets & Snacks Expo kicks off in Indianapolis today, with several big-name brands showcasing all-new products and returning favorites for 2025 and early 2026. So far, we've learned about a first-ever flavor of Nutella, an upcoming Crunch bar variety, the new look coming for Ferrero Rocher, got a preview of Butterfinger's new marshmallow-flavored bar, new Keebler cookies, and even had a highly-awaited Tic Tac collab confirmed.
But now that the event is officially here, experts are releasing their top picks for "Most Innovative" new snack and sweets releases, and unsurprisingly, the new Nerds Juicy Gummy Clusters won for the Gummy category.
Related: Gushers Brings "Impossible to Ignore" Fan Request to Life With New Release
"The Most Innovative New Product Awards are a celebration of the creativity and ingenuity that keeps people coming back to the candy and snack aisles," John Downs, president & CEO of the National Confectioners Association, the host organization for Sweets & Snacks Expo, said in a May 12 press release. "Consumers turn to confectionery and snack products to add a little sweet or salty touch to special occasions and everyday moments. This year's MINPA winners are outstanding examples of the ways in which the confectionery and snack industries are delivering products to meet consumers where they want to be met."
According to a description reviewed by Parade, the new subline will "unleash all of your senses with an epic bigger-than-ever candy experience" and is said to feature "a delicious strawberry punch flavor combined with the crunchy, gummy, juicy textures in a satisfying bite for a next level experience that only NERDS can bring."
When our editors inquired about the new release about a week ago, a spokesperson for the brand confirmed that while it's excited to announce the release at the expo, other details would have to wait "closer to launch."
Related:New Trolli Sour Candy Offers "Enhanced" Sensory Experience
An official release date for the new Juicy Gummy Clusters has not yet been made public, but it's likely safe to assume that fans will see them on shelves by year-end or within the first quarter of 2026.
Along with the Nerds candy, other new product award winners this year include:
Amos Tastysounds JinglePop Graffiti, Most Innovative New Seasonal Product Belle's Gourmet Popcorn Matcha Latte Popcorn, Best In ShowChunk Nibbles Toffee Sweet & Salty Clusters, Most Innovative New Sweet SnackJuicy Drop® Gummy Mystery Cube 5oz Original Flavor, Most Innovative New Non-Chocolate CandyNomad Snacks Pad Thai Flavored Ready-to-eat Popcorn, Most Innovative New Small Business InnovatorPop & Sol Coconut Flaked White Chocolate Covered Cashews, Most Innovative New Chocolate ProductSnak Club Ramen flavored Snack Mix, Most Innovative New Savory SnackTrashy Gourmet Shortbread Cookies with Mini Strawberry Boba from Molly Bz Cookies, Most Innovative New Baked Good.
Next:Popular Pudding Brand's New Flavor Has Fans' Attention: "Stop Playing"
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New York Post
04-08-2025
- New York Post
Bethenny Frankel says this 'absurd' health fad is 'out of control'
You can totally have too much of a good thing. Bethenny Frankel always has her finger on the pulse of what's trending in the wellness world, but there's one popular obsession that has her confused. She told The Post that the fad has gotten overboard — and shared the health and wellness musts she's actually into right now. 4 Bethenny Frankel told The Post that the obsession with loading up on protein has gotten out of control. Getty Images for Sports Illustrated 'The obsession with protein is an out-of-control fad that everyday people are fixated on as if they're training for the Olympics,' she said. These days, health-conscious TikTokkers are packing as much protein into their diets as possible, whether it be with supplements or protein-enhanced snacks like Khloe Kardashian's Khloud protein popcorn. But studies show that there is such a thing as eating too much protein — and it can make you gain weight, clog your arteries and raise insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels. 'They can also be high calorie dense. It's another marketing gimmick like keto or carnivore or low carb or all the absurd fads I've witnessed over the years. Balance is key,' Bethenny said. The trend has clearly been bugging the reality star this summer. In a July TikTok video, she wondered, 'Are people walking down the street and their brittle bones are giving out on them?' 'Why? What are we doing? Are you a triathlete? Are you Arnold Schwarzenegger?' On the flip side, she's also not into 'tricked-out lattes,' which she says 'are getting extreme.' 4 ' It's another marketing gimmick like keto or carnivore or low carb or all the absurd fads I've witnessed over the years,' she said. TikTok/Bethenny Frankel 4 She also doesn't like 'tricked-out lattes' with high sugar content and flavors, which she says 'are getting extreme.' TikTok/Bethenny Frankel 'Blueberry, banana, pistachio, Nutella and caramel lattes can be great treats but not every day. I know for myself things that tend to have a high sugar content really affect my energy and brain health throughout the day.' So what is Bethenny into? Balance, for one. 'Nothing crazy works,' she said. 'To maintain or lose weight, make sure you burn as many or more calories than you consume, Moderate exercise, balanced eating and a healthy relationship with both is the key. 'I think people are too extreme in their routines and it wears them down and creates an unrealistic bar to maintain,' she added. She also gets massages regularly and likes to 'really balance out being social with nesting.' 4 Bethenny has teamed up wtih Dose and says she takes a shot of it every morning. Dose/Bethenny Frankel 'I beach walk every day,' she said. 'I think walking and being in and near the ocean is the most healing of all practices. I think swimming is such a great form of therapy and exercise. She's into supplements, too, and recently teamed up with Dose to promote their zero-calorie, sugar-free liver support drink that has potassium, turmeric, milk thistle extract and ginger powder. The active ingredient in turmeric is cumin, a compound rich in antioxidants. Potassium can help lower your blood pressure and keep your bones strong, while milk thistle may help liver function and prevent brain decline. 'I take a daily Dose for your liver shot, concentrated vitamin C and elderberry,' she said. 'I'm religious about it when feeling drained or under the weather. The Dose shots taste like orange juice and help maintain liver function, aid in digestion and boost my energy levels so it's a win-win.


Atlantic
04-08-2025
- Atlantic
What's Really Behind the Cult of Labubu
A furry fiend with rabbit ears and a maniacal grin has recently been spotted twerking next to the singer Lizzo, baring its teeth on the former soccer star David Beckham's Instagram, and flopping against a woman's Chanel bag while wearing its own Tic Tac–size Chanel bag. The creature in question is Labubu—a soft-bellied plushie that the Chinese company Pop Mart began distributing in 2019, and that has, in the past year, gained hordes of admirers. In 2024, Pop Mart reported a more than 700 percent increase in the stuffie's sales. People have been doling out anywhere from about $30 to $150,000 a toy. At Brooklyn raves, adults hop around under neon lights with Labubus clipped to their belt loops. The devotion, at times, has turned almost ferocious; Pop Mart decided to suspend in-person sales of Labubu in the United Kingdom after reports of chaos at stores. Commentators have offered all sorts of theories as to why Labubu has become a sensation. One factor might be scarcity: Each new Labubu release on Pop Mart's online store tends to sell out in minutes. Another might be surprise: The plushie arrives in a blind box. (It could be pink or gray; wear overalls or hold a Coke.) Some people have suggested that the Labubu hype is a product of a trickle-down celebrity effect, or that the toy has become a gay icon. But the way I see it, the cult of Labubu is simply an extension of the phenomenon known as ' kidulthood,' in which the boundary between childhood and adulthood keeps growing fuzzier and fuzzier. In the past few years, more American adults have been buying stuffed animals—some, researchers have told me, in an effort to reject staid versions of adulthood and inject more play into grown-up life. These adults have usually kept their plushies at home, relegating them to bookshelves and beds. Labubus, though, are 'public displays of cuteness,' Erica Kanesaka, an Emory University professor and cute-studies scholar, told me in an email. Devotees carry Labubu into subway cars, office cubicles, and dental schools. They clock into shifts at KFC with the toy literally attached to their hip, and take it along for their workdays as football players or airline pilots. Adults in other countries—Japan, perhaps most notably—have long worn objects featuring cute characters, such as Hello Kitty, out and about, hooked to bags and key chains. In the 1990s, it wasn't uncommon to see white-collar Japanese salarymen with Hello Kitty accessories dangling from their phones. The trend, Simon May, a philosopher and the author of The Power of Cute, told me, might have been born of a postwar rejection of overt aggression: After World War II, cute aesthetics were one way that Japan revamped its public-facing image. The country, May said, changed its self-presentation '180 degrees from militarism to pacifism.' But in the United States, loving cute objects has historically been written off as escapism at best and a worrying swing toward infancy at worst. Adults who embraced childlike things were 'seen to be irresponsibly regressive, morally immature, and refusing to play their full part in society,' May said in an email after we spoke. As recently as 2020, in an article about plushies, one writer self-consciously described her stuffed hound as her 'deep dark secret.' Yet, as I've previously reported, this defensiveness about loving cute objects has been gradually dissipating, part of a century-long evolution in which childhood has come to be seen as a protected life stage. Nowadays, May said, 'to be childlike also has an increasingly positive connotation in terms of openness to ideas and freedom from dogmatism.' At the same time, attitudes about what it means to be an adult are shifting. Many have assumed that children are supposed to 'grow out of vulnerability' when they become adults, Sandra Chang-Kredl, a professor at Concordia University, in Montreal, who has studied adults' attachments to stuffed animals, told me. But more and more, people are pushing back on that idea. Years ago, 'it would have been hard to admit that, let's say, Oh, I have anxiety,' Chang-Kredl said. 'Today, there's no shame involved in it.' Pop Mart has capitalized on this transformation, marketing Labubus—and its other collectibles—specifically to young adults. The company's social-media posts seem to be aimed at Monday-hating, coffee-drinking workers who might log in to Zoom meetings from disastrously messy rooms or prefer to be outside, playing with buddies (or toys), rather than reporting to an office. Evidence suggests that this approach has been successful; one analysis of Pop Mart's web traffic found that 39 percent of visitors to the online store in April ranged in age from 25 to 34. Shame dies hard, though, which might be another reason Labubu has gained traction. Within the realm of cute things, a demonic-looking stuffie is more 'ugly-cute'—adorable, monstrous, deliberately weird. (Ugly-cuteness is also by no means a new phenomenon; think of the pygmy-hippo sensation Moo Deng, toys such as UglyDolls and Cabbage Patch Kids, or the eternal appeal of the pug.) People 'feel that they themselves are a little bit edgy,' Joshua Dale, a cute-studies professor at Chuo University, in Tokyo, told me, 'for liking something that some people don't like.' As with any popular trend, Labubu does have its haters—or at least some tongue-in-cheek provocateurs. People have suggested (semi-jokingly) that the toy is possessed, possibly by a demon called Pazuzu. The singer Katy Perry, at a recent concert in Australia, used her mic to smack a Labubu out of a fan's hand. 'No Labubus!' she commanded sternly. Still, Labubu's creepy-cute duality does feel very of this moment, in line with a certain strain of the culture that seeks to undercut anything that feels too buttoned-up. Consider the popularity of 'brat'—an irony-tinged aesthetic that embraces the messy and ugly-cute over the prepped and polished. Last year, my colleague Spencer Kornhaber described the 'brat' mood as 'a little immature, a little selfish, a little nasty.' He also noted that the singer Charli XCX, whose songs affirm that the party-girl life has no age limit, and pop artists such as Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan seem to be making music offering 'the assurance that growing up, in the conventional sense, is just optional.' Wearing Labubu, especially on a designer purse or a backpack meant for grown-ups, is a choice that speaks in a similar register. It signals a 'playful attitude to life,' May told me, 'a winking at the world.' Monday will come around again, with its dreaded wake-up alarms and emails. But according to the logic of kidulthood, you might feel a tiny bit better if you bring a devilish tchotchke to that 9 a.m. meeting.
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Yahoo
23 baby names banned around the world, from Nutella to King
In some countries parents have to choose from a list of approved baby names while others ban names such as Lucifer, Saint, Facebook and Tom. You might think choosing a baby name is down to the parents, but there are some monikers you can't give to a newborn, depending on where you live. Earlier this year, New Zealand, which has strict naming laws, released a list of all the baby names officials rejected in 2024. Many of the names were linked to royalty, with King, Prince and Princess noted as the top three most rejected name choices. Crown, Pryncess, Royal and Emperor were also among the names turned down. Other names parents were banned from using included Saint, Fanny, Ice and Messiah. In total, there were 71 instances of a name being declined. By law, names in the country must not be offensive, resemble a title or rank, include numbers or symbols, or be unreasonably long. This isn't the only example of baby names being banned around the world. Hungary and Iceland are just two of a number of countries where parents have to choose their baby names from an approved list. If they want to give their child a more unique name, they must put in a request and wait to see if it's approved. In other countries, there are laws around names using traditional spellings. In fact, various baby names have been banned around the world for a whole host of reasons. Here are some of them. Banned baby names Metallica Maybe these Swedish parents were huge fans, but when they tried to give their daughter an ode to their favourite heavy metal band in 2007, officials outlawed it, deeming it inappropriate. However, after public outcry, authorities withdrew their objections. Tom If you're considering having a baby in Portugal, there is a list of approved names to choose from. Nicknames are not allowed as a full, formal name – so Tomás is okay, but Tom isn't. Nutella In 2015, a court in Valenciennes, France, decided that a couple would not be allowed to name their daughter Nutella. The judge ruled it wouldn't be in the child's best interest to be named after a chocolate spread. Facebook In today's internet-obsessed society, it's only a matter of time before someone tries to name their child after a social media site. The state of Sonora in Mexico banned parents from naming their baby Facebook in 2014 because it is 'derogatory, pejorative, discriminatory or lacking in meaning". The same state has also banned the names Robocop, James Bond, Circumcision, Traffic and Lady Di. @ Before you roll your eyes, the meaning behind this is quite sweet. In China, the @ symbol is pronounced 'ai-ta' and means 'love him'. Still, when parents tried to name their child this in 2007, authorities didn't think it was appropriate. However, it wasn't revealed if the name was eventually allowed or not. Ikea Parents in Sweden wanting to name their children after the country's Scandinavian-inspired superstore could fall foul of the country's naming law, enacted in 1982. J Turns out Swiss naming authorities aren't keen on initials as first names. When parents tried to pay tribute to two grandparents, Johanna and Josef, with the name J, the court in Switzerland suggested Jo instead. Gesher Back in 1998, Norwegian authorities jailed a woman for two days when she failed to pay a fine for giving her son an "unapproved" name – Gesher, which is Hebrew for bridge. Cyanide In 2017, a Welsh mother was banned by a high court from calling her baby daughter Cyanide (her twin brother was named Preacher). Despite her arguments that Cyanide was a "lovely, pretty name", the court ruled that the "unusual" choice might harm the child growing up. Saint The moniker that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West chose for their son may have been fine in the US, but, in New Zealand, where you can't give your kids names that resemble official titles, it's not. In 2024, one set of parents had this name rejected by the naming officials within the government. Daemon A French couple, in 2012, were keen to name their child after the character of Damon from The Vampire Diaries. They added an 'e' to make it sound more French, but authorities banned it for sounding too demonic. However, the parents were allowed to keep the name after a court battle. Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii This unique moniker of Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii belonged to a nine-year-old girl from New Zealand before a judge had her renamed during a custody battle. "It makes a fool of the child," he said. Akuma In 1994, Japanese parents called, or should we say tried to call, their son Akuma, which means devil. The authorities decided this was an abuse of the parents' rights to decide a child's name. Chow Tow AKA Smelly Head While some countries are gradually loosening their name laws, Malaysian authorities have been clamping down on unsuitable titles in recent years. Case in point: Cantonese moniker Chow Tow, which means 'Smelly Head'. Ah Chwar AKA Snake The 2006 tightening of Malaysia's naming restrictions also meant the banning of Hokkien Chinese Ah Chwar, which means 'Snake'. Peppermint Germany has certain criteria for baby name bans. Pfefferminze ("Peppermint") was rejected because it might cause ridicule. Equally, the moniker Stone was outlawed due to the fact that "a child cannot identify with it, because it is an object and not a first name". Linda In 2014, the relatively inoffensive-sounding Linda made Saudi Arabia's banned baby names list, thanks to its association with Western culture. Fañch In 2017, a French court ruled a couple could not use the moniker Fañch they'd chosen for their baby. The court in Quimper, north-west France, ruled that the new parents would not be able to use the character ñ (called a tilde) in their baby's name. Venerdi AKA Friday In 2008, a court banned an Italian couple from calling their baby boy Venerdi, which translates to Friday. But although naming a baby after the best day of the week doesn't sound that bad, the judges believed the name, taken from Robinson Crusoe, would expose the child to "mockery" and was associated with "subservience and insecurity". Fraise When a French couple attempted to name their child after a strawberry, the courts claimed that the name Fraise would incur teasing. The parents insisted that they were only trying to give their little one an original name, and eventually went with 'Fraisine' instead. Lucifer Earlier this year, The Times reported that a court in Germany had intervened when a couple tried to call their child Lucifer. Other names that have been rejected in the country include Satan, Judas and Gucci. Anus A child in Denmark was very nearly named after this particular part of the human anatomy. Unsurprisingly, the application was denied. Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116 No, we didn't just nod off on the keyboard. That is an actual name a Swedish couple tried to give their baby back in 1996. Apparently, the name is pronounced 'Albin' (yeah, we're not sure how either), and the parents chose it as a protest against Sweden's strict naming laws. Are any baby names banned in the UK? In the UK, there are no strict rules around names. In fact, more than 60,000 unique names and spellings were given to babies born in England and Wales in 2023. However, names that are racist or considered harmful to the child could be illegal and banned, according to the UK Deed Poll Office. Names could also be rejected by the registering officer if they: Are impossible to pronounce Include numbers, symbols or punctuation marks like exclamation points (hyphens and apostrophes are fine) Are considered offensive, vulgar or blasphemous Infer the child has a rank or title, like Doctor or Lord Read more about baby names: 9 baby names no one else in your child's class is likely to have (Yahoo Life UK, 7-min read) I had some baby name regret, after choosing my daughter's name in a rush (Yahoo Life UK, 5-min read) 36 baby names inspired by food, from Margherita to Clementine (Yahoo Life UK, 9-min read) Solve the daily Crossword