There are very few gummy candies as iconic as Swedish Fish. This aquatic delicacy is best known for its easily recognizable fish shape, bright color, and sweet taste. Red Swedish Fish in particular are widely recognized for their unique, hard to pinpoint flavor.
Red might be the most common color, but it isn’t the only one out there. In fact, there’s a plethora of discontinued Swedish Fish flavors, with one of the most popular being the purple flavor, which was discontinued back in 2006 to the dismay of many customers.
It may be a little surprising that this flavor is so treasured considering the grape Airhead is the one we avoid on our weekly shop. However, it’s actually so missed that there are entire Facebook groups dedicated to bringing back the beloved grape-flavored Swedish Fish. There was even an online petition calling for its return, but it sadly fell on deaf ears. The purple Swedish Fish remains discontinued to this day with no signs that it will ever make a return.
What happened to the grape Swedish Fish?
Given the ongoing public outcry at the flavor’s discontinuation and overall online nostalgia for the candy, it’s hard to imagine why Mondelez International, Swedish Fish’s parent company, made the move to end this flavor in the first place. After all, Swedish Fish is one of the few mainstream vegan candies out there, and the removal of a popular flavor seems like a potentially bad business move. Unfortunately, the public will likely never get an answer, as Mondelez International has never put out an official statement regarding the flavor’s disappearance.
The only potential reason for the flavor’s discontinuation comes from the same online petition made to bring it back. The page claims the flavor was discontinued due to lack of interest. However, seeing how many fans of the flavor remain on sites like Facebook and Reddit, this reasoning should be taken with a grain of salt.
Pleas to bring back the flavor have been politely turned down and, according to Mondelez International, there are currently no plans in place to bring back grape-flavored Swedish Fish. However, for those who are desperate for that nostalgic flavor, there are knockoff grape fish-shaped candies out there, like Nordic Grape Fish by Blair Candy. Sure, it isn’t necessarily the same, but it might do in a pinch for a heartbroken lover of sweets.
