It’s almost certain that the chaos that happens after a Mountain Dew limited-edition drop will happen. On the internet, people quickly have different points of view, and Pitch Black is always brought up somewhere in the comment threads. The new Mountain Dew Trolli Mango Pineapple Punch is the same way. This might be the most interesting thing about it.
Mountain Dew and Trolli have worked together for the second year in a row to break the rules of what a partnership between a neon soda brand and a gummy candy company should look like. Sour Brite Crawlers with cherry lemon flavor and Mountain Dew flavor from last year are said to have sold so quickly that they were among the Mountain Dew products that sold the most quickly. That’s a big deal for a few copies only. Of course, they came back.
This time it’s Mango Pineapple Punch, a fruity drink that tastes like candy and has mango, pineapple, and strawberry in it. The soda is meant to go with Trolli Spicy Crawlers, which already taste sweet, fruity, and spicy like candy fans love. On paper, it looks like a good match. To be honest, this drink sounds better than it tastes.
From August 24 to October, stores across the country will sell both regular and no-sugar versions. The 20-ounce bottles are sold at Pizza Hut locations that are taking part, which seems like an oddly good place for a soda that’s mostly liquid candy. Walmart’s Mountain Dew x Trolli kit goes one step further. Each flavor is in its own bottle, and there is a 12-ounce bag of Spicy Crawlers inside. This is the kind of bundle that was made to be shared and photographed.
Michael Smith, Mountain Dew’s VP of marketing, said it was in line with a growing trend among customers for sweet and spicy tastes. That makes sense. It’s been all over the place with hot honey, spicy mango, and chili-lime snacks over the past few years. The market makes sense; it’s not just a way to sell something. A different question is whether or not a fizzy soda can satisfy that mix. People in the comments are eager to answer that question without being asked.
Because that’s where things get interesting. It didn’t take long for people to say they didn’t like Mountain Dew Trolli Mango Pineapple Punch. They mostly pointed to an old product instead. Someone wrote, “Pitch Black or nothing.” “It’s a start since you guys haven’t been putting out much lately, but it’s not good enough,” said another. I’d like an Island Swirl or a Pitch Black. When something goes away too quickly, people become very loyal to it, almost to the point of being stubborn. This makes them want a certain kind of thing.
Also, people who work in the food and drink business are getting fed up with pineapple as a flavor trend. Stop making tastes that taste like pineapple. One person wrote, “These days, everything is pineapple.” This is likely how a lot of people feel, not just Mountain Dew fans. It seems like this flavor is used so often in snacks and drinks these days that it’s not even an option.
Still, you should know about Mountain Dew and Trolli’s past together. The project they worked on together last year was a big hit in both the music and culture worlds. People were interested because it was a surprise. We will see if Mango Pineapple Punch has the same amount of energy. But the fact that people are talking about it shows that they are paying attention, even if they are talking about something else. Mountain Dew knows that making people feel that way is tough.
