Todd Elliott, founder of Gummi Pop Surprise

For the novelty candy sector, the element of surprise has become an ingredient for success.

Many brands have employed the surprise-inside concept — pairing a candy and toy inside a blind package — to generate legions of young fans and millions of hits on YouTube and other social media platforms.

Todd Elliott, novelty candy and toy industry veteran and founder of Gummi Pop Surprise, aimed to take it a step further, amping up each component of the concept, including the level of surprise itself.

“That was our goal — just to push the envelope on every single element of the product,” Elliott said. “We wanted to be the best.”

Gummi Pop Surprise, which received the 2021 Candy Industry and ECRM Buyer’s Choice Award for Best Novelty, combines seven surprises in each unit. Featuring a main toy, an accompanying toy or accessory, a sticker, tattoo, and three mystery gummy candy packs, Gummi Pop Surprise boosts engagement through variety, collectability and backstory building.

But with so much complexity comes an intricate manufacturing process that Elliott and his team have developed and fine-tuned themselves. They are expanding it to another brand — Lucky Sweeties — which is set to hit shelves this month.

Managing manufacturing

Elliott said Gummi Pop Surprise set out to create “the ultimate collectible” that could stand alone in the toy world as well as it could on the candy aisle.

Launching last year, Gummi Pop Surprise began with two series: Dinoz and Unicorn Pets. The Dinoz theme features 24 figurines with various levels of rarity. The Unicorn Pets theme includes 12 figurines, grouped together by style — for example, Bright, Metallic, Pearl, and Glitter — to add another layer of collectability.

In addition to mixing and matching toys and accessories, fans can combine the included gummy candies to create new experiences. In fact, Elliott said Gummi Pop Surprise has plans to introduce rare candies, as well as a “recipe book” to encourage candy pairings.

“As you get these different flavors and styles of candy, your combinations of those can create something deliciously amazing,” Elliott said.

Elliott said Gummi Pop Suprise works with two main gummy candy suppliers in China, but the toy and packaging elements required more consideration. At the beginning, Gummi Pop Surprise sought out manufacturers that could meet all the brand’s needs, but they didn’t find any that could manufacture everything in one location.

About a year ago, Gummi Pop Surprise began building its own production lines and manufacturing plant in Guangdong, China — an investment of “millions of dollars” that positions the brand for future growth, Elliott said.

“From Day One, our concept was launching a long-term consumer brand, so we said ‘let’s just make the investment, let’s get the manufacturing right,’ because then we can keep our retail costs correct,” he said.

Gummi Pop Surprise manufactures about 50 percent of its toys at its own factory, while another factory makes the other half. In terms of packaging, Elliott said it took trial and error to perfectly mold the forms and correctly register the graphics.

“What would seem relatively simple is a time-consuming and complex process to get the first one right, and then we have to make sure as it runs through the manufacturing line it stays perfectly accurate,” he says.

While much of the process has been automated, Elliott says human effort is needed to ensure the proper mix of toys in each Gummi Pop Surprise case. As the toys are manufactured, they’re sorted into large buckets. During packaging, the toys are pulled manually in a specific ratio so they can be systemically packed into cases.

“In each one of those, you want to have the maximum amount of variety so the consumer has the best chance of getting something fresh each time they make a purchase,” Elliott said. “That’s extremely important in the world of collectability.”

Lucky Sweeties and beyond

Elliott said the retailer and consumer response has been positive, with sales maintaining and strengthening over time. Currently, Gummi Pop Surprise is available in hundreds of retailers across the U.S. and continues to grow its retail distribution. 

Elliott hopes the success will continue with its newest brand — Lucky Sweeties. Also packaged in a blind container, each unit features seven surprises, including a collectible figurine, a fortune, a sticker and four packs of shelled chewy candy. 

Lucky Sweeties features 24 figurines, grouped by theme and rarity. Additionally, the brand has created 16 named figurine pairs fans can strive to collect. Fans can also seek out different fortunes, which are also available in limited-edition and “gold plated” varieties.

Elliott said his team has three to four years of innovation planned, in addition to new series and expanded figurine collections. He doesn’t expect demand to dwindle — especially as prices in the toy category climb.

“That value you’re going to get in candy and toy surprise is going to be even more appealing over the next year as consumers have more concern about inflation and less disposable income,” he said. “We’re in a perfect position to pick up more of the consumer dollars.”