By Heather Taylor, Editor-in-Chief, PopIcon
If any one brand mascot should be blown up, it’s Wally, the iconic brand persona behind the WARHEADS candy.
Only a few brand mascots have ever successfully exploded in the advertising landscape. One of the most famous was Jack from Jack in the Box who was blown away to smithereens in his own drive-thru in the 1970s. These may seem like big shoes to fill, but Wally is up for the challenge. Consumers that help the candy company achieve key sales milestones for the new WARHEADS Atomic Fizz candy, known for its fizzy explosive taste in the center, will get to witness WARHEADS blowing up its beloved mascot at the Atomic Fizz Testing Facility. (Located in the desert somewhere at a secure location.)
@warheadscandy did we need this much TNT? probably not. do we regret it? hell no 💥
For every 250,000, 375,000 and 500,000 units sold, WARHEADS will release videos on social media for the escalating Wally explosions. The 500,000 units video, which recently went live on TikTok, comes complete with military tanks. (All the other brand mascots that are currently the darlings of the social media world should start taking notes.)
PopIcon is joined by Lindsay Karlin, Vice President of Marketing and Development at Impact Confections, to learn more about Wally’s extreme personality, the biggest challenges facing sour candy companies, and whether WARHEADS wants to see their mascot get blown up.
Where did the name for WARHEADS come from? How long has the candy, and Wally, been around? How would you describe Wally’s personality?
The WARHEADS brand was invented in Taiwan in 1975 but was first sold in the U.S. in the 1990s. The name “WARHEADS” and the design of the logo is rooted in the Extreme Sour Hard Candy which has the effect of a “warhead” exploding in your mouth.
Wally has been the face of the brand since the beginning. Wally Warhead is a bold and adventurous character who likes all things extreme. He’s experimental and has big ideas and candy on the brain, always thinking of new products. His favorite decade is the ‘90s and, to this day, the brand uses bright colors and leans into grunge looks.
What makes now — and specifically 2025 when brand mascots are so much more visible online — the perfect timing for WARHEADS to blow up Wally?
Unlike regular WARHEADS, Atomic Fizz rewards people with explosions in their mouths—so we figured, why not reward them with explosions in real life too? Wally was the perfect, iconic host to anchor the chaos. As far as we know, he’s never been blown up before. This idea came from the product first, not the moment, although it’s fantastic to hear that exploding mascots to smithereens is timely.
Can we get any sneak peeks into some of the ways Wally might “explode” in gradual escalation?
Dynamite, grenades and tanks may be involved.
Wally has a wildly distinctive look as a brand mascot with a mushroom cloud rising from his head and puckered lips. Has the character ever deviated from this design over the years or has the mascot remained mostly the same?
Wally has been updated a couple of times over the years. His general expression of a puckered face and mushroom cloud has remained consistent, but in the early 2000s he was given a more friendly and human-like look with more dimension that differed from the cartoon style of the original logo. In 2024, we launched a limited time offer ‘90s retro package that featured the original logo, and fans loved seeing it back on the shelves.
Wally, like many mascots, is active on TikTok. What are some of the challenges of navigating social media as a candy brand? Which WARHEADS TikToks have gone viral that you’re most proud of?
Wally’s a great character because he helps humanize a nostalgic, well-loved brand. People have strong memories of him. A challenge we’ve faced, along with other sour candy brands, is feedback around the product not being sour enough. In February, we posted a video of Wally reading mean comments that has over 12k+ views.
@warheadscandy We’re sour by choice but you’re sour by personality
Outside of Wally content, we’ve seen that fans in this sour space really respond to unconventional recipes and that’s where a lot of momentum has come from. For example, one of our first TikToks featuring the extreme sour pickle, hit 10k+ views. More recently, we featured a sour cookie recipe that pulled in over 32k views.
If the sales milestones aren’t reached, is it safe to presume Wally is safe from being blown up… for now? Or could the mascot be subjected to a similar stunt again later?
If enough WARHEADS do not explode in people’s mouths, they will not explode in real life.
What does 2025 (and beyond) hold for Wally and the WARHEADS brand?
This is just the start of the fun—some with Wally, some without. WARHEADS are an iconic candy with a real point of difference, and we’re excited to keep building wild, unexpected things together.
Be honest: do you want to see Wally get blown up?
Yes, he was an unbearable diva on the shoot, and everyone was eager to see him explode.
Image Credits: Impact Confections
About the Author
Heather Taylor is the senior writer and editor-in-chief of PopIcon, Advertising Week’s blog about brand mascots. Got a pitch on brand mascots or want to wax nostalgic about characters? Drop her a line at howveryheather@gmail.com.
