Who Are The NERDS?
By Heather Taylor, Editor-in-Chief, PopIcon
In February 2024, NERDS made headlines when they debuted their first commercial during Super Bowl LVIII.
NERDS, one of the several candy brands which make up Ferrara Candy Company’s portfolio, built buzz around a teaser spot starring dancer and actress Addison Rae coaching a mysterious student some dance moves. The final Big Game spot starred a new character known as NERDS Gummy. The Gummy is completely covered in NERDS, thus allowing audiences to better understand what goes into creating NERDS Gummy Cluster candy.
Since then, you’ve probably seen an ad for NERDS Gummy Clusters before a movie, during a commercial break on TV, or as an ad on YouTube. But unless you’re a serious candy trivia connoisseur, odds are pretty good you don’t know much about who the NERDS are — and maybe even less about the NERDS Gummy character.
Let’s introduce you to these icons.
All About The NERDS
If you feel like you’ve always grown up alongside the NERDS, you might be right about that. The candy was first introduced in 1983 in loveable purple, pink, orange and red NERDS characters.
By 1985, NERDS had exploded in popularity. Over 250 million boxes of the candy had been sold just two years after their introduction. In the years to come, more characters in new colors joined the lineup. Blue, green, and yellow characters were added to the pack.
NERDS candy has also innovated since its debut. Some of the most memorable introductions include the crunchy and chewy NERDS Ropes, which debuted in 2001 and NERDS Gummy Clusters. The Gummy Clusters launched in 2020 as a new poppable treat with equal parts gummy and crunchy in every bite.
All About The NERDS Gummy
As far as new characters go, the NERDS Gummy only just made its introduction during Super Bowl 58 this year.
The NERDS Gummy is described as an endearing figure. The Gummy is a companion to its fellow NERDS characters while serving as a contrast.
And even though the NERDS Gummy was at the forefront of the Big Game spot, vigilant viewers, and candy enthusiasts alike, may have noticed the commercial did more than unveil a new NERDS character to the world. It also revealed the NERDS characters received noticeable redesigns, taking them out of 2D and into 3D.
Now when you watch a NERDS commercial, you’ll notice more than the massive, grinning NERDS Gummy. You’ll get a closer look at the NERDS themselves with their larger-than-life personalities, expressions, and playfulness all while keeping to their essence inspired by the original, tiny NERDS candies.
Image credits: NERDS and Ferrara Candy Company
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.
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