Hi, youths. You’re probably already aware that Shaquille O’Neal, former basketball player and beloved gargantuan, has come out with his own line of Shaq gummies (Shaq-A-Licious Gummies, to be exact). He paired up with Hershey to debut two different gummy candies: fruity gummies in the shape of his own head, and sour gummies based on his most popular nicknames—which we’ll get into in a bit. In fact, here he is in the gummy lab, taste testing his own face.
Listen, I love Shaq. I think he’s got a huge heart, anatomically and figuratively. But since my algorithm has placed me firmly on elder Gen Z / Millennial TikTok, I haven’t seen anything about these gummies online. Apparently, though, the kids are diggin’ it! The youngsters are eating it up! The teens are really vibing with these Shaq gummies, and cool, hip Millennials like me get to review them now, too. And my cool, hip self only has one question: Will they be Shaq-A-Licious, or Shaq-A-Strophic? Let’s find out.
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- SHAQ-A-LICIOUS XL Gummies
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For the experience of opening up a package of giant head-shaped gummies alone, Shaq is already scoring points. More celebrity meme candy please, and less useless, viral product collabs from our capitalist overlords, okay? (Cheez-it Ranch was not good.)
Pros: This picture of Shaq holding gummies of himself doesn’t really do the size justice—they look pretty normal next to his Shaq-sized hands. But don’t be fooled, these are hefty. I’m not talking the size of a dinner plate, but they’re definitely bigger than the average gummy. The flavors are pretty good, too. The orange finishes on a nice tang, the berry tastes like blue fruit punch, and as long as you aren’t sensitive to artificial peach, the peach is okay, too. (If you think artificial peach can taste like perfume, I’d skip it.)
Cons: I’d like a little more chew and a little less stick, if you know what I mean. This stuff gets in your teeth and stays there. It’s not firm or bouncy; it’s soft and tender. They’re more like fruit snacks than gummies—and if you’re going to give me fruit snacks, I’m looking for that perfect Welch’s fruit snacks mouthfeel.
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- SHAQ-A-LICIOUS Sour XL Gummies
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The sour line of Shaq candy gummies offers three shapes based on his alter egos: Diesel (pineapple flavor), the Big Cactus (mixed berry), and the Big Shamrock (green watermelon).
Pros: Like the other Shaq gummies, these are pretty huge. The sour coating kinda works with how sticky they are, since it all kinda lingers and mixes in your mouth. The green watermelon (aka “the Big Shamrock,” from his season with the Celtics) really hits, too. It’s bright, bold, and nicely offset by all the tangy malic acid.
Cons: I did not attempt, nor will I attempt, to eat an entire sour Shaq gummy in one go. He’s too big for me, fam. I can’t personally handle it, but hey, someone else might like the challenge. Would I buy these again to show my friends and giggle? Absolutely. Would I buy them again for taste? Probably not. There are better sour candies out there. Still, I can say with certainty: Both the fruity Shaq gummies and the sour Shaq gummies are 100% Shaq-A-Licious. I don’t fully know what that means, but it’s definitely a good thing.
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
