Swedish Candy Skulls: Every Skull Explained
Skull-shaped Swedish candy from BUBS, Matthijs and Frisia: foam-and-gum, sugar-dusted and foam skulls, with the exact dietary flag on each.
Swedish candy skulls are skull-shaped pieces sold on pick-and-mix walls across Sweden. Three makers dominate the shape: BUBS, whose skulls pair a soft foam base with a chewier gum face, Matthijs, whose sugar-dusted skulls come in country and flavour editions, and Frisia, which makes an all-foam version.
We stock thirteen skull SKUs, more of this one shape than any other, because it is the piece that pulls people to a candy wall. This guide walks through every skull we import, what makes each maker's version different, and the exact dietary flag on each one so you can sign your bins correctly.
Why the skull is everywhere in Swedish candy
The skull is not a Halloween item in Sweden. It is a year-round pick-and-mix staple, and it earned that place for a simple reason: it is a shape with attitude in a category dominated by fruit and animals. Teenagers pick it, adults pick it ironically, and it photographs better than almost anything else on a wall.
There is a second, less obvious reason. The skull is a good vehicle for two textures at once. The moulded face gives makers a natural place to combine a soft foam body with a firmer gum layer, which is exactly what BUBS built its reputation on. Once one maker proved the shape, the rest of the Nordic and Dutch confectioners followed, which is why you can now buy skulls in foam, gum, sour, fizzy and cola.
BUBS: the foam-and-gum skull
BUBS is the Swedish maker most people mean when they say "skulls." The signature construction is a light skum (foam) base fused to a chewier gum face, so a single piece gives you two bites. We tell the maker's story in the BUBS story, and the foam half of the equation in our guide to Swedish foam candy and skum.
The BUBS skulls we import:
- Bubs Lemon/Raspberry Skulls, the classic sour skull in a 7 lb case. Gelatin-free and vegan.
- Bubs Cola Skulls, the cola-flavoured version. Gelatin-free and vegan.
- BUBS Bubbelgum Skulls, 5.73 lb of the same format in bubblegum. Gelatin-free and vegan.
- BUBS Raspberry/Cool Hallonskalle skum, the hallonskalle or "raspberry skull," in 90g bags, twelve to a case. Gelatin-free and vegan.
- Bubs Sour Skull 90g, the single-serve grab bag for a checkout basket.
A note on that fourth one, because the Swedish name confuses people: hallonskalle is hallon (raspberry) plus skalle (skull). It is not a separate product family, it is the raspberry skull, and it is one of the most requested single-bag items we carry.
The BUBS skull range
Matthijs: the sugar-dusted skull
Matthijs is a Dutch maker, and Dutch and Swedish candy overlap far more than most Americans expect, which is why Matthijs shows up on Swedish walls as a matter of course. We cover that overlap in Matthijs, Frisia and Lonka: the Dutch neighbors.
The Matthijs skull is a different animal from the BUBS one. It is finished with a sugar dusting rather than built as a foam-and-gum sandwich, so the surface is matte and slightly powdery and the bite is more uniform. It also comes in more editions than any other skull line we carry, including two named for countries.
- Matthijs Swedish Skulls, the Swedish edition. Gelatin-free, gluten-free, halal and vegan.
- Matthijs Danish Skulls, the Danish edition. Gelatin-free, gluten-free, halal and vegan.
- Matthijs Fizzy Skulls, with a fizzy finish. Gelatin-free, gluten-free, halal and vegan.
- Matthijs Cola Skulls, the cola version. Gelatin-free, gluten-free, halal and vegan.
- Matthijs Melon Skulls, the melon version. Gelatin-free, gluten-free, halal and vegan.
- Matthijs Pinky Skulls, the Pinky edition, in the same 4.41 lb case format. Gluten-free, halal and vegan.
Say this part out loud when you sign the bins: every Matthijs skull is gluten-free, halal, vegan and vegetarian. That surprises people, because the ingredient list reads "modified starch (gluten-free wheat, corn, potato)" and the eye stops at the word wheat. It is a gluten-free wheat starch, and the product carries a gluten-free flag, so read the flag rather than the one word. Reading that word as gluten is the single most common labelling mistake we see on this brand. The lines with an ingredient list are gelatin-free as well. We have no ingredient list for the Pinky Skulls, so we make no gelatin-free claim on that one.
Frisia: the all-foam skull
Frisia is the third route into the shape, and it takes the opposite approach to Matthijs. Instead of a dusted gum piece, the Frisia skull is foam the whole way through, so it is lighter and it collapses rather than chews. Both of ours come in 4.4 lb cases and both are gelatin-free:
If you already run BUBS and want a second skull that is different rather than duplicated, this is the one. Two foam skulls next to a foam-and-gum skull gives the wall variety in bite, not just in flavour.
Dutch skulls: Matthijs and Frisia
The three skulls compared
| Maker | Construction | Bite | Dietary flags across the line | |---|---|---|---| | BUBS | Foam base with a gum face | Two textures in one piece | Gelatin-free and vegan (the 90g Sour Skull has no ingredient data listed) | | Matthijs | Sugar-dusted gum | Uniform, matte surface | Gluten-free, halal and vegan, and gelatin-free where an ingredient list is published (the Pinky Skulls have none) | | Frisia | All foam | Light, collapses quickly | Gelatin-free |
How many skulls should a shop actually carry?
Our honest answer is two or three, not thirteen. The skull is a magnet shape, but thirteen bins of the same silhouette makes a wall look like a mistake rather than a selection.
The set that works in most of our accounts is one sour BUBS skull as the anchor, one Matthijs edition for the different surface and flavour, and one Frisia foam skull for the lighter bite. If you also run a checkout basket, add the 90g Sour Skull as an impulse piece, because a single bag at the register converts people who will not queue for a scoop.
Two more merchandising notes. First, the skull is the shape people photograph, so give it a bin at eye level rather than at the bottom of the run. Second, skulls sell hardest to teenagers and to the sour shopper, so place them next to the rest of your sours rather than next to the foam bananas. Our guide to Swedish sour candy types covers how the formats sit together on a wall.
Buying skulls by the case
We import direct from Sweden and Europe, which is why case prices come in under most US distributors, and everything ships from our Santa Fe Springs, California warehouse to retailers across the US and Canada. Stock arrives DDP with US labels and duties already paid, so nothing is left for you to clear at the border.
You order by the case, mix and match, with no order minimum, so a three-skull test costs you three cases rather than a pallet. Tier 1 list pricing is public on every product page, and approved volume or strategic buyers move to Tier 2 or Tier 3. Wholesale accounts approve automatically the moment you apply. Checkout offers UPS Ground, UPS Express and UPS Ground Saver, and orders over $2,000 can go on pallet freight, arranged by email.
Ready to stock skulls? Browse every maker on the brands page or apply for a wholesale account, which approves automatically. Want help picking three skulls instead of thirteen? Get in touch.
Frequently asked questions
Why is skull-shaped candy so popular in Sweden?+
It is a year-round pick-and-mix staple rather than a Halloween novelty. The shape stands out on a wall full of fruit and animal moulds, and it lets makers combine a foam body with a gum face, which gives two textures in one piece.
Are BUBS skulls vegan?+
The BUBS skull lines we import are gelatin-free and vegan: Lemon/Raspberry Skulls, Cola Skulls, Bubbelgum Skulls and the Hallonskalle skum bags. We have no ingredient data listed for the 90g Sour Skull, so we make no dietary claim on that one.
Are Matthijs skulls gluten-free?+
Yes. Every Matthijs skull line carries a gluten-free flag, along with halal, vegan and vegetarian. The ingredient list reads "modified starch (gluten-free wheat, corn, potato)," so the word wheat appears on the pack even though the starch is a gluten-free one. The lines with an ingredient list are gelatin-free too. We have no ingredient list for the Pinky Skulls, so we make no gelatin-free claim there.
What does hallonskalle mean?+
It is Swedish for "raspberry skull," from hallon (raspberry) and skalle (skull). It refers to the raspberry-flavoured BUBS skull, sold here as BUBS Raspberry/Cool Hallonskalle skum in 90g bags.
What is the difference between a BUBS skull and a Frisia skull?+
A BUBS skull is foam fused to a chewier gum face, so you get two textures. A Frisia skull is foam all the way through, so it is lighter and collapses faster. Both are gelatin-free.
Which skull should a new shop start with?+
A sour BUBS skull. It is the most recognisable version of the shape, it is gelatin-free and vegan, and it anchors a sour section. Add a Matthijs edition and a Frisia foam skull once you know the bin is turning.
Keep reading
Gustav Lindqvist · Candy Master
Gustav grew up in Sweden on a strict Saturday-candy schedule, mixing his lördagsgodis bag at the lösgodis wall before he could spell salmiak. He has spent years tasting his way across Scandinavian candy, and now curates the range at TheSweetsTruck, from BUBS sour skulls to the saltiest licorice most people cannot finish.
Last updated 8/6/2026