BUBS Skulls: The Skull Candy Explained
What BUBS skulls are, why the shape exists, every BUBS skull we import, and how other makers like Matthijs and Frisia do their own skull candy.
BUBS skulls are small skull-shaped Swedish sweets built from a light foam layer and a firmer chew or bubblegum layer, which is why they look two-tone. We import four BUBS skull items: cola, lemon and raspberry, bubbelgum, and a sour skull in a 90 g bag. Other makers produce their own skulls too.
The skull is the piece that made BUBS recognizable outside Sweden. We import twelve BUBS items and the skulls are the ones people ask for by shape rather than by flavor. Here is what the shape actually is, every skull we carry, and how the other skull makers in our catalog compare.
Why the skull shape exists
Swedish pick-and-mix walls compete on shape as much as on flavor. A wall of forty bins is a visual decision, and shoppers reach for what stands out from two steps away. That pressure produced a whole vocabulary of shapes: fish, mushrooms, pacifiers, bottles, and skulls.
The skull works because it is instantly readable at candy scale. It is small, rounded, and slightly cartoonish rather than gruesome, and because the two candy layers are different colors, the eye sockets and jaw line read clearly. The result photographs well, which is a large part of why the shape traveled from Swedish scoop walls to feeds worldwide. In Swedish the raspberry version is called "hallonskalle", which translates literally as raspberry skull.
The bite is the other half. Most skulls pair Swedish "skum", a whipped foam candy that eats light and pillowy, with something denser underneath. Our explainer on Swedish foam candy (skum) covers that texture family, and the BUBS brand story covers where the company came from.
Every BUBS skull we carry
The BUBS skulls
Bubs Lemon/Raspberry Skulls (3.2 kg case). The largest BUBS case we import and the skull most people picture. Lemon and raspberry sit on opposite ends of the flavor range, so one case gives a wall two distinct pieces. Flagged gelatin-free and vegan.
BUBS Bubbelgum Skulls (2.6 kg case). Bubblegum where the chew layer usually goes, which makes this the one kids and teens reach for first. Flagged gelatin-free and vegan.
Bubs Cola Skulls. Cola is the default candy flavor across Europe in a way it never became in the US, and this is the skull that converts adults who think they do not like candy. Flagged gelatin-free and vegan.
Bubs Sour Skull 90g. The sour skull in a single 90 g bag, the format for a shelf or a register rather than a bin. We do not have ingredient data on file for this item, so we publish no dietary claim for it. Check the pack if that matters to you.
BUBS Raspberry/Cool Hallonskalle skum (twelve 90 g bags per case). Not sold as a "skull" in English, but "hallonskalle" is the Swedish name for the raspberry skull, and this is the foam version in bag format. Flagged gelatin-free and vegan.
Full dietary detail across the range is in are BUBS vegan and gelatin-free, and the whole BUBS lineup is mapped in the complete BUBS candy guide.
How other makers do skulls
BUBS did not stay alone with the shape. We carry two other skull makers, and they are genuinely different products rather than copies.
Matthijs
Matthijs makes the widest skull range in our catalog, all in 4.41 lb cases, which is a useful size when you want a full bin of one shape without a giant commitment:
- Matthijs Cola Skulls
- Matthijs Swedish Skulls
- Matthijs Danish Skulls
- Matthijs Fizzy Skulls
- Matthijs Melon Skulls
- Matthijs Pinky Skulls
Important dietary note: the Matthijs skulls are built on a modified starch made from gluten-free wheat, corn and potato, so the whole range is flagged gluten-free, halal, vegan and vegetarian, and the ingredient lists put them in the gelatin-free column too. The exception on that last point is Pinky Skulls, where we have no ingredient list on file, so it carries the gluten-free, halal, vegan and vegetarian flags but no gelatin-free claim. More on the maker in our Matthijs, Frisia and Lonka guide.
Frisia
Frisia approaches the shape from the foam side, in 4.4 lb cases:
Both are flagged gelatin-free. These are foam-forward pieces, softer and airier than the Matthijs style, so they sit closer to BUBS on a texture map while giving you a second supplier for the same two flavors.
Skulls from other makers
Building a skull section
If you run a scoop wall, skulls are worth grouping rather than scattering. A three-bin skull block reads as a deliberate section and lets a shopper compare textures side by side: a BUBS skull, a Matthijs skull, and a Frisia foam skull are three genuinely different eating experiences at the same shape.
A practical starting set is one BUBS case for brand recognition, one Matthijs case for a flavor BUBS does not cover, and one Frisia case for the foam texture. Keep the dietary flags straight on the labels. The BUBS and Frisia items are flagged gelatin-free, and the Matthijs items carry gluten-free, halal, vegan and vegetarian flags on top of that, so the Matthijs bin is the one that answers the most questions at once. The retailer view of case buying, including which BUBS SKUs move fastest, is in BUBS wholesale.
Want to build a skull section? Browse the catalog or start a bulk order mixing BUBS, Matthijs, and Frisia. Retailers can apply for a wholesale account, and we are glad to help you pick the three bins that will pull hardest if you get in touch.
Frequently asked questions
What are BUBS skulls?+
Small skull-shaped Swedish sweets made from a light foam layer and a firmer chew or bubblegum layer. The two layers are different colors, which is why the skull face reads so clearly.
What flavor are BUBS skulls?+
We carry them in cola, in lemon and raspberry, in bubbelgum, and as a sour skull in a 90 g bag. The raspberry skull is the one Swedes call "hallonskalle".
Are BUBS skulls sour?+
Some are. The Sour Skull 90g is the sour format, and the lemon and raspberry skulls lean tart. The cola and bubbelgum skulls are not sour.
Are BUBS skulls vegan?+
The lemon and raspberry, bubbelgum, and cola skulls are all flagged gelatin-free and vegan. We have no ingredient data for the Sour Skull 90g, so we make no claim on that one.
Who else makes skull candy?+
We import skulls from Matthijs, in cola, Swedish, Danish, fizzy, melon, and pinky versions, and foam skulls from Frisia in cola and bubbelgum. The Matthijs skulls are flagged gluten-free, halal, vegan and vegetarian.
What is the biggest BUBS skull case?+
The Lemon/Raspberry Skulls at 3.2 kg, which is the largest BUBS case in our catalog.
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 8/11/2026