The BUBS Story: From Huskvarna to TikTok Fame
BUBS began as a family business in Huskvarna in 1992 and has been owned by Orkla Snacks since 2023, and its skull-shaped sours and foam candies still taste like nothing on an American shelf. Here is the story.
BUBS is a Swedish candy maker founded by a family in Huskvarna in 1992 and owned by Orkla Snacks since 2023. It is best known for skull-shaped sour candies and raspberry-licorice foam pieces, all of which are fully vegan and gelatin free. The brand went viral on TikTok and is now the candy many non-Swedes try first.
Founded in Huskvarna, 1992
BUBS started in 1992 in Huskvarna, in southern Sweden, when a local family mortgaged their house to buy the first candy machine. The Lindström family built BUBS into a well-known brand (the name comes from Bernt, Ulrik, Birgitta and Stefan), and Orkla Snacks has owned it since 2023.
The candies that made BUBS famous
The signature is the skull-shaped sour, chewy and intensely sour, mixed flavor by flavor. Beyond the skulls there are foam-bottomed ovals (raspberry and licorice foam, or hallon-lakrits-skum) and salty licorice pieces.
Why BUBS went viral
A bag of BUBS Sour Skulls is the gateway: photogenic, shareable, and genuinely more sour than the American norm. It became a recurring TikTok favorite, which is how a lot of people first heard the words Swedish candy.
Vegan and gelatin free
Every BUBS product is vegan and gelatin free, sweetened with starch foam instead of animal gelatin. If you have been checking labels on other candy (we cover whether Swedish Fish are vegan), BUBS is the easy yes.
How to try BUBS
Start with the Sour Skulls, then add the raspberry-licorice foam. You can build a pick-and-mix bag with BUBS at the core, or browse the full BUBS range. It also lands on most best Swedish candy lists, including ours.
Frequently asked questions
Where is BUBS candy made?+
BUBS is made in Sweden. The company was founded by a family in Huskvarna in 1992 and has been owned by Orkla Snacks since 2023.
Is BUBS candy vegan?+
Yes. Every BUBS product is vegan and gelatin free, using starch foam instead of animal gelatin.
What is BUBS most famous for?+
Its skull-shaped sour candies and raspberry-licorice foam ovals, which went viral on TikTok.
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 6/5/2026