From classic chews that take you straight back to childhood to divisive only-in-Australia flavours that you'll either love or loathe, Australia has a whole lot of lollies (Aussie parlance for sweets or candy). Read on to discover which legendary treats hold a special place in the hearts of generations of Aussies, including discontinued delights like Fantales and Cola Frogs, plus old-school lollies that are still popular today.
Click or scroll through our gallery for a taste of nostalgia as we celebrate Australia's greatest lollies of all time – counting down to the most iconic of all.
We've based our ranking on the popularity of each lolly and on the opinions of our well-travelled (and well-fed) team. The list is unavoidably subjective.
Sugar-coated, fruit-flavoured, chewy jelly lollies – what’s not to love about Jubes? A packet or two of these tasty lollies, made by Australasian confectionery company Pascall (now part of Mondelēz International), is an essential companion for any long (or short) car journey. Their tagline 'insanely irresistible' is not wrong. Other faves from the Pascall family are Milk Bottles, Jet Planes, Kiwi lolly Pineapple Lumps and the Party Pack.
Toothpaste-flavoured, sugar-coated lollies might seem like an odd idea, but Allen’s Spearmint Leaves are among the country’s most long-standing confectionery items. The lurid green, peppermint leaf–shaped jelly lollies were first invented in the 1960s but were discontinued in 2015 due to dwindling sales – only to boomerang back to shop shelves five years later, much to the glee of dedicated fans. Even if they're not your bag, a homemade birthday cake wouldn't be the same without them.
Seeing how many Warheads Extreme Sours you can handle is a childhood rite of passage and remains a compelling reason for sucking one of these super-sour boiled lollies. After you've got through the pain barrier of the sour external shell, you hit the sweet phase – and then an explosive blast of fizzy, sour powder follows. Collaborations with brands including Hungry Jack's (which features Warheads Sour Bursties in a range of frozen drinks) is keeping Warheads relevant to younger generations.
A handy little box of fruity pastilles to reach for when you need a quick sweet hit, JOLS are available in three punchy flavours: Forest Berries, 3 Fruits and Blackcurrant. One of the lolly brand's selling points is that they're 99% sugar and fat free and high in soluble dietary fibre. Guilt-free lolly guzzling might be why these pocket-sized pastilles are a popular choice Down Under.
A divisive sweet if ever there was one, Allen’s Black Cats are intensely aniseed-flavoured jellies shaped like cats. They first pounced onto the Aussie confectionery scene back in 1961 as one of the lollies in perennially popular Allen's Party Mix bags. Whether you got one of the Black Cats was either lucky or unlucky, depending on whether you had a taste for aniseed. Due to popular demand, in 2020 Allen's announced that the pungent kitties were being given their very own bag, which saw devotees purr with delight.
Tooth-sticking, tongue-tingling and oh-so moreish, Wine Gums are a favourite with all ages. Bring a packet of these to any family outing and everyone will be happy. Part of the Australian and New Zealand confectionery brand Pascall (owned by Mondelēz International), these classic gummy lollies really do burst with fruity flavour. The Wine Gums brand can be traced back to the UK and Maynards, which introduced the sweets in 1909. Although they were printed with the names sherry, port, Champagne, Burgundy and claret, they have never contained alcohol.
An old-school nan-and-pop favourite, Minties are chewy peppermint lollies that have been lapped up by sweet-toothed Australians since the 1920s – and they continue to hit the sweet spot. With their trademark white, green and red wax paper, Minties are instantly recognisable. The strong branding has been enhanced by memorable advertising campaigns over the decades. In fact, the brand's slogan 'It's moments like these you need Minties' is the longest-running advertising strapline in Australia, having first been coined in 1926.
Another confection that induces nostalgia in Australians of a certain age, a scoop of Sherbies was an essential addition to a paper bag of lollies. Tangy orange chews with a fizzy sherbet centre – what’s not to love? There was outrage in 2023 when these and some other Allen’s lollies appeared to have been discontinued. But Sherbie fans breathed a sigh of relief when the Australian confectionery brand, which is part of Nestlé, reassured them that the chews would soon be back on the shelves.
Cocoa-flavoured jelly might not be everyone’s bag, but Cheekies (previously known as ‘Chicos’) are among the country’s most beloved lollies. Among Allen’s longest-running creations, the brown baby-shaped gummies were renamed in 2020 due to racial overtones associated with the name. Love them or hate them, these chewy chocolate-flavoured jelly tots have staying power.
Inspired by a creature from Aboriginal folklore, Yowies were created by Kidcorp in the mid-1990s and originally sold by Cadbury. They hit the sweet spot with their promise of a 'surprise inside'. A bit like a Kinder Surprise but with an Aussie spin, the lollies disappeared in 2005 after Cadbury removed them from sale due to a dispute over world rights. However, they made a comeback in 2014. There are now six choccie Yowie-shaped characters – Rumble, Boof, Crag, Ditty, Nap and Squish – each containing a plastic capsule with a tiny toy relating to a different wildlife habitat.
A key staple in milk bars and convenience stores, Zappos are beloved by kids but probably hated by dentists. Fruity, just sour enough and pocket-money friendly, these vibrant packets contain seven chews in sour strawberry, sour grape, sour watermelon, sour cola and sour raspberry flavours. As the branding suggests, the lollies pack an intense flavour punch, which can also be enjoyed in a range of Zappo sodas.
Pleasingly squidgy and seriously scrummy, Pascall's raspberry and vanilla-flavoured marshmallows are a quintessential camping treat. These fluffy pink and white bites are marketed with the tagline ‘the big softie’, and they're perfect for toasting over a campfire. They're also a go-to for dipping in hot chocolate and a must-have ingredient for that classic Aussie festive traybake, white Christmas.
Not just for Halloween (though they certainly add the fun factor to a Halloween hoard), Zombie Chews are a frightfully tasty treat all year round. Part of SRS Sweetman's confectionery offering, these zany chews come in nine sour flavours, including blue raspberry, strawberry, grape and lime, each with its own monstrous character on the packet. The tasty chews have a sour liquid centre.
Arguably the most iconic of Allen’s many animal-shaped mouthfuls, Big Red Frogs are raspberry-flavoured jelly lollies. While some people think these gelatinous amphibians are overrated, with a wishy-washy flavour, others adore them. They have lasted the distance while other iterations have croaked, including Allen's Green Frog, which was discontinued 10 years ago. Many frog fans still mourn the intensely flavoured Cola Frogs that briefly hopped into the Allen’s family. RIP.
Like a faded star of the silver screen, one-time cinema favourite Fantales were discontinued by Allen’s parent company Nestlé in 2023. The chewy chocolate-coated caramel lollies date back to the golden age of cinema, the 1930s, and were perhaps best loved for their wrappers – each one containing a ‘fan tale’ of an actor or musician. Unwrapping these sweet treats was synonymous with going to the movies for many generations. However, declining sales have consigned this iconic lolly to the past.
Super sour? Check. Lurid colours? Check. Covered in sugar? Check. Sour Brite Crawlers are a sure-fire hit with lovers of sour lollies, and the gummy worms, from US candy brand Trolli, have squirmed their way into the hearts (and mouths) of Aussies. Each little critter has a double flavour – will it be cherry-lemon, strawberry-grape or orange-lime? It’s a lucky dip, but whichever flavour combo you get, prepare for a wince-inducing sour hit.
A dreamy combination of milk chocolate and orange, these tooth-cracking balls are a blast of nostalgia, having been a staple in lolly jars since 1931. The bright red lollies were the invention of James Stedman-Henderson's Sweets Ltd, becoming a staple of Saturday movie matinees. Jaffas are now part of the Allen’s family and have sparked a range of spin-offs over the years, including Jaffa-flavoured hot chocolate. It hasn't all been smooth sailing, however. The bright bites have faced stiff competition from international interlopers such as M&Ms, with declining sales leading some supermarkets to drop them.
Putting the fizz into kiddies’ birthday parties for over 80 years, Wizz Fizz is Australia’s go-to sherbet brand, made from locally produced sugar. The little paper packets of sherbet were introduced to the confectionery scene in 1947 by Melbourne-based jam maker Fyna Foods and came with a little lollipop for dipping. The sherbet’s success was helped by canny advertising, including a collaboration with Disney Club, and the appearance of now iconic Wizz Fizz bags at the Royal Melbourne Show. The treats are still one of the event’s bestselling show bags.
The year 2022 saw plenty of innovation from iconic Aussie lolly brand Life Savers, with an assortment of new lollies introduced as the brand celebrated its 100th birthday. Life Savers Raspberry Fizz Stix were among its standout new lollies, with soft and chewy raspberry-flavoured tubes giving way to fizzy sherbet. Grape and green apple flavours were introduced too, along with mixed flavour bags of Fizz Stix.
Allen’s Pineapples are totally tropical in taste and look super cute to boot. These squishy treats have the same flavour profile as a Piña Colada cocktail, with none of the alcohol – although we can’t say the same about the sugar content. Buy a pack of pure Pineapples or mix it up with a medley of jelly treats in Allen’s perennially popular Retro Party Mix.
Long-loved lollies Red Ripperz are vibrant raspberry-flavoured chews from the Allen's brand. The tooth-sticking treats were rebranded as Red Ripperz in 2020 as parent company Nestlé moved away from the old racially insensitive Red Skins name (pictured). They're often used in desserts or baked goods, especially in recipes where they are melted down or mixed into doughs and batters.
Pink, green or yellow? What would you most like to bite into? Discovering the colour and flavour of the hard candy centre is all part of the appeal of chocolate-coated Clinkers. Now part of the Pascall brand, these Brazil nut–shaped lollies have been on the scene for decades. However, some fans of the lollies think they’re a poor imitation of the original recipe and say the distribution of colours in each pack is way out of whack.
'Don’t push me, push a push pop' is arguably one of the catchiest lolly slogans of all time, with a nice anti-bullying message shoved in for good measure. Pure nostalgia for any 1990s kids, these push-up lollies may look a little bit different now, and have a new raft of flavours, but they're still a kiddie favourite.
Essentially chocolate buttons studded with brightly coloured hundreds and thousands, Freckles have been an Aussie childhood favourite for decades. Now part of the Allen’s family, the speckled choccie discs were first introduced in the early 1960s and were typically scooped from glass lolly jars in milk bars. These crunchy and creamy little mouthfuls are now sold in bags, with other independent chocolatiers banned from using the name Freckle by Allen's parent company, food giant Nestlé.
You’ll be floating on cloud nine with a bag of Chunky Funkeez Strawberry Clouds. Pretty as a picture and coated in pink sugar dust, these cute cloud-shaped lollies are soft, chewy and bursting with an intense strawberry flavour. Other fruity and flavoursome delights from the Chunky Funkeez brand are Blueberry Clouds and Sour Watermelon Slices. Or dare you stick your hand into a bag of Chunky Funkeez's Sour Redback Spiders? They're dangerously delicious, too.
Some Allen’s lollies come and go, but Snakes Alive have stuck around since they slithered onto the Australian lolly scene in the 1970s. The vibrant, fruit-flavoured jelly snakes are a perennial favourite – although many fans were discombobulated to discover that all is not quite as it seems with these critters when it was revealed that the orange snake is in fact apricot flavoured, while the green one is lemon. The purple (blackberry) and red (strawberry) snakes are most popular, which spawned the arrival of Berry Snakes Alive, which also contain blueberry and raspberry flavours.
These distinctly Aussie lolly sticks are a divisive addition to any dollar mix. Love them or loathe them, there's no denying that Musk Sticks are among the country's most iconic lollies. With a distinct perfumed flavour and a chalky texture, Musk Sticks have the dubious honour of making it into the international exhibits section at the Museum of Disgusting Food in Malmö, Sweden. However, they're in good company, as Aussie icon Vegemite also made it in. These floral and fragrant sticks are worth a try, but you may not rush back for another bite.
Sweetening lives since 1921, a roll of Life Savers is the quintessential Australian lolly fix. Inspired by peppermint-flavoured ring candy from the US, these O-shaped lollies were designed to look like a life-saving rubber ring. The Aussies made the Life Savers brand their own, launching with three flavours – Pep-O-mint, Cinn-O-mon and Cl-O-ve. By 1950, more than 14 flavours were available. While some favourites like Peppermint and Spearmint have been discontinued, the Life Savers family has grown to include Fruit Tingles, Fruit Pastilles, Sherbert Fizz Stix, Bananas and Fruit Tingles Balls.