Reel Ad of the Week

SKITTLES gets wonderfully weird again with gummies

By Reel Chicago
May 7, 2026

There are very few brands left that can drop a commercial featuring a bald kangarooman carrying teenage boys in his pouch, a jellyfish massage, and full practical puppetry… and somehow have it all make perfect sense. SKITTLES is one of them.

That’s why this latest campaign from TBWA\Chiat\Day Chicago earns Reel Chicago’s Ad of the Week.

Created to launch new SKITTLES Gummies, the campaign takes the concept of “softness” and stretches it into deeply weird, occasionally unsettling, and consistently hilarious territory. Instead of selling gummies the way every other candy brand would, the spots lean fully into “uncomfortably soft” experiences that feel like fever dreams directed by someone who grew up online.

And honestly? It works brilliantly. Watch below:

Produced by Epoch Films and directed by Carl Sundemo, the campaign uses entirely practical effects and puppetry to create its bizarre world. That means the kangarooman, jellyfish, balloon dog and every strange tactile creation were physically built and operated in-camera by puppeteers rather than relying on heavy CGI.

That commitment to practical craft gives the campaign a texture and unpredictability that feels refreshing in a sea of over-polished synthetic advertising.

According to group creative directors Katie Bero and Brian Culp, the challenge was figuring out how SKITTLES Gummies could stand out in the increasingly crowded gummy category. “To make ourselves stand out in a saturated gummy market, we pushed past ‘softness’ and into the realm of the uncomfortably soft,” they explained.

Smart move.

The best SKITTLES work has always embraced absurdity without overexplaining itself. These spots understand that completely. Nobody inside the films reacts like anything strange is happening, which somehow makes the imagery even funnier.

It also feels genuinely tuned into Gen Z humor without trying too hard to imitate it. There’s a difference between brands awkwardly chasing internet randomness and brands understanding comedic tone. This campaign falls into the latter category.

And then there’s the practical effects angle.

In an era where brands constantly brag about AI pipelines and virtual production workflows, there’s something satisfying about seeing handcrafted weirdness again. The puppetry, creature builds and physical performances make these spots feel tactile, messy and memorable in the best way.

The agency also deserves credit for leaning into the ridiculousness publicly.

“It’s been brought to our attention that male kangaroos do not have pouches,” Bero and Culp joked. “In our minds, they also couldn’t speak or have male pattern baldness.”

That self-awareness is part of why the campaign lands.

SKITTLES has spent years building one of advertising’s strangest and most consistent brand voices. While many legacy brands sand off their edges chasing mass appeal, SKITTLES continues doubling down on chaos, practical comedy and bizarre visual storytelling.

Thankfully.

CREDITS:

BRAND: Mars