Mike and Ike sweets, the full UK range in one place
That covers everything from the classic Original Fruits to grape Jolly Joes, the tangy Mega Mix Sour, and the all-red Red Rageous. Made by Just Born in Pennsylvania since 1940 and gelatine-free across every flavour. Free UK delivery on orders over £20, with same-day dispatch on orders placed before the cut-off time.
Mike and Ike quick facts
| Founded | 1940 (USA, Pennsylvania) |
| Made by | Just Born |
| Formats | Theatre Box (120g and 141g) and 22g Chewy Candy packs |
| Dietary | Gelatine-free and vegetarian. Not vegan (contains shellac). Not halal certified. |
About Mike and Ike
Mike and Ike is one of the oldest American candy lines still in business. They were introduced by Just Born in 1940 and are still family-owned. The candy itself is a capsule-shaped fruit chew that is gelatine-free and vegetarian, giving it broader appeal than most imported US gummies. The British range varies from the basic Original Fruits to sour varieties, berry mixes, tropical mixes and single flavours, including grape Jolly Joes.
What makes Mike and Ike different
Two things stand out. The first is the trademarked FRUCHEWY texture, chewier than a jelly bean and softer than a fruit chew like Starburst, with a thin glaze on the surface that snaps when you bite into it. And the second is the recipe. All Mike and Ike flavours are without gelatine, using modified food starch and pear juice concentrate to bind the chew instead of animal gelatine, which puts them in a special bracket compared to most American sweets, which are mostly based on gelatine from pork.
A few points worth knowing before you buy:
- Gelatine-free: no beef, pork or fish gelatine in any flavour. Modified food starch does the binding.
- Vegetarian, but not vegan: the recipe is vegetarian, but the surface lustre comes from shellac, a derivative of insects, and therefore the sweet is not vegan. If you need vegan sweets, have a look at our vegan sweets range.
- Kosher in the US: certified by the Orthodox Union (OU) in the United States. In the UK the certification varies with the route of import.
- Not halal certified: not containing animal gelatine does not make them halal. Mike and Ike carries no halal certification on UK packaging. For halal-compliant sweets, see our halal sweets collection.
Another point to note for parents: most of the flavours contain synthetic colours, such as E102, E110 and E129 (Tartrazine, Sunset Yellow and Allura Red), which trigger the UK "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children" warning on the back of the box. That warning is standard for American confectionery made to US dye approvals. Our own Shades by Niko range of sweets are coloured with fruit and plant concentrates.
The 9 Mike and Ike Theatre Box flavours we stock
Tap any of the flavours to find out the box size and current price. Theatre Boxes are our classic 120g and 141g sharing boxes, ideal for opening at the cinema or for sharing at home. The vast majority of them come in either single boxes or full multipacks.
| Flavour | Profile |
|---|---|
| Original Fruits | The launch mix the brand was built on: Cherry, Lemon, Lime, Orange and Strawberry |
| Mega Mix | A broader choice than the originals, taking in Paradise Punch, Strawberry-Banana, Peach Berry and Grape Soda |
| Mega Mix Sour | The Mega Mix with a sour coating, in a larger 141g box. Noticeably tangier than the standard line |
| Berry Blast | An all-berry mix of Strawberry, Wild Cherry, Blue Raspberry, Raspberry and Cranberry |
| Jolly Joes | Single-flavour grape, bold and sweet rather than tart, closer to grape soda than fresh grape |
| Sour Watermelon | Single-flavour sour watermelon, the tangier of the brand's two watermelon options |
| Red Rageous | An all-red line-up of Cherry, Strawberry, Raspberry, Watermelon and Fruit Punch |
| Sour Blue Raspberry | Single-flavour sour blue raspberry, a sharper, bolder take on the sweet blue raspberry |
| Tropical Typhoon | A tropical blend of Paradise Punch, Kiwi-Banana, Caribbean Punch, Strawberry-Banana and Mango |
The 9 Mike and Ike 22g Chewy Candy flavours we stock
This 22g pack is sold individually as an impulse buy or in a box for lunchboxes and party bags. Same recipe as the Theatre Box, smaller portion.
| Flavour | Profile |
|---|---|
| Original | The five-flavour classic mix, in single-serve format |
| Cherry | All-cherry pack, one flavour the whole way through |
| Orange | Single-flavour orange, bright and citrusy. Sold by the 24-pack box |
| Watermelon | Sweet watermelon on the standard recipe, not the sour one |
| Sour Lemon | Sour-coated lemon, sharper than the lemon in the original mix |
| Blue Raspberry | Bold, sweet blue raspberry, more candy-shop than fresh fruit |
| Jolly Joes | The grape Jolly Joes flavour in a single-serve 22g pack |
| Tropical Typhoon | The tropical mix of Paradise Punch, Kiwi-Banana, Caribbean Punch, Strawberry-Banana and Mango |
| Berry Blast | The all-berry mix in single-serve format |
Ingredients and allergens
Here is the ingredient list for Mike and Ike Original Fruits, which is representative of the gelatine-free recipe across the range:
Sugar, Corn Syrup, Modified Food Starch, Pear Juice From Concentrate, and less than 0.5% of the following: Citric Acid, Malic Acid, Sodium Citrate, Confectioners Glaze, Carnauba Wax, Natural and Artificial Flavours, Magnesium Hydroxide, Colours (E102, E110, E129, E133).
On the allergen side, the recipe is free from gelatine, dairy, egg, nuts and soya as direct ingredients. It carries no wheat, barley or rye, so it works for most people avoiding gluten, though Just Born does not run formal gluten-free certification at batch level. Most flavours contain the E102, E110 and E129 colours that carry the UK hyperactivity warning, so check the individual pack if you are avoiding those. The recipe is genuinely vegetarian. It is not vegan, because of the confectioner's glaze, and it is not halal certified.
Who Mike and Ike is for
Vegetarian American candy shoppers. The gelatine-free recipe makes this American chewy candy one of the easiest to find for vegetarians, since most of the imported American chews are based on pork gelatine. If you want the American sweet-shop experience without the gelatine, start here, then work through the rest of our American sweets.
Cinema and sharing buyers. The Theatre Box is named for this purpose. The 120g and 141g boxes are designed for opening and sharing, and one box is ample enough to get two or three people comfortably through a film. Buy two or more different flavours and let everyone choose their own.
Sour fans after variety. Mega Mix Sour, Sour Watermelon and Sour Blue Raspberry form the tangy part of the range. They sit happily alongside Sour Patch Kids and other sour sweets, with a chewier, less coated bite. It is worth trying a couple to see which texture you prefer.
Lunchbox and party buyers. The 22g packs are just the right size to slip into a lunchbox or party bag without having to open the whole box, and the 24-pack boxes are convenient for buying in bulk. Mix a few flavours so nobody gets stuck with the one they do not like.
Buy Mike and Ike online in the UK
The full range is stocked here: nine Theatre Box flavours and nine 22g flavours, most of them available as a single pack or a full multipack box. Usually a local UK supermarket only stocks one or two lines of Mike and Ike, usually the original fruit variety, so deeper collections such as Mega Mix Sour, Berry Blast, Red Rageous and the single-flavour Jolly Joes are seldom to be seen on the shelves. Buying the boxes is the sensible move for a party, an office snack drawer or a repeat order, and mixing Theatre Boxes for sharing with 22g packs for lunchboxes gets an order past £20 for free UK delivery quickly. Order before the daytime cut-off and we will dispatch it the same working day.
Mike and Ike UK: frequently asked questions
Are Mike and Ike vegetarian?
Yes, they are gelatine-free in all the flavours. This means there is no gelatine of any kind, no pork, beef or fish gelatine, and the consistency comes from modified food starch and pear juice concentrate, which makes these chews suitable for vegetarians, which is rare among American imports.
Are Mike and Ike vegan?
No. Even though Mike and Ike candies do not contain any gelatine, they use confectioner's glaze (shellac) for their outer shine, and shellac is insect-derived, so they are not suitable for vegans. For vegan-friendly sweets, see our vegan range.
Are Mike and Ike halal?
This is a gelatine-free recipe, contains no alcohol and contains no pork, so in principle it suits many halal shoppers. However, Just Born does not carry formal halal certification on UK packaging. If you require certification, choose a brand that does, like those in our halal sweets collection.
What flavours of Mike and Ike are there?
We stock nine Theatre Box flavours and nine 22g flavours. The Theatre Boxes are Original Fruits, Mega Mix, Mega Mix Sour, Berry Blast, Jolly Joes (grape), Sour Watermelon, Red Rageous, Sour Blue Raspberry and Tropical Typhoon. The 22g packs are Original, Cherry, Orange, Watermelon, Sour Lemon, Blue Raspberry, Jolly Joes, Tropical Typhoon and Berry Blast. Original Fruits is the five classic flavours the brand started with: Cherry, Lemon, Lime, Orange and Strawberry.
What is FRUCHEWY?
FRUCHEWY is a Just Born trademark for the texture of Mike and Ike sweets, sitting somewhere between a fruit chew and a jelly bean. A thin outer glaze gives each piece a slight snap, while the inside is softer and chewier than a Starburst, but firmer than a gummy. That chew comes from modified food starch rather than gelatine, which is why the range works for vegetarians.
What are Jolly Joes?
Jolly Joes are Just Born's all-grape line, sold both as a Mike and Ike Theatre Box and as a 22g single-serve pack. The grape is strong, sweeter than tart, more like grape soda than grape juice, and has been a perennial favourite for decades. If you are one of those people who always picks the purple ones out of a multicoloured bag, Jolly Joes is the whole pack done that way.
Where else can I buy Mike and Ike in the UK?
Mike and Ike shows up in Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and B&M from time to time, but supermarket stock is usually one or two Theatre Box flavours at most, most often Original Fruits. The deeper catalogue, and the 22g single-serve packs, are far easier to find with a specialist American sweet shop. The rarer boxes like Mega Mix Sour, Red Rageous and Jolly Joes are the ones that almost never make it onto a supermarket shelf.
More to explore at GoSweet
After more of the same? These sit right next to Mike and Ike:
- American sweets for the rest of the US imports.
- Sour sweets for more tangy hits.
- Shades by Niko for sweets coloured with fruit and plant concentrates.
- Sale for the current cheap sweets deals.