Rainbow Drops Guide: What We Stock & Their History

Rainbow Drops are one of the older names in Swizzels' range, well stocked here and sold in the same small-bag format that's made them a pocket-money staple for decades.

Swizzels Rainbow Drops Bag

Sugar-coated puffed maize and rice in orange, pink, green and yellow, sold as Swizzels Rainbow Drops Bag 10g — Case of 60 — a case of 60 individual 10g bags, priced as 20p price-marked bags rather than a single bulk bag. No gelatine, and listed as suitable for vegans.

A Genuinely Old Retro Sweet

Rainbow Drops date back to the early-to-mid 1930s, making them one of the older lines still running at Swizzels rather than a modern take on a retro look. They were originally sold loose, scooped into paper bags for a penny, before Swizzels moved to the individually wrapped format sold today. The maize and rice base starts out as a fine powder, and heat is what makes it pop into the light, puffed texture before it's coated in the familiar coloured sugar shell — the same basic process behind the sweet nearly a century on. Along with the rest of the Swizzels range, they're widely regarded as one of the definitive British retro sweets, the kind sold by weight in old-fashioned sweet shops long before pick 'n' mix became a supermarket fixture.

Where to find the rest

This sits within our wider Swizzels range, alongside the brand's other classic pocket-money sweets, and our retro sweets range more broadly.

Frequently asked questions

What are Rainbow Drops made from?

Puffed maize and rice with a coloured sugar coating — the maize and rice pop under heat before being coated.

Are Rainbow Drops vegan?

Yes, per the product listing — no gelatine declared, suitable for vegans. Check the current pack for allergens.

How old are Rainbow Drops?

They date to the early-to-mid 1930s, a genuine retro classic rather than a modern-styled throwback.

What format does Supreme Sweets stock Rainbow Drops in?

A case of 60 individual 10g price-marked bags.

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