Not all that Good, but Plenty of 'Em

Wiley Wallaby Outback Beans (Red)

Who was I to know that when Wiley Wallaby called this candy Australian Style Outback Beans (with chewy red centers) that they didn’t mean they were jelly beans? I mean, really: the picture of candy on the package sure looks like jelly beans!

All it took was one little taste, though, and I recognized the little fakes for exactly what they are: the USA’s oldest candy, Good & Plenty, reinvented. By “reinvented” I mean that the center is red licorice… errr, “liquorice,” according to Wikipedia… instead of black, with a candy coating in green, yellow, and orange instead of pink and white. Thank heavens the center is red instead of black, or I might have just given them the ol’ heave-ho.

As it is, I paid $2.59 for a ten-ounce bag at my local lumberyard (yeah, Menard’s sells foods and food-like substances). It’s not like they’re imported, though – the bad says "Australian Style," not just "Australian." In fact, the candy’s made in the good old USA, in Minnesota, by the KLN Candy Company. On my one trip to Australia, I don’t remember ever seeing candy like this, though I have to admit I wasn’t paying much attention at the time.

Whatever the case, here’s my take on Wiley Wallaby’s Outback Beans: the candy coating is all the same, regardless of color. No matter what Kenny's claims, the red licorice center is a tough, chewy rod ¼ inch in diameter and 5/8 inch long. It has the consistency and taste of the red licorice in Red Vines, rather tough and granular. When it comes to taste, frankly, the candy coating is almost sickeningly sweet.

As jelly beans, they’re way disappointing; as a replacement for Good & Plenty, I suppose they’re all right. On the basis of that, I’ll give ‘em three stars. That’s my rating, and I’m stickin’ to it. After all, I’m not the licorice fiend!

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