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I tested the viral Haribo hack – and failed miserably

4.6.2024

Translation: Patrik Stainbrook

Have I been opening candy bags the wrong way all my life? At least that’s what a momfluencer claims. Her clip is currently going viral. The Haribo hack featured looks as plausible as it is simple. But it isn’t. Here’s my experience.

«Wait, whaaaaat?!» That’s what I thought to myself when Instagram first delivered Casey Major-Bunce’s mum hack into my feed over the weekend. Seems I’ve been ignoring a practical device on the Haribo bag all my life and opened the packaging incorrectly! I either cut off an upper corner or pull apart the entire seal seam from both sides.

But it could’ve been so much easier – and resealable, too, as the British momfluencer explains. Just pull the gummy bear bag down by the tab in the hole, then – the highlight – roll it up, pull the tab through the hole and close it again.

The tab in the hole on the Haribo bag is obviously not just for hanging up.

According to a momfluencer, you should pull it down,… — The tab in the hole on the Haribo bag is obviously not just for hanging up.

… tie it around the rolled-up pack and …

… pull it back through the hole at the end. — … tie it around the rolled-up pack and …

At least it’s not just me. Casey Major’s reel has already been viewed over 100 million times on Instagram, and a further 16,000 times on Tiktok (as of Tuesday afternoon, 4 June). There are also tens of thousands of comments ranging from «What the hell??» to «Game changer» to «Best mum tip I’ve ever seen».

The clip has already borne imitators. German dadfluencer Tim Johnson, for example, has more than 20 million views with his version. Fellow editor Patrick shared his reel in our team chat earlier this week and was also amazed by the bag revelation. Then, a day later, the clip from @majormumhacks appears again in my Insta feed. «That’s it!» I think to myself. I simply must try out the hack. Child’s play, no?

Well, spoiler alert: it’s not.

Failure in several acts

With the help of fellow editor Lorenz, I try to open the bags – four of them! – in a social media-compliant way. It doesn’t work a single time.

The problem – the tab in the punched-out hole is glued together. The first attempt fails because we tear both sides at once, front and back. We only barely manage to separate the flap sides from each other using scissors – but then the pulled-down flap tears before we’ve even opened the packaging properly. Maybe it’ll work the other way around, i.e. by pulling down on the back? No chance here either. The packaging is simply too fragile. What looks effortless and reliable for both Casey Major and Tim Johnson is something we simply cannot replicate.

While I’m already doubting my dexterity, Lorenz begins to minutely analyse the clips. He’s convinced: «It’s fake!» Either the short video’s cut before the tear, or the pack is placed in front of the camera so that the back isn’t visible.

Meanwhile, I dare to make one last attempt. With my last Haribo pack. And the help of Tiktoker Testsofa, who also tried out the hack. She only pulls the flap halfway down. Take that! It has to work like this… but see for yourself:

What Haribo has to say about the hack

That darn tab! I check in with Haribo. And received a clear answer: according to the German confectionery manufacturer, the «slit-shaped recess in the upper sealing seam of the bag, also known as the Euro perforation», is actually intended for hanging the products in retail stores – «not per se for opening the bag». Ways to open the bag are just as numerous as preferences in snacks. «Some carefully tear only a small corner, others open the entire top seal seam, some use scissors and others squeeze the bag so that it bursts open at a random point,» says a spokesperson for the company. And, in the best marketing jargon: «The same applies to opening the bag as to snacking: there are no limits to children’s joy and imagination.»

At least when opening the tab, I was clearly shown the limits. Fake or fail: who would even come up with the crazy idea of resealing half a pack of gummy bears? The bag will always be empty anyway.

By the way, in the Galaxus store, you won’t encounter the tab problem. We only have candy bags without Euro perforations:

Header image: Lorenz Keller

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Katja Fischer

Senior Editor

Katja.Fischer@digitecgalaxus.ch

Mom of Anna and Elsa, aperitif expert, group fitness fanatic, aspiring dancer and gossip lover. Often a multitasker and a person who wants it all, sometimes a chocolate chef and queen of the couch.

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