Gummy bear experiment set up on table with a pile of bags of gummy bears on the right (Tamala Malerk)

Here at Stars and Stripes, our employees work really hard. However, sometimes that work can be fun. For example, we recently did the gummy bear experiment from our “Dandelions” magazine. To learn more about the experiment or to try it out yourself, click here.

After gathering the materials, we put a gummy bear into four different liquids: water, salt water, apfelschorle and craft glue (we didn’t have milk). We also made sure to put a gummy bear next to the cups so we could compare the two after the experiment.

Four red Solo cups with gummy bears next to them on napkins (Tamala Malerk)

Then, we made our hypotheses. We wrote down our guesses about which liquid would change the gummy bears the most in size and shapt (either bigger or smaller).

Pie chart featuring the guesses of Stars and Stripes employees (Tamala Malerk)

Next we waited. The gummy bears sat in the liquids for six hours.

Finally, it was time to see the results. Here in Germany, apfelschorle is a popular drink, so we wanted to use it in our experiment. It made the gummy bear much bigger in size, but, it did not make the biggest change.

Apfelshorle gummy bear and control gummy bear on a napkin (Tamala Malerk)

The plain water made the gummy bear slightly bigger, and created a change in color. The craft glue did not really change the size of the gummy bear. It did create a small change in color.

Water-soaked gummy bear next to whole, dry gummy bear (Tamala Malerk)

Whole, dry gummy bear next to craft glue-covered gummy bear (Tamala Malerk)

We found, with the liquids we used, salt water caused the biggest change. It made the gummy bear almost unrecognizable. It just looked like a tiny blob. The salt caused the gummy bear to dissolve (get smaller). Some of it even got stuck in the cup. Plus, the salt water made the green apple smell of the gummy bear much stronger.

Whole gummy bear with dissolved gummy bear blob next to it. (Tamala Malerk)

Dissolved gummy bear in salt water in cup with a whole gummy bear next to the cup (Tamala Malerk)

Did you do the experiment? Did it go the way you thought it would? Let us know at contentteam@stripes.com.