The Swedish meatball lollipop is here – but can you guess the brand collab behind it?

During this year's April Fools Day, Ikea 'announced' an unexpected collaboration with iconic confectionery brand Chupa Chups, and thus, the infamous Swedish meatball lollipop was born. While conceptually a little stomach churning, the playful stunt got people's attention, prompting the pair's latest move to make April Fools' dreams a reality.

Yes, that's right. The Swedish meatball lollipop is now a real thing. As the world’s first (and hopefully last) meatball-flavoured lollipop, the bizarre campaign is a perfect blend of the iconic brands' offbeat energy, proving that leaning into absurdity can build an unforgettable global campaign.

Developed by Ingka Group (Ikea's largest retailer), the April Fools joke soon turned into a tangible opportunity to engage shoppers in a fresh, unexpected way. Leveraging curiosity around the meatball-flavoured lollipop, the limited-edition, in-store experience will allow a select few customers to try the mysterious flavour. Blending a gameified competition experience with the exclusivity of the product, the campaign offers Ikea shoppers a new immersive way to interact with the brand, stepping outside the comfort zone of generic ad campaigning.

“April Fools’ moments and brand partnerships are both well-worn tools. What interested us was the space between them, where cultural surprise can do real commercial work,” says Vincenzo Riili, at Ikea Retail (Ingka Group). “From the beginning, this was never about a one-day joke. The April Fools’ tease was the first chapter of a bigger story, designed to test and build demand, as well as brand love. The consumer response confirmed that people did not know they wanted a meatball lollipop until they were told they could not have one.”

“Chupa Chups has always been about fun, creativity and surprising flavours,” says Martin Hofling, global marketing manager at Chupa Chups. “Partnering with Ingka Group allowed us to take those values into a completely new cultural space. Transforming such an iconic savoury flavour into a lollipop is unexpected by design and that’s exactly what makes it memorable.”

The campaign runs through to June, concluding with a tasting opportunity for customers visiting IKEA stores operated by Ingka Group. For more Ikea news, check out the brand's playful Brighton ads featuring a fowl surprise, or take a look at its slick new ads that hide an important detail.