There's a new conversation to be had about an iconic candy this Valentine's Day for those who may not be in the "Luv U" or "Marry Me" relationship category just yet.
Spangler, the candy maker behind the beloved, classic Sweethearts conversation heart candies that disappeared from circulation in 2019, will release new, limited-edition Situationship Boxes of candies that may be more in line with current dating trends.
"The specially designed boxes contain blurry, misprinted candies that are as hard to read as Gen-Z relationships," the brand said in a press release, adding that it's filled entirely with "sweet, muddled nothings and literal mixed messages."
The new Situationship Boxes will be available online starting Monday, January 8 at 9 a.m. ET.
"Singles are taking 'situationships' to the next level this year, and Sweethearts is here for them," Evan Brock, vice president of marketing for Spangler, said in a statement. "The printing on Sweethearts isn't always perfect. This is our way of embracing those imperfections in a way that taps into pop culture."
As defined by the Cleveland Clinic, situationships are romantic entanglements where the participants haven't formally established the nature of their relationship. From a relationship with "that one person you meet up with whenever they happen to be in town" to "your go-to 'plus one' for couple-y events," situationships have no labels, exclusivity or boundaries.
According to research from the swipe-centric dating app Tinder, young singles now consider a situationship to be a legitimate relationship status, despite being an undefined and noncommittal approach.
'Situationship' also recently was a finalist for the Oxford University Press' 2023 Word of the Year.