Nerds Partners with Dungeons & Dragons in a Match Made in '80s Heaven

Mike Pomranz
·2 min read

The '80s were the peak decade for "nerd" culture — and not just because Revenge of the Nerds was a box office success. In 1983, Nerds candy was launched, quickly becoming an iconic brand. And though first released in the '70s, Dungeons & Dragons — often labeled as a "nerdy" game — rose to pop culture prominence around the same time.

So, yes, as far as partnerships go, this one might feel over three decades too late — but for anyone with nostalgic affection for the '80s likely sees this as a logical pairing: Nerds is teaming up with Dungeons & Dragons on "an immersive D&D collaboration" where Nerds characters are part of their own D&D game.

NERDS Candy and NERDS Gummy Clusters
NERDS Candy and NERDS Gummy Clusters

Courtesy of NERDS Candy

Starting this week (and lasting until the end of the year), Nerds Gummy Clusters and Rainbow Nerds Theater Boxes will feature limited-edition Dungeons & Dragons packaging. After making a purchase, role-playing fans can then upload their receipt to nerdscandy.com/dnd to access an exclusive, Nerd-themed D&D campaign called "Restoring Harmony." The brands explain that this includes "a single PDF adventure and character sheet that can be run in under an hour by a Dungeon Master and one player taking on the role of a Nerds character starting at level one."

Uploading more receipts will lead to more campaigns — six in total — and once a player has collected all six, the seventh uploaded receipt unlocks a final adventure that utilizes the entire six-character party to conclude the Restoring Harmony story. "The sweet adventures focus on each of the Nerds characters and how they join forces and become better together," Nerds writes. "They are perfectly family-friendly and easy-to-start for Nerds fans new to Dungeons & Dragons."

"We are thrilled to partner with Nerds on their new packaging and the release of seven custom mini D&D adventures," Shelly Mazzanoble, Dungeons & Dragons' brand manager, said in the announcement. "The Nerds brand strongly celebrates individuality and the idea that we can be better together, like a D&D party, and we couldn't think of better ally to help spread the importance of those qualities."

These special Dungeon & Dragons-branded Nerds should be available at all sorts of retailers nationwide. And beyond the free campaigns, there's also a sweepstakes with prizes including "the D&D Starter Set, D&D Essentials Kit, Players Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master's Guide" — in case you want to get extra Nerdy. "Nerdy" because you love Nerds. It's 2021, and I'm not going to say anything uncouth about playing Dungeons & Dragons. That's best left in the 1980s.