A Connecticut grandmother finally got her $10,000 prize from a 15-year-old pack of gold-wrapped Starburst as a very sweet surprise ahead of her 50th birthday.
On a scorching hot July afternoon in New Haven, Kiya, 20, and her mother, Nila, 50, dug through a closet looking for their extra air conditioning unit.
Sorting through the rarely entered corner of the home, Nila pulled out a small chest of keepsakes.
Accompanied by Kiya, one of her sons and her granddaughter, Nila opened the box of memories to reminisce on precious moments from the past.
But among the sentimental snapshots and trinkets was a seemingly out-of-place pack of Starbursts.
Neatly tucked away in clear plastic wrapping, the weathered candies were ripped into but untouched.
And instead of the typical variety of pink, orange, yellow and red wrappers, all of them were covered in gold foil.
Everyone raised their eyebrows at the unlikely memento, but for Nila, memories of massive disappointment from over 15 years ago came rushing back.
Nila celebrated her birthday after receiving $10,000 from Starburst
Accompanied by Kiya (right), one of her sons and her granddaughter, Nila (left) opened the box of memories to reminisce on precious moments from the past
Nila rediscovered the 15-year-old pack of Starbursts while going through a keepsake box
‘I’m never getting rid of this pack of Starbursts – because I’m a winner,’ Nila said as her voice cracked, captured in a TikTok Kiya posted on July 8, which garnered tens of millions of views.
These Starbursts were part of a 2010 sweepstakes. But when the single mother-of-five went to cash in her prize, it was too late.
‘Are you going to eat it?’ her granddaughter asked with a smile, lightening the mood as the room burst into laughter.
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail, Nila later revealed what she recalls from all those years ago.
She was grocery shopping at Stop & Shop sometime in 2010 when she reached for a pack of Starbursts.
They’re her favorite type of candy – especially the pink ones – so she did not think twice as she threw them in her cart without looking at the packaging.
When she was ready to indulge in her sweet treat, she realized there was something different about them.
‘Find the gold Starburst, you could win $10,000,’ was stamped on the wrapper in blue. They were apart of the ‘Hunt For Gold’ promotion.
Kiya, right, and Nila, left, clapped in a celebratory TikTok update, letting followers know they were getting the prize money
A file photo of a packet of Starburst is seen above
She tore the wrapper open, revealing gold-wrapped candies. She then dialed the number on the back as her heart raced at the idea she may have won.
But then she learned the devastating news that she had missed the deadline.
‘They were like “oh, that contest ended” and I was just so sad,’ Nila told the Daily Mail.
Just like that, one of the most exciting moments of her life turned into one of the biggest let downs.
She cried for two days about the prize funds that slipped through her fingers. She decided to tuck them out of sight, but never threw them out.
After all, Nila had been a winner.
But as the years went on, the Starburst debacle faded into oblivion. She had not thought about it since she packed the candies away.
The keepsake box stayed in its hiding place – and if it was not for the early July heatwave, it probably would have still been there.
Kiya, who was about five years old when her mother bought the almost-lucky pack, told the Daily Mail this was the first time she heard this jaw-dropping story.
Kiya, right, and Nila, left, seen in a TikTok follow-up video, said they never expected their story to go viral
Starburst DMed Kiya, letting her know they wanted to help Nila celebrate her 50th birthday
‘You know this generation,’ Nila joked, ‘She pulled out her phone while I’m telling her the story.’
In awe of the unexpected anecdote, Kiya uploaded the video, which blew up almost immediately.
Along with the attention of nearly 30 million viewers, it also caught the eyes of Starburst.
‘@starburst she got the gold ones can we still get out 10k?’ Kiya wrote.
In the meantime, Kiya shot Starburst a DM to make sure they saw her post. On top of that, hordes of viewers brought attention to her situation on the company’s page.
A few days after she shared the original video, Starburst commented: ‘Yes, of course we saw this. Yes, we love it. And yes, we had to talk to Legal. Check your DMs.’
Kiya shared those DMs with the Daily Mail. After she explained the situation, the company got back to her with excellent news.
‘Although the sweepstakes ended 15 years ago, we know your mom’s birthday is coming up and we want to help celebrate – with $10,000 of course,’ Starburst wrote.
Nila held the $10,000 pack of Starbursts up in a video her daughter posted, garnering tens of millions of views
They made a follow-up TikTok breaking the fantastic news, which came just days before Nila’s birthday, to those invested in the story that sounds too good to be true.
‘I know that without every voice, none of this would have happened,’ Nila said in gratitude.
Kiya chimed in to say they were not expecting the original video to go viral. She jokingly asked her followers ‘Who wants one?’
‘We loved getting to be part of this! Cheers to all the golden moments ahead!’ the popular brand commented on their update video.
While there was an outpour of support and people rallying behind Kiya and Nila, others called them scammers and accused them of lying to secure a quick cash hit.
‘Let’s just say I turned my phone off for a little while,’ Kiya told the Daily Mail.
Regardless of what the internet had to say, Nila said this money was a ‘miracle’, and it came at the perfect time.
‘I look at it like a true blessing from Heaven,’ she said.
Nila plans to hold on to the gold Starbursts, as Kiya said they mean more to her now than ever
When she was ready to indulge in her sweet treat, she realized there was something different about them. Pictured: She incorporated the golden Starburst into her 50th birthday celebrations
A circuit board manufacturer by trade, Nila has been struggling with her health this year and has been on leave from work.
‘I was just trying to figure out how I was going to make ends meet. There’s just a lot going on in my life at this moment.
‘It may not seem like a lot of money for some, but for us it’s life-changing.’
Nila said she plans to use some of the $10,000 to help her buy an ice cream truck, a business plan she has had in the works for some time. She is also on the brink of publishing a book of poetry.
And she has no plans to eat the Starbursts but will save the pack.
‘I think they mean even more to her now,’ Kiya said.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Starburst and its parent company Mars for further comment.
