Skittles Holiday Pawn Shop returns

The Skittles Holiday Pawn Shop is back for a second year, and this time, it’s sweetening the deal with unique gifts from Canadian celebrities.

From December 26 to 30, the Skittles Holiday Pawn Shop will be open in downtown Toronto from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. They’re giving out Skittles in exchange for holiday gifts you received but don’t want.

A Skittles-covered vinyl record from the Arkells

A basketball shoe from Kyle Lowry, covered in Skittles

Norm Kelly’s briefcase, adorned with Skittles

New this year, there will also be a few extra-special items on display and up for grabs. There will be items from famous Canadian traders like professional basketball player Kyle Lowry; JUNO Award-winning electro-pop artist Lights; four-time JUNO Award-winning rock band the Arkells; professional hockey player Johnny Gaudreau; and popular Toronto city councillor Norm Kelly. Fans can stop by to check out these collectible items covered with Skittles candy curated by their favourite celebrities, which can also be found online.

According to a Skittles press release, nearly half (47 per cent) of Canadians said in a recent Skittles survey that they would pawn a bad gift for Skittles if they could, and 75 per cent of Canadians have been disappointed by a bad holiday gift at one point in their lives.

“People absolutely loved visiting the first-ever Skittles Holiday Pawn Shop last December, so as the holidays rolled around this year, we knew it had to happen again – bigger and better than before,” says Laura Amantea, marketing director at Wrigley Canada and lifelong Skittles fan. “With so many famous friends of Skittles, Canadians now have the chance to win coveted items from their favourite celebrities – that have been decked out in none other than Skittles.”

For the duration of the Pawn Shop (Dec. 26 to 30), five Canadians will have the chance to win their favourite celebrity item. To enter the contest, fans can snap a picture of themselves in the Pawn Shop or a picture of themselves with Skittles, post to Instagram, indicating the celebrity item they want to win using the hashtag #SkittlesPawn.