Liquorice Shell

Popcorn is a difficult blocker in Candy Crush Saga. It first appears in the 53rd episode, Eggnog Emporium. The first level in which it is featured is level 771.

Appearances

First appearance	Latest appearance
Level 771	Level 6046

For the list of levels with this blocker, see here.

Properties

Popcorn can be one of the strongest blockers in the game, considerably more so than the five-layered icing. Popcorn is a stationary, three-hit blocker that occupies one space. When it is hit by the effects of a special candy the popcorn grows larger on the square upon which it sits. When it is hit a second time it grows even larger and starts flashing. When it is hit a third time it pops and turns into a colour bomb that can immediately be used by the player. Note that unlike most blockers such as multilayered icing, marmalade or liquorice swirls, it is immune to adjacent matches!

Also, popcorn blocks the effect of striped candies and their combinations, just like liquorice swirls. If a striped candy's effect hits a popcorn blocker, it will increase the size of the popcorn as described above, but the effect is blocked, so none of the candies beyond it are affected.

If a Popcorn is found inside a Sugar Chest, it keeps the resistance but cannot take damage before opening the chest.

However, there is a small difference between both versions. At the last stage, if a striped candy's effect hits popcorn, candies beyond it are also affected. This is only seen on web version, while in mobile version, candies beyond it are not affected.

Trivia

This blocker was released prematurely. For one week, it could be found in mystery candies, but only in Dreamworld. Later, it was removed from the game.
- This blocker is not officially released in Dreamworld. Only three DW levels in only one episode feature popcorn: 414, 415, 424; all of them which were updated after the release of Dozy Dawn and concurrent to the removal of the Toffee Tornado.
- Later, when it was officially introduced, it did not appear in Dreamworld until the release of Hoax Hollow when the toffee tornadoes are removed and it is added in some of the redesigned levels.
- After some update, it also has a very low chance of coming out of a mystery candy. 770 and before with popcorn coming out of mystery candy is rare. 771 and beyond can occasionally spawn popcorn out of a mystery candy.
This is the third blocker that takes exactly three hits to destroy - the first two being three-layered icing and three-layered sugar chests. The blocker's invulnerability to adjacent matches still makes this blocker much more difficult than 5-layered icing.
- While taking a third hit will turn popcorn into a colour bomb, this hit is not resisted in web version, and will go through candies behind. On mobile however, this hit will be absorbed and anything behind stays unaffected. This difference is obvious in level 1738.
This blocker is NOT immune to colour bomb + colour bomb combinations. In fact, as a result of its release, the double colour bombs may have been updated to destroy all blockers.
Jelly fish avoid popcorn, even when there is jelly underneath the popcorn.
- However, if Jelly Fish are combined with special candy, they may target a square adjacent to popcorn, in which case, the resulting detonation causes the popcorn to take a hit.
This is the only blocker which turns into a special candy when it is destroyed.
For a long time, cake bombs could not affect popcorn. An update in November 2019 has changed this behavior, such that each cake bomb explosion can damage each popcorn once.
Popcorn is currently one of the more common blockers of the game, as well as being one of very few elements which has appeared in almost every episode since its debut.
- No popcorn appeared in Sweet Skies.
This was the last original blocker (locked chocolate is classed as its own blocker but not original since it is essentially chocolate in a liquorice lock), until the release of the Magic Mixer. Speaking of which, the magic mixer has yet to spawn popcorn and it is unknown if it ever will.
- The special magic mixers have never spawned a single popcorn, even after getting the list of dark chocolate, waffle and crystal candy.
In chronological order this is the blocker which is required as part of a candy order, after icing, chocolate and liquorice swirls. Unlike those three which are worth 100 points each, it is worth 10,000 points, even more than combination orders.
- However it was glitched on mobile v1.70, where the points will show up, but not actually added.
Prior to the release of Delicious Dynasty, popcorn could not be destroyed by a lollipop hammer. After said episode was released that changed so hitting a popcorn with a lollipop hammer would damage it. However, jelly fish still can't damage popcorn or target jelly that is under popcorn even if it is the only jelly left on the board.
- One day later, mobile v1.67 was released and it included this change. There is even an info screen to indicate how to deal with popcorns.
Popcorn will be immediately destroyed if you collect popcorn by lucky candy in conveyor belt, because stationary blockers cannot be on conveyor belts.
After release of Watermelon Waves, the player is not allowed to use lollipop hammer to hit the popcorn again. However, in HTML5 version, popcorns can still be able to be hit by the hammer.
Of the first four blockers that are required as part of the order (popcorn, icing, chocolate and licorice), this is the only one where the order can never ask for 100 or more of this blocker. This is only possible if there are lucky candies.
Much like licorice swirls, popcorn blocks the effect of striped candies when locked, in marmalade or in sugar chests.
Popcorn has the tile map code 054.
Popcorn has the order number "18".
The first HTML5 exclusive blocker combination involves popcorn (specifically, popcorn in sugar chests, in Syrup Square). Chocolate in sugar chests is officially introduced in the previous episode, although chocolate in sugar chests can appear on Flash version as well (in level 2391), while popcorn in sugar chests can only appear on HTML5.

Notable levels

Level 771 - First appearance
Level 780 - 10th level
Level 786 - The 16th consecutive level with popcorn and is the last of the 16 consecutive levels
Level 799 - 20th level
Level 832 - 30th level
Level 875 - 40th level
Level 917 - 50th level
Level 950 - 60th level
Level 1016 - 70th level
Level 1074 - 80th level
Level 1128 - 90th level
Level 1157 - 100th level
Level 1230 - The level with the most popcorn, which is 36
Level 1401 - Episode opener of the New Year's Day themed episode, Peppermint Party, which has 25 popcorns on the board.
Level 1454 - The first level in which popcorn is required as part of a candy order.
Level 1700 - The first mixed level with popcorn.
Level 1805 - The first level in which popcorn doesn't appear on the board but it is required as part of a candy order, meaning that the player must rely on lucky candies.
Level 2776- The first level with locked popcorn.
Level 2788- Last candy order level which requires popcorn (on Flash version)
Level 2820- Last level with popcorn (on Flash version)
Level 2881- The first level with chested popcorn.
Level 3163- The first level with marmalade-covered popcorn.
Level 3942 - The first jelly-order mixed level with popcorn order.
Level 5107 - The first level with popcorn on conveyor belt.
Level 5240 - The first level with locked popcorn on conveyor belt.
Level 5877 - The first ingredient-order mixed level with popcorn order.