Here are all the Runtz strains we know of so far

Since she made a splash in Southern California in 2018, love for the Runtz strain has spread far and wide. Today it can be found anywhere from Seattle to Tel Aviv. She’s one of the most searched strains of all time, being featured in well over 100 rap songs, and her popularity continues to grow.

White, pink, purple and even banana – the OG Runtz strain has changed and multiplied, but where does this strain come from? How did it become so popular? And how many Runtz varieties are there today?

Find Runtz varieties

Runtz origin story

Runtz is what happened when Ray Bama and his partner Nick decided to cross Cookies’ Gelato genetics with Dying Breed Seeds’ Zkittlez. When it came time to test two phenotypes, #3 and #7, they knew within minutes they were onto something big.

“To make a legendary strain, it has to be something new. You have to have innovation. You have to dial it in. You have to tick all the boxes,” Bama told Leaf Nation. “I feel like Runtz took it to a whole different level of candy.”

The new strain creation had a trifecta that they knew would set them apart: looks, smell and taste. When naming the new strain, the two decided to play off the distinctive fruity aroma, bud size and their Zkittlez parentage, and quickly landed on Nestlé’s popular 80’s-era fruit-shaped candies.

The trio rounded out their team with LA-based rapper Yung LB and soon became known as “Runtz Crew.” After a soft debut for the strain at the Santa Rosa Emerald Cup in December 2017 — which included three pounds Runtz, 1,000, t-shirts and five models — Runtz became well-known.

If you follow the interest on Google, it seemed like Runtz really burst onto the public scene in March 2018, and using a proven marketing approach, the strain’s popularity soon exploded.

Marketing Runtz through rap

When it comes to cannabis marketing, celebrity associations and rap lyric references are two of the most effective ways to launch a new strain.

The Runtz crew already had ties to the Cookies family, a well-known international cannabis and lifestyle brand headed by rapper Berner, and took a page from his book when it came to introducing Runtz to California. Cookies can perhaps be seen as the brand that refined cannabis marketing through music, and harnessing the power of rap has cemented a long line of Cookies strains: Khalifa Kush, Girl Scout Cookies (now GSC), and Sherbet are among the earliest .

Rapper Yung LB, who has now become almost synonymous with the strain and coined the catchphrase “Runtz yo life up,” spread through his lyrics and social influence. Rapper Nero — who is credited with the White Runtz phenotype — soon began offering lyrical support to The Runtz Crew. Between the two there are over a dozen songs of the ilk. And outside of the official crew, there are over 50 songs named after the strain and well over 100 that feature Runtz in the lyrics.

When Runtz’s boutique breeders couldn’t keep up with demand, the strain was officially added to the Cookies range in 2018, allowing them to leverage the company’s infrastructure to scale up cultivation. Runtz might have been hard to find outside of SoCal for a minute, but as part of the rapidly expanding Cookies franchise, the strain is making its way across the US with international stores in Israel and soon Canada.

What effects does Runtz have and how does it smoke?

With a ton of awards under its belt, the OG Runtz strain owes a lot to its solid genetic lineage. A cross between Gelato and Zkittlez, Runtz has managed to capture the niceties that make her parents great.

“I didn’t breed Runtz, but my genetics created this unique and powerful strain,” Jai Chang (aka Jigga), Cookies co-founder and Gelato breeder, told Weedmaps. “It’s the gelato variety that’s responsible for its distinctive look and taste, with its distinctive creamy, gassy flavor.”

Zkittlez is known for offering a burst of fruitiness on both the nose and palate. A cross between Grape Ape and Grapefruit, she has passed her fruity identity to Runtz.

The culmination of Gelato and Zkittlez genetics produces a flower that is sugary sweet and overtly fruity, yet unmistakably complex with undertones of creaminess and gas. Runtz’s small to medium-sized frosty buds are also a visual treat, ranging in color from bright green to pink and purple to almost black, depending on when and how it’s grown.

She is typically a fairly balanced hybrid, offering effects ranging from euphoria and relaxation to cerebral stimulation.

The Runz family

Since 2018, the Runtz strain has grown quite a bit in the family tree, and the OG strain has spawned dozens of unique and popular strains.

The Runtz offerings offered by Cookies have been kept fairly minimal, with a few phenotypes falling under the official umbrella:

While the genetics of another official Cookies offering, Azul Runtz, are shrouded in mystery, it is believed to be a cross between OG Runtz and Blueberry Muffin.

And now that other breeders outside of Cookies are working with Runtz genetics, there are dozens of crossbreeds to choose from:

In 2020, we also saw the Obama Runtz viral sensation, but whether his genetics actually had anything to do with Runtz remains unclear.

Counterfeiting, copyright and children

It’s not all about fun and games when it comes to this hugely popular strain. Fake cannabis is one thing, and Runtz has seen his fair share. Put cookie-like branding on a product and call it Runtz — unfortunately, that’s what happens when strains become so immensely desirable.

Also, strains that choose to provide fairly direct hat tips to existing brands may run into copyright issues. Because of this, strains like Girl Scout Cookies have changed to GSC, and this could be a problem for Runtz later on.

Some growers and sellers are already making pre-emptive changes to the Runtz name. California’s Glass House Farms transitioned from Runtz to R*ntz to avoid possible copyright infringement lawsuits while addressing issues of how using popular candy names could appeal to minors.

What’s next for Runtz?

In addition to launching a full clothing line, Bama has big plans for Runtz. “We work with clothing lines, record labels, artists – basically everything you can think of,” he told Leaf Nation.

“We probably expect another five to 10 years where the market will be dominated by Runtz and Runtz crossbreeds, Runtz sisters and stepchildren.”