Fruit Stripe
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Fruit Stripe is an artificially and naturally flavored fruit chewing gum that is notorious for its strong but fleeting flavor. It is packaged in zebra-striped wrappers, and every stick now comes with one or more temporary tattoos. Three five-flavor packs are made: cherry, lemon, orange, mixed fruit, and lime; cherry, grape, mixed fruit, lemon, and cotton candy; sugar-free. However, an alternative version of the initial pack consists of wet 'n wild melon, cherry, lemon, orange, and peach smash. The product proudly holds claim that it is the only gum with painted-on stripes. In the late 1970s, there was a chocolate version called Chocolate Stripe.[1]
The "Five Flavor Gum" was invented by James Parker and launched in the early 1960s as an extension of the Beech-Nut gum line. Farley's & Sathers Candy Company, Inc. acquired Fruit Stripes in 2003 from Hershey Foods Corporation.
In 1996, Fruit Stripe gave five cents from the sale of each Jumbo Pack and Variety Multipack to the World Wildlife Fund, totaling up to $100,000, for the preservation of endangered animals and their habitats.[1]
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[edit] Mascots
A character known as the Fruit Stripe Gum Man promoted the product as late as 1967;[2] he merely consisted of an anthropomorphic gum pack with limbs and a face. The Stripes Family Animals, which included a zebra, Connor the tiger, elephant, and mouse, were also used in advertising and featured in a coloring book and plush toys.[3][4]
However, the zebra named "Yipes" has outlasted the other characters to become Fruit Stripe's long-standing, sole mascot. Wrappers contain tattoos of Yipes inline skating, playing baseball, hang gliding, playing basketball, bicycling, snowboarding, surfing, playing soccer, playing tennis, and eating grass. In 1988, Yipes was made into a promotional bendy figure which, according to FarleysandSathers.com, is currently valued at approximately $30–$50 in collector marketplaces.
[edit] In popular culture
The Beastie Boys compared their band's "flavor" to Fruit Stripe on their song "B-Boy Bouillabaisse" on the album Paul's Boutique.
In Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Macaulay Culkin's character, Kevin, gives a bellboy (played by Rob Schneider) a piece of Fruit Stripe gum as a "tip."
In an episode of The Cleveland Show, Roberta's boyfriend states that he loves her more than Unicorns love Pixie Dust. The show cuts to a scene of a gay dance club filled with anthropomorphic horses and zebras, with an anthropomorphic horse coming out of the bathroom with a rainbow, sparkling dust coating his nose. He proceeds to ask an anthropomorphic black-and-white striped zebra if he has any Fruit Stripe gum.
In the King of Queens, Season 6, episode 6, "Affidavit Justice," Doug mentions that his shirt looks like a package of Fruit Stripe gum. A similar joke is made in an episode of That '70s Show by Donna regarding Eric's shirt.
The Peepers brand of reading glasses offers a colorful set of "Fruit Stripe Gum" frames.[5]
In the Family Guy, Season 6, episode 10, "Play It Again, Brain", Peter says to Quagmire on the telephone, "Oh, you're more of a letdown than Fruit Stripe Gum", and the next part, you see Peter sitting on the sofa, trying Fruit Stripe Gum for the first time his reaction to the taste is "mmmmm", but one second later, Peter says "ooooh", suggesting that the flavour of the gum goes very quickly.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Who We Are FarleysandSathers.com
- ^ Fruit Stripe Gum Man w/ motorcycle AdvertisingIconMuseum.org. Retrieved on 2-25-09.
- ^ Food Character Premiums TheImaginaryWorld.com. Retrieved on 2-25-09.
- ^ Yipes! Stripes! Retrieved on 2-25-09.
- ^ Peepers 810 Fruit Striped Gum Reading Glasses Peepers.com. Retrieved on 2-25-09.
- ^ http://familyguy.wikia.com/wiki/Play_It_Again,_Brian
[edit] External links
- Fruit Stripe Gum TV commercial (1960s)
- Fruit Stripe Gum TV commercial (1960s)
- Fruit Stripe Gum TV commercial (1991)
- Farley's & Sathers product page
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