Fruit Stripe
Fruit Stripe is an artificially and naturally flavored fruit chewing gum notorious for its strong yet fleeting flavor.[1] It proudly claims to be the only gum with painted-on stripes, and is packaged in zebra-striped wrappers.
History
The "Five Flavor Gum" was invented by James Parker and launched in early 1969 as an extension of the Beech-Nut gum line.[2] Farley's & Sathers Candy Company acquired Fruit Stripe in 2003 from The Hershey Company. Farley's & Sathers merged with Ferrara Pan in 2012, forming the Ferrara Candy Company.
Flavors
Two five-flavor packs of Fruit Stripe are currently produced:[3]
- Chewing gum: wet 'n wild melon, cherry, lemon, orange, and peach smash
- Bubble gum: cherry, grape, mixed fruit, lemon, and cotton candy
In the late 1970s, there was a chocolate version called Chocolate Stripe.[4]
Mascots
A character known as the Fruit Stripe Gum Man promoted the product;[5] he merely consisted of an anthropomorphic gum pack with limbs and a face. The Stripes Family Animals, which included a zebra, tiger, elephant, and mouse, were also used in advertising and featured in a coloring book and plush toys.[6]
However, a cartoon zebra named Yipes has outlasted the other characters to become Fruit Stripe's long-standing, sole mascot. Wrappers contain tattoos of Yipes inline skating, skateboarding, 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.
Yipes is shown prominently on Fruit Stripe gum packaging. Yipes is often shown as a sports player, playing basketball or soccer on the gum's packaging.[7]
Promotions
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.[4]
References
- ^ "Fruit Stripe".
- ^ "11 classic candies introduced in the 1960s". Me-TV Network.
- ^ Fruit Stripe website, retrieved on 2016-08-30
- ^ a b Who We Are, FarleysandSathers.com
- ^ Fruit Stripe Gum Man with motorcycle, AdvertisingIconMuseum.org. Retrieved on 2-25-09.
- ^ Food Character Premiums, TheImaginaryWorld.com. Retrieved on 2-25-09.
- ^ Fruit Stripe Archived October 8, 2014, at the Wayback Machine at snackmemory.com
External links
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