An icon of the gum world has experienced its final chew.
Ferrara Candy Company confirmed to TODAY.com that it’s discontinuing Fruit Stripe Gum, which has been tickling taste buds since 1969.
“We have made the difficult decision to sunset Fruit Stripe Gum, but consumers may still be able to find product at select retailers nationwide,” a Ferrara representative tells TODAY.com in an email. “The decision to sunset this product was not taken lightly, and we considered many factors before coming to this decision, including consumer preferences, and purchasing patterns — and overall brand trends for Fruit Stripe Gum.”
Fruit Stripe came in five flavors — Wet n’ Wild Melon, Cherry, Lemon, Orange, and Peach Smash — and was striped in appropriately matching colors. Each stick contained a temporary tattoo of mascot Yipes the Zebra, too.
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Fifty-four years ago, Fruit Stripe was invented by James Parker and was first sold by the Beech-Nut company. Over the years, the candy gum brand changed ownership a few times — but now, the only true owner is our collective memory.
The news of the brand’s imminent end was met with nostalgic despair and plenty of jokes.
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“Fruit Stripe has fallen,” posted one X user in a play on the title of the action thriller “Olympus Has Fallen.”
“A moment of silence for the moment of flavor,” wrote another user, mocking the gum’s famously short-lived flavor — a characteristic that even once found its way into a gag on “Family Guy.”
“This is more of a letdown than chewing fruit stripe gum,” wrote one Reddit user, while another noted, “The wildest three second ride that your tastebuds ever knew.”
The Takeout first reported that a post on Reddit was the first sign that the hype of the stripe was fading. Redditor u/HammyFresh posted in subreddit r/nostalgia sharing their experience discovering that Fruit Stripe Gum was gone for good.
“RIP Fruit Stripe Gum,” the user wrote on Jan. 4. “Despite the truth behind the memes of it lasting a brief time, the flavor for that brief time is unmatched in the chewing gum world. You shall be missed.”
Although Ferrara is 86ing Fruit Stripe gum, the company assures the sugar-loving public that it’s “delighted” to continue offering many of its other beloved brands that remind many of us of recess, ice cream trucks and other childhood joys.
These classic brands include Fun Dip, Gobstopper, Jujyfruits, Atomic Fireballs, Chuckles, Pixy Stix and many more, which Ferrara notes can be found via its recently launched Amazon store.
Ferrara also owns the Nerds brand, which has been growing in popularity in recent years. Unlike its striped, chewable sister candy, Nerds has been on the rise so much that the brand will air its first Super Bowl commercial during Super Bowl 58.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
