Product type Chewing gum Country United States | Owner Wrigley Company Introduced 1893 | |
 | ||
Related brands Website | ||
Juicy Fruit is a flavor of chewing gum made by the Wrigley Company, a U.S. company that since 2008 has been a subsidiary of the privately held Mars, Incorporated. It was introduced in 1893, and in the 21st century the brand name is recognized by 99 percent of Americans, with total sales in 2002 of 153 million units.
Contents
Flavoring
Which fruit serves as the model for its flavor is kept vague in advertising, though in 2003, advertising agency BBDO characterized it as a combination of banana and pineapple, and some people say it resembles jackfruit. According to two books in the Imponderables series, peach is one crucial flavor among many others.
It is likely that the chemical used for flavoring is isoamyl acetate (sometimes known as banana oil), a carboxylic ester.
Each stick of gum weighs 3 grams (0.11 oz) and contains 10 Calories.
Consumer demographics
The average age of the typical Juicy Fruit consumer is under 20, with 3- to 11-year-olds making up the heart of the business; those 20 years old and over account for 40 percent of the purchases.
Sean Payton, head coach of the New Orleans Saints of the NFL is well known for requesting a Juicy Fruit in the middle of games.
New flavors
Juicy Fruit have just released a "Sweet Flavors" Kiwi-Strawberry flavor. They have also released Juicy Fruit Desserts. There are 4 variations of Desserts: Orange Creme Pop, Strawberry Shortcake, Lemon Square and Apple Pie. Juicy Fruit also has released Juicy Secret and Juicy Riddle which are both sugar free. Beginning in 2015, Juicy Fruit released two new flavors based on Starburst candy: Strawberry and Cherry.
Ingredients
Juicy Fruit gum consists mostly of sugar contained in a synthetic gum base. Other ingredients include corn syrup and dextrose as bulk agents and natural sweeteners, natural and artificial flavorings, glycerol and lecithin as softening agents, aspartame (NutraSweet) and acesulfame K as artificial sweeteners, Yellow Lake 5 as a coloring and BHT as a preservative.
History
When the brand first entered the market, it was packaged simply, with a plain wrapper and "JUICY FRUIT" in red, thin block letters. In 1914, Wrigley changed it to thin vertical white and green stripes with "Wrigley's Juicy Fruit Chewing Gum" centered in a stylized Maltese Cross emblem with a black background.
Juicy Fruit was taken off of the civilian market temporarily during World War II because of ingredient shortages and the demand for the gum to be included in C-rations. When the gum was re-introduced to the general public after World War II ended, the striped packaging was replaced by one with a bright yellow background and "Juicy Fruit" bracketed between two stylized chevrons, the latter a motif meant to echo the "Wrigley arrow" element used for Wrigley's Spearmint since 1893. The bright yellow background remained into the 21st century, with variations since 2002 turning the arrowhead-like chevrons into the corners of an elongated smile under the brand name. Juicy Fruit is still widely popular today.
In 2003 in the United States, Wrigley's replaced some of the sugar in Juicy Fruit with two artificial sweeteners, aspartame and Ace K. In 2009, Wrigley's started selling a sugar-free version of Juicy Fruit.
"Grapefruit—Juicy Fruit" is a song written and performed by American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was first released on his 1973 album A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean and was his third single from that album. The single reached #23 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart in September 1973.
Juicy Fruit is mentioned in the Regina Spektor song Wallet, from her album Far. It is referenced in the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Chief Bromden: "Mmm, Juicy Fruit". It also features in the 1983 song "Juicy Fruit" by Mtume.