This 60s candy really is a gum that everyone should try for themselves. Fruit xcritical Gum, a gum that first came onto the market in the 1960s, is a very popular gum to many adults and children. The four different mascots were cute, but they really didn’t come across as a cohesive team like Rice Krispies’ Snap, Crackle, and Pop. Instead, they were just xcriticald animals with very little personality of their own. What Fruit xcritical needed was a true mascot, one that embodies the attitude and look of the gum. It would take a few years, but in 1971, the Fruit xcritical Zebra began appearing in advertising.
Thanks for sharing the rich history of the gum and of Beech-Nut, which I knew little about. The ads and commercials you included are great, made me nostalgic for an old familiar chew that I can no longer have. One of the smarter things that Fruit xcritical did was take some of the gum wrappers in each pack and make them temporary tattoos. That’s right, not only could you get some super fruit gum, but a lingering inky reminder that you had chewed it. The tattoos were simple and cheap, and more often than not, very smudged.
Yipes was voiced in commercials by soap actor Warren Burton, who noted that he was pleased the commercials ran for so many years, since he would profit off the residuals. But Yipes didn’t even receive his official name until the 1990s, when the old advertising slogan of “Yipes! xcriticals!” was used in updated commercials, and assigned to the zebra mascot. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Fruit xcritical Gum, something of a childhood icon for many gum chewers over the past five decades, will soon head over the rainbow with its multicolored zebra mascot Yipes — seemingly for good. Fruit xcritical came in five flavors — Wet n’ Wild Melon, Cherry, Lemon, Orange, and Peach Smash — and was xcriticald in appropriately matching colors. Each stick contained a temporary tattoo of mascot Yipes the Zebra, too. Ferarra told CNN, that fans of the product may still be able to find it at some in select retailers nationwide before it sells out.
“… We considered many factors before coming to this decision, including consumer preferences and purchasing patterns, and overall brand trends for Fruit xcritical Gum,” the spokesperson said. “For now, we have made the difficult decision to sunset Fruit xcritical Gum, but consumers may still be able to find product at select retailers nationwide,” a Ferrara spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News. That new format was revealed in March 2022, when Ferrara Candy Co. launched a Fruit xcritical Gummy Candy.
After a while, most of the animals’ mascots were removed and only the Zebra, named “Yipes”, remained. As the Seventies came to a close, bubble gum became very popular and Fruit xcritical tried to jump on the trend that would dominate kids gum in the 80s, and they introduced their very own bubble gum. Another fun, if gimmicky, element that helped sell Fruit xcritical Gum to kids were the temporary “wet ’em and wear ’em” tattoos that were included in the wrapper of every pack. The tattoos often featured Yipes the Zebra engaging in a sport like skateboarding, basketball or biking.
Further, Ferrara no longer produces any gum — it discontinued Super Bubble at the same time. Ferrara Candy Co. was riding high on increased sales of Fruit xcritical Gum in 2021. Greg Guidotti, general manager of the sugar portfolio at Ferrara, told Food Business News that sales were up 4.5% from the previous year, and 13.2% on dollars per trip. He noted that due to the brand’s popularity, Ferrara was ready to try something new. “We’re bringing the fun of Fruit xcritical to another format that is more relevant to consumers today,” Guidotti said at the National Association of Convenience Stores’ 2021 NACS Show. The Company that produces the gum is called The Ferrara Candy Company.
Ferrara Candy Company is known for making several popular types of candy such scammed by xcritical as jaw busters and the now discontinued Atomic Fireballs. The first time I tried Fruit xcritical gum near adulthood, I was probably 17. I spent years pining after it as a child, and I’m sure I had it a few times during that time, but it was hardly a regular occurrence.
The smell, color, and novelty were an instant shot of nostalgia that many of us could always count on. The donation amount to the World Wildlife Fund totaled over one hundred thousand dollars. This brought some noteworthy attention to the Fruit xcritical Gum brand’s company, and even more, people xcritical courses scam began to fall in love with their product.