If you’re like me, it’s been many years since you last chewed some Fruit Stripe Gum, but it feels like the end of an era as Ferrara Candy discontinues the brightly striped treat—and, with it, one of the best wrappers on the market for making gum-wrapper chains. As Ferrara Candy says, “Fruit Stripe has been inviting you to unwrap the colorful world of fun and fruity since the swinging ‘60s.”
The fun, fruity stripes are no more, however. “We have made the difficult decision to sunset Fruit Stripe Gum, but consumers may still be able to find the product at select retailers nationwide,” Ferrara Candy said in a statement this week.
Consumers already won’t find Fruit Stripe Gum in the Ferrara Candy Shop, where you can still buy other longtime favorites such as Lemonheads, Gobstoppers, and Pixy Sticks. Nearly all signs of Yipes and his Fruit Stripe flavors—Wet n’ Wild Melon, Cherry, Lemon, Orange, and Peach Smash—have disappeared from the site, with a search on Amazon even coming up empty.
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Fruit Stripe Gum was introduced in the early 1960s by Beech-Nut, according to a brief history from OldTimeCandy.com, which broke the news of Fruit Stripe’s demise. The colorful zebra-striped wrappers quickly became synonymous with the gum, matching the quick burst of flavor (also quickly fading). The brand has been through its share of owners, including Nabisco, Hershey, and Farley’s & Sathers Candy. The latter company’s merger with Ferrara Pan Candy created what is today Ferrara Candy.
The colorful gum has also been through its share of mascots. Starting with the Fruit Stripe Gum Man and later a host of Stripes Family Animals, it was Yipes the zebra that ultimately caught on—featuring prominently on the temporary tattoos that came with each pack of gum.
“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,” Ferrara Candy said.
