Fruit Stripe Gum Is Gone Forever

The iconic gum with the eye catching packaging and the earworm jingle has been in production since 1969 and is now discontinued as of January 2024. This intensely fruity gum was famous for loosing flavor quickly despite the strong start, but that didn’t stop kids from going to town on this novelty gum.

The first company to make this sweet, chewy treat was the Beech-Nut Company, maker of so many famous gums and candies, who had purchased the product from James Parker.

Over the years the flavors that were produced were melon, cherry, lemon, orange, peach, cherry, grape, mixed fruit, cotton candy, and for a time in the 1970s, a chocolate version.

In 2003 it was sold to Hershey’s and then in 2012 the gum became part of Ferrera line of candies. The company has since acquired many of Nestle’s iconic candies as well, making them the purveyor of a long list of classics American candies that includes Lemonheads, Boston Baked Beans, Butterfinger, Chuckles, Red Hots, and Baby Ruth. In 2023 the company also bought Jelly Belly.

But, despite the ever-growing list of candies under their belt, they have decided to stop production on the famous Fruit Stripe Gum. Representatives for the company stated, “We have made the difficult decision to sunset Fruit Stripe Gum, but consumers may still be able to find product at select retailers nationwide.” They added that the decision included “consumer preferences, and purchasing patterns — and overall brand trends for Fruit Stripe Gum.”

The candy maker also stated that though the gum is discontinued, customers may still be able to find back stock on store shelves. That means if you love this gum and you see it somewhere now’s your chance to snap up this nostalgic gum before it’s gone forever.

It seems in a world of almost endless candy options that the silly fruit gum with the temporary tattoos in the wrapper just couldn’t keep up. Makes you wonder what might have happened if chocolate variety had become a permanent flavor for the brand!