Big Red (gum)

Last updated
Big Red
Flickr - cyclonebill - Kaneltyggegummi.jpg
Product type Chewing gum
OwnerMars Wrigley division of Mars, Incorporated
Country United States
Introduced1975;48 years ago (1975)
Tagline"Long lasting fresh breath"

Big Red is a cinnamon flavored chewing gum introduced by the William Wrigley Jr. Company in 1975. Big Red was available in the United Kingdom and Ireland in the mid to end of the 1990s, but is no longer available there. [1] [2] It is a popular souvenir for visitors to the United States from Ireland, or the United Kingdom.[ citation needed ]

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Big Red was also released in Australia in the early to the middle of the 1980s, but was discontinued there in the end of the 1980s.[ citation needed ]

It was re-released in 2004, and again at the end of 2007. It is also available in Mexico, Luxembourg, Belgium, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, New Zealand, and parts of Sweden; the gum sold in Germany, Norway and Poland is not red but white. It is meant to be hot in flavor. Despite it not being a sugarless gum, in 2003 in the United States, Wrigley's replaced some of the sugar with aspartame and Ace K, both artificial sweeteners.

The "Big Red" song

Like its sister product, Juicy Fruit, Big Red had its own commercial jingle, called Kiss a Little Longer, which was used from 1977 to 1998. The song was composed by Peter Cofield from Sunday Productions in New York City, and sung by Ryan Devereaux. Many of the commercials depicted couples passionately kissing in a romantic setting for an unusually long time, always including one kisser who then must chase his departing ride.

This commercial formula would later be parodied by a number of television shows, including Saturday Night Live . In August 2008, Wrigley teamed with popular singer songwriter Ne-Yo to update the classic jingle. In February 2010, Verizon Wireless repurposed the classic jingle for a television campaign featuring the company's industry nickname, "Big Red" (a reference to the colour of the company's logo). [3]

Big Red was referenced in the 2006 movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby in a mid-credits sequence where Ricky Bobby (played by Will Ferrell) utters the phrase "I'm Ricky Bobby. If you don't chew Big Red, then fuck you."

Big Red also features in the second episode of the Marvel Studios streaming series, WandaVision . In the episode taking place in the 1960s, Vision is given a piece of Big Red chewing gum. However, Big Red was not introduced until 1975.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big League Chew</span> American brand of bubble gum

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Ford Gum is an American brand of bubble gum and chewing gum often found in gum machines. It is produced by Ford Gum & Machine Co. The history of the company goes back to 1913, when Ford Mason leased 102 machines and placed them in stores and shops in New York City. The gumballs, while they are covered with different flavors, all have the same flavor under the surface.

Freedent is a brand of chewing gum manufactured by Wrigley's. Freedent was first introduced in the US and UK in 1975 and is marketed as the gum that "won't stick to most dental work ." Freedent comes in eight flavors: Winterfresh, Peppermint, Spearmint, Bubble Gum, Fruit, Strawberry, Eucalyptus, and Blueberry. It also comes in two package sizes: single packs containing 15 sticks of gum, and multi-packs containing 8 packs of 5 sticks each. Sugar-free versions of Freedent are also available in several countries, including France.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicle</span> Natural gum derived from trees of the genus Manilkara

Chicle is a natural gum traditionally used in making chewing gum and other products. It is collected from several species of Mesoamerican trees in the genus Manilkara, including M. zapota, M. chicle, M. staminodella, and M. bidentata.

Kiss a Little Longer was an advertising slogan used by the William Wrigley Jr. Corporation to market their gum products in the late 1970s.

References

  1. "Wrigley's UK brand list". Wrigley.com. May 19, 2017. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  2. "Wrigley's US brand list". Wrigley.com. May 19, 2017. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  3. Verizon does Big Red, De Beers ad parodies