Another gum bites the dust.
After 54 years, Fruit Strip Gum’s run is over. Ferrara Candy Co. has officially discontinued the striped sticks that came wrapped in a temporary tattoo of the brand’s mascot: Yipes the Zebra.
“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,” the company said in a statement.
Each gum pack contained five flavors: Cherry, Lemon, Orange, Wet n’ Wild Melon and Peach Smash.
The gum was a creation of James Parker in 1969 and originally sold by Beech-Nut. The company that eventually became Ferrara acquired the brand name in 2003.
“The decision to sunset this product was not taken lightly,” the company said, “and we considered many factors before coming to this decision, including consumer preferences, and purchasing patterns — and overall brand trends for Fruit Stripe Gum.”
Chris Pastrick is a TribLive digital producer. An Allegheny County native, he began working for the Valley News Dispatch in 1993 and joined the Trib in 1997. He can be reached at cpastrick@triblive.com.