Minty gum is great and everything — but sometimes, I prefer the fruity flavor. That's why I've always been a big fan of Juicy Fruit. In my humble opinion, it's the perfect gum for anyone craving something sweet without being too overbearing. Whenever I open a pack of it, I usually take a piece out and throw it right back into my purse. I never actually took the time to think about the history behind the gum... until now, that is. Believe it or not, Juicy Fruit is celebrating its 125th anniversary, and the company released some interesting (and surprising!) facts to Elite Daily about the product that'll totally change the way you chew.
Before I get into the facts about the gum, let's cover the basics. According to Wrigley's, Juicy Fruit was first introduced in 1893. (Yup, this stuff has come a long way, guys.) One of the most obvious changes between then and now is the product's packaging. As you can imagine, the earlier packages of Juicy Fruit looked much different than the packages you know and love today. However, most of them have kept up with the iconic yellow aesthetic that still remains.
For instance, the Juicy Fruit package from 1905 is golden-yellow in color and has bright red writing on it. From there, the packages evolved even more.
How's that for a trip down memory lane?
Now that you know what Juicy Fruit packages have looked like throughout the years, you might appreciate the following facts even more. Each tidbit of Juicy Fruit information was provided by the Juicy Fruit archives to celebrate its anniversary — and I bet you'll be shocked by a few of them.
Believe it or not, Juicy Fruit gum was the first product to be scanned with a bar code ever. It all went down on June 26, 1974 at 8:01 a.m. I don't know about you, but I am surprised (and pretty impressed) that this little pack of gum holds this unique honor.
Jenna Bush, George W. Bush's daughter, dressed as a Juicy Fruit pack for Halloween in 1988. TBH, whoever made her costume did a great job. IDK if this gives Juicy Fruit the honor of being the official gum of the White House, but it definitely gives it some serious clout.
Juicy Fruit packs in 1902 included redeemable gift coupons, and the prizes were super random. Some of them included an umbrella, a mirror, a 32-piece tea set, an inkstand, and more. I don't know about you, but I definitely wouldn't mind winning a tea set simply because I decided to purchase a pack of gum!
Before his Breaking Bad days, actor Aaron Paul actually starred in a Juicy Fruit commercial. Julianne Hough did, too, and you can watch her's here.
Believe it or not, Juicy Fruit was created to compete against other fruity gum products in the "The Great Fruit Gum War" of 1893 (LOL!). Some other competing brands were Adams California Fruits and Primley's California Fruit. I bet all the judges in that contest had really fruity breath.
It looks like people love Juicy Fruit today just as much as they did back then, because the product is currently the No. 1 fruit gum brand in the country. Taking the top spot among fruit-flavored sticks sounds like a great birthday present to me.
I think Wrigley's deserves a round of applause for that one, don't you?
Now that you know a little bit more information about Wrigley's Juicy Fruit, you might be inspired to go buy a pack. If you want to purchase a few packages online, head to Amazon and buy 'em in bulk. You'll want to have enough at hand so you can celebrate the flavor's 125th anniversary accordingly.
