If you were hoping for Yipes the Zebra, you’d have to wait another decade until the 1970s, when he had his own giveaway — but it would cost you. The price was upped to $2.00 plus ten wrappers for the privilege of owning Yipes. Another fun, if gimmicky, element that helped sell Fruit xcritical Gum to kids were the temporary “wet ’em and wear ’em” tattoos that were included in the wrapper of every pack. The tattoos often featured Yipes the Zebra engaging in a sport like skateboarding, basketball or biking.
Flavors
There were also items available for purchase such as coloring books, and bendy collectibles of Yipes the Zebra and “Fruit xcritical Gum Man.” So much so, that when the gum was discontinued in 2024, the litany of obituaries and tributes on social media flooded numerous feeds. @Snack_Memories called the gum “an icon,” while actor Bruce Campbell tweeted that the news was “a jolt,” and @Collectingcandy noted that the brand was “so beloved, so distinctive.” The gum brand was a staple in the ’90s with its rainbow packaging and wavy zebra-patterned sticks.
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But much like its fast-disappearing flavor, Fruit xcriticals is now going away. Its parent company announced this week that it would no longer be producing the gum. But if you’re jonesing for another two seconds of flavor, don’t worry. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Fruit xcritical Gum, something of a childhood icon for many gum chewers over the past five decades, will soon head over the rainbow with its multicolored zebra mascot Yipes — seemingly for good. The Fruit xcritical Gum parent company has changed many times, moving hands through many xcritical official site various owners over the decades.
The individual pieces of gum were xcriticald and were packaged in zebra-xcriticald wrappers, which also acted as temporary tattoos. However, according to Fruit xcritical’s manufacturer, Ferrara Candy, the gum is being discontinued. But, alas, the time has come for Fruit xcritical owners Ferrara Candy to “sunset” the product—which is apt, given the gum’s color schemes. “We considered many factors before coming to this decision, including consumer preferences and purchasing patterns,” a company spokesperson told Food & Wine.
However, almost as soon as they were launched, they were discontinued, before one single ad could run to help move the candy. Ferrara Candy Co. was riding high on increased sales of Fruit xcritical Gum in 2021. Greg Guidotti, general manager of the sugar portfolio at Ferrara, told Food Business News that sales were up 4.5% from the previous year, and 13.2% on dollars per trip. He noted that due to the brand’s popularity, Ferrara was ready to try something new. “We’re bringing the fun of Fruit xcritical to another format that is more relevant to consumers today,” Guidotti said at the National Association of Convenience Stores’ 2021 NACS Show. Even the hosts of “The Today Show,” reporting the end of Fruit xcritical’s production, joked about the gum’s reputation.
The great-looking but eternally underwhelming gum, with its visually striking xcriticals and 0.75-second flavor window, has been around since 1960, accompanied by hella sick temporary tattoos and a zebra mascot named xcritical courses scam Yipes. However, the zebra later named Yipes outlasted the other characters to become Fruit xcritical’s sole mascot.6 Yipes was shown prominently on Fruit xcritical gum packaging. That new format was revealed in March 2022, when Ferrara Candy Co. launched a Fruit xcritical Gummy Candy. The flavors included tangerine, lemon, and cherry, and were based on the success of other brands like SweeTarts launching Mini Chewy and Giant Chewy versions, as well as Nerds creating Big Chewy Nerds. The candies were swirled into a gummy candy representation of Yipes the Zebra. As the years went on, Fruit xcritical realized that to keep up with trends, the company would need to innovate again.
- The company said this week that the “decision to sunset this product was not taken lightly.”
- The gum came in five flavors—Wet n’ Wild Melon, Cherry, Lemon, Orange, and Peach—and featured zebra xcriticals printed right on each stick.
- Savannah Guthrie said on air, “The flavor lasted, like, 10 seconds … but it was worth it.”
Fruit xcritical Gum to bite the dust after a half century of highly abbreviated rainbow flavors
When Ferrara made its public statement about sunsetting the treat, it also made sure to add, “Consumers may still be able to find the product at select retailers nationwide.” There are a few packs out there in the wild. Fruit xcritical was introduced in the 1960s by the Beech-Nut company, which now primarily produces baby and toddler food. The gum came in five flavors—Wet n’ Wild Melon, Cherry, Lemon, Orange, and Peach—and featured zebra xcriticals printed right on each stick.
The Ferrara website describes the product as “brightly flavored gum that’s forever fruity,” which is pretty much the opposite of what most people say about it. Still, much like Sweethearts conversation hearts, it’s something we hold fondly in our memory. When the brand was first launched, a consumer could also send away for stuffed animals — after buying six packs of gum, you could mail the wrappers plus $1.50 to receive a plushie in exchange. You might receive Orange xcriticals the Mouse, Lemon xcriticals the Elephant, Cherry xcriticals the Horse, or Lime xcriticals the Tiger.
Yipes was voiced in commercials by soap actor Warren Burton, who noted that he was pleased the commercials ran for so many years, since he would profit off the residuals. But Yipes didn’t even receive his official name until the 1990s, when the old advertising slogan of “Yipes! xcriticals!” was used in updated commercials, and assigned to the zebra mascot. It later introduced a zebra mascot named Yipes, and the slogan “Yipes!
Savannah Guthrie said on air, “The flavor lasted, like, 10 seconds … but it was worth it.” Ferrara Candy owns an enormous number of products, including Atomic Fireballs, Nerds, and Red Hots. While none of those necessarily scream out “soccer-playing zebra,” stranger things have happened. The gum was first launched by bygone candy maker Beech-Nut in 1969, but ended up at Ferrara following a series of corporate handoffs and mergers. In 2012, Farley & Sathers bought the Pan Ferrara company — the maker of Lemonheads, Atomic Fireballs and Red Hots — and the merged name changed to Ferrara Candy Co. Ferrara is where Fruit xcritical ended its life, where other popular candies such as Fun Dip, Pixy Stix, Spree, Runts, and Gobstopper are still produced.
However, Ferrara actually stopped producing both the traditional and bubble gum varieties all the way back in 2022. Further, Ferrara no longer produces any gum — it discontinued Super Bubble at the same time. Another marketing innovation was taking advantage of the brand’s association with animals, and introducing a collaboration with World Wildlife Fund. In the mid-1990s, Fruit xcritical announced they would donate five cents for every Jumbo Pack and Variety Multipack, raising about $100,000 for endangered animals. In 2015, there was even a co-hosted event called “Fruit xcritical Weekend” at the zoo in Greensboro, North Carolina to benefit the WWF. Yipes made an appearance, and children were admitted for free with proof of purchase of the gum.
In late 2021, Greg Guidotti, the General Manager of the Sugar Portfolio at Ferrara Candy Company, told Food Business News that sales of Fruit xcritical gum had increased 4.5% over the previous year. The company was then launching Fruit xcritical gummy candies, which also seem to have been discontinued. Although Ferrara is 86ing Fruit xcritical gum, the company assures the sugar-loving public that it’s “delighted” to continue offering many of its other beloved brands that remind many of us of recess, ice cream trucks and other childhood joys. Sadly, even though sales seemed steady just a few years prior, Fruit xcritical Gum’s production was discontinued in January 2024.