Altoids facts for kids
Altoid and tin
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| Invented | 1780 | ||||||
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| Main ingredients | Sugar or Sorbitol | ||||||
| Ingredients generally used | Natural and/or Artificial Flavours | ||||||
| Variations | 406 | ||||||
| 10 kcal (42 kJ) | |||||||
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| Other information | Owner: Mars Wrigley | ||||||
Altoids are a popular brand of mints. They are famous for being sold in special metal tins. A company in London called Smith & Company first made Altoids in the 1780s. Later, another company, Callard & Bowser, took over the brand.
Altoids have a well-known advertising slogan: "The Original Celebrated Curiously Strong Mints." This slogan refers to how strong the original peppermint flavor is. These mints were first created to help with stomach discomfort.
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Where Altoids Are Made
Altoids were once made in Bridgend, Wales. This was done by the company Callard & Bowser-Suchard. However, production has now moved to a Mars Wrigley factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. This move helps make the mints closer to where most people buy them.
Different Flavors and Types
Altoids come in many different flavors and varieties. Some have sugar, and some are sugar-free.
Mint Flavors
As of June 2022, you can find Altoids mints in five main flavors. These include peppermint, wintergreen, spearmint, cinnamon, and strawberry.
There are also "Sugar-Free Smalls." These are tiny square mints that use sorbitol and sucralose instead of sugar. They come in peppermint, wintergreen, and cinnamon flavors.
For a short time, Altoids also offered dark chocolate-dipped mints. These came in peppermint, cinnamon, ginger, and crème de menthe flavors. These chocolate-dipped mints were stopped in 2010. Other flavors that are no longer available include liquorice, cool honey, and non-chocolate dipped ginger and crème de menthe. Most Altoid mints, except for the "sugar-free smalls," contain gelatin.
Sour Candies
In 2001, Altoids introduced sour hard candies in round tins. These were available in flavors like raspberry, citrus, apple, tangerine, and mango. There were also special limited edition passion fruit sours for Valentine's Day in 2005. However, these sour candies were stopped in 2010 because they didn't sell very well.
Chewing Gum
Altoids also made sugar-free chewing gum starting in 2003. This gum was made in the United States. It came in flavors such as peppermint, cinnamon, spearmint, and wintergreen. There were also two sour gum flavors: cherry and apple. The Altoids gum was stopped in 2010.
Breath Strips
In 2003, Altoids introduced breath strips. These were thin strips that dissolved in your mouth. They came in peppermint and cinnamon flavors. These breath strips were also later stopped.
Altoids Arctic Mints
In 2014, another type of mint called Eclipse Mints was rebranded as Altoids Arctic. The tins looked almost the same, just with different labels. Altoids Arctic mints were released in peppermint, wintergreen, and strawberry flavors. Each tin holds about 50 mints.
Reusing Altoids Tins
The special metal tins that Altoids come in are often reused for many different things. People have used them for a long time to store small household items. These include paper clips, coins, sewing supplies, and other tiny objects. Some people even turn them into "Altoids Wallets" and decorate them.
Outdoor lovers often use Altoids tins too. They make them into small first-aid kits or mini survival kits. These are sometimes called Bug-Out Altoids Tins, or BOATs.
The tins are also popular for housing small electronics projects. For example, the BeagleBone, a small computer, is designed to fit perfectly inside an Altoids tin. Hobbyists also use them for retrocomputing projects, like the Membership Card computer kits. Even CMoy pocket headphone amplifiers often use these tins as their outer case.
A kit called the mintyPi uses an Altoids tin to create a portable retro gaming machine.
The Altoids Award
In 2007, the Altoids company started a special award called the Altoids Award. This award is given every two years. Four artists from across the United States receive cash prizes of $25,000. The winners get to show their art at The New Museum of Contemporary Art. Famous artists like Paul McCarthy and Cindy Sherman helped choose the first winners.
See also
In Spanish: Altoids para niños
