Big Red (gum) facts for kids
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| Type | Chewing gum |
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| Owner | Mars Wrigley division of Mars, Incorporated |
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 1975 |
| Tagline | "Long lasting fresh breath" |
Big Red is a popular type of chewing gum. It has a strong cinnamon flavor. The gum was first made by the William Wrigley Jr. Company in 1975. It's known for its long-lasting flavor and fresh breath.
Contents
About Big Red Gum
Big Red gum was first introduced in the United States in 1975. It quickly became famous for its bold cinnamon taste. The gum is made by the Wrigley Company, which is now part of Mars, Incorporated.
Where Can You Find Big Red?
Big Red gum has been sold in many countries around the world.
- It was available in the United Kingdom and Ireland in the 1990s. However, it is no longer sold there. Many visitors from these countries still buy it as a souvenir when they visit the United States.
- Big Red also came to Australia in the 1980s. It was later stopped there.
- The gum was re-released in Australia in 2004 and again in 2007.
- Today, you can find Big Red in places like Mexico, Luxembourg, Belgium, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, New Zealand, and parts of Sweden.
- Interestingly, in some countries like Germany, Norway, and Poland, the gum is white, not red. But it still has that hot cinnamon flavor!
What's Inside Big Red?
Big Red gum is known for its spicy, hot flavor. Originally, it contained sugar. However, in 2003, Wrigley's started adding some artificial sweeteners. These include aspartame and Ace K. This change helped to keep the gum's flavor strong.
The Famous "Big Red" Song
Like many well-known products, Big Red gum had its own special song. This type of song is called a jingle. The Big Red jingle was named "Kiss a Little Longer." It was used in commercials from 1977 to 1998.
How the Jingle Was Made
The "Kiss a Little Longer" song was created by Peter Cofield. He worked for Sunday Productions in New York City. The song was sung by Ryan Devereaux. The commercials often showed couples kissing for a long time in romantic places. This was to show how long Big Red's fresh breath lasted.
The Jingle's Impact
The famous Big Red commercials were so popular that other TV shows made fun of them. One show that did this was Saturday Night Live. In 2008, a famous singer named Ne-Yo helped to update the classic jingle. This brought the song to a new generation. Later, in 2010, Verizon Wireless used parts of the jingle in their own TV ads. They used it because their company's nickname was "Big Red." This was a nod to the color of their logo.
