Doublemint facts for kids
 |
|
| Product type | Chewing gum |
|---|---|
| Owner | Wrigley Company |
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 1914 |
| Related brands | Juicy Fruit Wrigley's Spearmint |
| Website | Mars Wrigley |
Doublemint is a popular brand of chewing gum made by the Wrigley Company. It first went on sale in the United States in 1914. The gum is famous for its "double strength" peppermint flavor. For many years, its commercials were famous for starring identical twins.
Contents
The Famous Doublemint Twins
The name "Doublemint" gave the Wrigley Company a clever idea for its ads. Because "double" means two, they decided to use identical twins to promote the gum. This became one of the most famous advertising campaigns ever.
The campaign began in 1939 with drawings of twins. Later, the company hired real-life twins to appear in print ads and on television. These twins were known as the "Doublemint Twins."
Who Were the Doublemint Twins?
Many sets of twins have been part of the Doublemint ads over the years.
- The first twins on television were Jane and Joan Boyd, who started in 1959. They appeared in commercials until 1963.
- In the late 1960s, twins Jennie and Terrie Frankel took on the role.
- June and Patricia Mackrell were the faces of Doublemint through the 1970s.
- Later, Patricia and Priscilla Barnstable became very popular as the Doublemint Twins.
- In 1987, twins Denise and Dian Gallup even made a fun appearance in the Mel Brooks movie Spaceballs.
Over the years, some of the twins were already famous actors.
- Cynthia and Brittany Daniel, who starred in the TV show based on the Sweet Valley High books, were Doublemint Twins.
- Tia and Tamera Mowry, the stars of the popular show Sister, Sister, were also in the ads in the early 1990s.
- Jean and Liz Sagal, whose sister is actress Katey Sagal, were also Doublemint Twins. They even starred in their own TV show called Double Trouble in 1984.
What's in Doublemint Gum?
The exact recipe for Doublemint gum is a trade secret, which means the company keeps it private. However, we know that the main flavor comes from peppermint.
While it's not a sugar-free gum, Wrigley's did change the recipe in 2003. They replaced some of the sugar with artificial sweeteners like aspartame and acesulfame potassium to reduce the sugar content.
The ingredients listed on the package include:
- Sugar
- Gum base (the chewy part)
- Dextrose and corn syrup (types of sugar)
- Natural and artificial flavors
- Glycerol (to keep it soft)
- Aspartame and Acesulfame K (sweeteners)
- Soy lecithin and gum arabic (to hold ingredients together)
- Coloring
- BHT (to keep it fresh)
Legal Troubles in Europe
In 2004, the Wrigley Company tried to get a trademark for the name "Doublemint" in Europe. A trademark protects a brand's name so no one else can use it.
However, the European Union's highest court said no. The court decided that the name "Doublemint" simply described the product (a mint with a double-strong flavor). Under trademark law, you can't usually trademark a name that just describes what the product is.
Modern Commercials
Doublemint has continued to create new ads to appeal to younger audiences. In 2008, a commercial featured R&B singer Chris Brown. He performed a version of his song "Forever" for an ad that introduced a new, thinner package for the gum.
