Ice Breakers candy facts for kids
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| Type | |
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| Owner | Hershey Company (2000–) |
| Country | United States |
| Related brands | |
| Markets | Worldwide |
| Previous owners | Nabisco (1996–2000) |
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Ice Breakers is a brand of mints and chewing gum owned by The Hershey Company.
Its line of soft, cube-shaped gum is branded as Ice Cubes.
History
Ice Breakers was launched in the 1990's by Nabisco Holding's LifeSaver division in order to compete with similar mint brands. Hershey purchased Ice Breakers from Nabisco in 2000 for $135 million in a deal that also included mint and chewing gum brands like Bubble Yum, Breath Savers, CareFree and Stickfree. Ice Breakers began showing growth following the acquisition by Hershey.
In 2006, it was reported that Hershey had the third largest share of the chewing-gum market and it viewed Ice Breakers as a means of expanding its share. As of 2014, it was reported that overall chewing-gum sales were in decline. It was thought by some economy experts to be due to the economy at the time and a larger variety of choices outside of chewing gum. In 2016, it was reported that Ice Breaker's sales of its Ice Cubes product had increased from 2015.
Products and promotions
Ice Breakers manufactures and sells mint and chewing gum products including cool mints, peppermint chews and soft, cube-shaped gum branded as Ice Cubes. In 2003, Ice Breakers launched Liquid Ice, a liquid filled mint. An advertising and PR campaign that centered around Jessica Simpson was also launched to promote the product. In 2004, the company released its dual-pack gum and mints. Later that year, Ice Breakers signed Hilary and Haylie Duff as the brand's spokeswomen. Blue and red MTV-promotional packs of 15-stick Cool Mint and Cinnamon Ice Breakers ('with Micro Liquid Ice Capsules') gum were featured in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang [at 1:08:20], where they were stolen by Harry Lockhart (played by Robert Downey Jr.) and Harmony Faith Lane (played by Michelle Monaghan) from a hotel lobby.
In April 2018, Ice Breakers launched an edible glitter-sprinkled gum that they hoped would appeal to Millennials.
The company has also sponsored athletes including NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA).
