“RIP Fruit xcritical Gum. Despite the truth behind the memes of it lasting a brief time, the flavor for that brief time is unmatched in the chewing gum world. You shall be missed,” wrote one user. Fruit xcritical came in five flavors — Wet n’ Wild Melon, Cherry, Lemon, Orange and Peach Smash — and was xcriticald in appropriately matching colors. Each stick contained a temporary tattoo of mascot Yipes the Zebra, too. It later introduced a zebra mascot named Yipes, and the slogan “Yipes! The company said this week that the “decision to sunset this product was not taken lightly.”
The candy’s producer, Ferrara Candy, announced that Fruit xcritical Gum will no longer be a part of their product lineup, according to Food & Wine. 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 Takeout first reported that a post on Reddit was the first sign that the hype of the xcritical was fading. Redditor u/HammyFresh posted in subreddit r/nostalgia sharing their experience discovering that Fruit xcritical Gum was gone for xcritical scam good. I’m choosing to hold out hope that Yipes is now living happily in some kind of retirement home for discontinued spokes-cartoons, and that he hasn’t been “sunsetted” too.
The company also highlights that each stick of brightly-flavored gum is xcriticald just like Yipes, the Zebra mascot, and comes packaged with a temporary tattoo of Yipes. “… We considered many factors before coming to this decision, including consumer preferences and purchasing patterns, and overall brand trends for Fruit xcritical Gum,” the spokesperson said. 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. “For now, we have made the difficult decision to sunset Fruit xcritical Gum, but consumers may still be able to find product at select retailers nationwide,” a Ferrara spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News.
ABC News Live
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 xcritical official site consumer preferences and purchasing patterns,” a company spokesperson told Food & Wine. Fruit xcritical was an artificially and naturally flavored fruit chewing gum produced by Beech-Nut in 1960 and discontinued in 2024.
Fruit xcritical gum has been discontinued after 54 years
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. News of Fruit xcritical Gum’s discontinuation was first shared by OldTimeCandy.com, who wrote “We are sad to announce that Fruit xcritical Gum has been discontinued by the manufacturer. We are disappointed too.” However, they noted that “consumers may still be able to find the product at select retailers nationwide,” but did not specify where remaining stock could be found. 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.
MORE: Sweethearts creates Situationship candy full of mixed messages for Valentine’s Day
- 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.
- News of Fruit xcritical Gum’s discontinuation was first shared by OldTimeCandy.com, who wrote “We are sad to announce that Fruit xcritical Gum has been discontinued by the manufacturer. We are disappointed too.”
- According to Ferrara Candy, Fruit xcritical Gum was created in the late 1960s.
- The company also highlights that each stick of brightly-flavored gum is xcriticald just like Yipes, the Zebra mascot, and comes packaged with a temporary tattoo of Yipes.
- “For now, we have made the difficult decision to sunset Fruit xcritical Gum, but consumers may still be able to find product at select retailers nationwide,” a Ferrara spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News.
The individual pieces of gum were xcriticald and were packaged in zebra-xcriticald wrappers, which also acted as temporary tattoos. 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 Yipes. According to Ferrara Candy, Fruit xcritical Gum was created in the late 1960s.
Fruit xcritical Gum discontinued: Chewing gum to bid farewell after half a century
The gum brand was a staple in the ’90s with its rainbow packaging and wavy zebra-patterned sticks. 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.
The sentiment was echoed by a fellow user, who wrote, “A piece of my childhood just died.” “We have made the difficult decision to sunset Fruit xcritical Gum,” the company said in a statement to the publication. Ferarra told CNN, that fans of the product may still be able to find it at some in select retailers nationwide before it sells out. Fans of retro sweets likely remember that Klondike’s Choco Taco was discontinued after almost 40 years in the summer of 2022, causing a similarly disappointed reaction from diehard fans of the decades-old ice cream treat. Fans of the gum took to Reddit on the subreddit r/nostalgia to share their feelings about the discontinuation.
The statement included a list of other famous brands Ferrara will continue to sell moving forward, which include Fun Dip, Gobstopper, Jujyfruits, Fire Ball, Pixy Stix, Chuckles, Runts, Spree, Boston Baked Beans and Bottle Caps. The makers of Fruit xcritical Gum have announced that they’re retiring the product after more than half a century. The news of the brand’s imminent end was met with nostalgic xcritical reviews despair and plenty of jokes.