Fruit Stripe Gum discontinued after more than 50 years

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) – Fruit Stripe Gum, known for its bold colors and zebra mascot, is being discontinued after 50 years on the market.

“We are sad to announce that Fruit Stripe Gum has been discontinued by the manufacturer. We are disappointed too,” OldTimeCandy, a seller of "retro" candy, wrote on its website.

Fruit Stripe's manufacturer, Ferrara Candy, confirmed the gum's discontinuation in a statement obtained by Food & Wine.

“The decision to sunset this product was not taken lightly, and we considered many factors before coming to this decision, including consumer preferences, and purchasing patterns,”  a Ferrara Candy representative said. 

Fruit Stripe Gum was invented in the late 1960s by James Parker. The brand later adopted a zebra mascot named Yipes, and the slogan “Yipes! Stripes!”

There were five flavors — Wet n’ Wild Melon, Cherry, Lemon, Orange and Peach Smash — according to NBC News, and each stick's wrapper doubled as a temporary tattoo.

Online, the popular X (formerly Twitter) account Discontinued Foods! paid tribute to Fruit Stripe gum, calling it "an icon in the gum field."

Many of the responses under the post joked about the gum's alleged short-lived flavor, with one user calling for "a moment of silence for the moment of flavor."

Others remembered the nostalgia of it.

"A piece of my childhood is gone. RIP Fruit Stripe gum," another user wrote.

Fruit Stripe Gum may still be available in certain stores where it remains in stock, Ferrara Candy said.