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Big Red Gum’s Big Red Lie.

You know what used to really tick me off? Big Red gum.

Now, I've come to adore Big Red. Big Red helps keep secret smoke breaks secret. But, as a child, I wanted to kill the people responsible for Big Red, who tricked me over and over and over and over again with this one eensy little unforgettable image seen in practically every one of the gum's television commercials throughout the '80s:


Big Red is, was and always has been slices of all-red gum of the most basic kind. But the commercials always included the fancy image of the red-and-white striped, sent-from-God stick of gum seen above, and time and time again, I'd buy packs of Big Red expecting what was inside to finally reflect the holy image from the ads. It never happened.

I've spent my entire life wondering what I was missing. Was it supposed to represent the wrapper? Well, of course not, because you can see the wrapper in the very same image. Why was Wrigley's obsessed with perpetuating the idea that Big Red had a big, nice, shiny white stripe when in fact it never had such a stripe? Most importantly, how did I fall for this so many times?

Don't mean to make a mountain of minutiae, but I was a kid, and for every time I went for a pack of Big Red on the false promises of a fun stripe, I passed up a much tastier pack of Bubblicious. Sometimes even Paradise Punch Bubblicious. That's plain wrong.

Click here to watch the lousy lying stupid commercial.

UPDATE: Apparently my brain hasn't been functioning properly for the past few decades. As readers have pointed out, the heavenly red & white striped gum is meant to represent Big Red's puny competitor. I don't know how this flew by me. I'm ashamed. But I think we can at least all admit that their representation of the competition is far cooler than what they were trying to peddle. It looks like plastic!

Posted by Matt on 04/05/2007. E-mail me!



Discussion Thread: 97 comments

I detest Big Red and most other cinnamon-based flavored food products. Too much cinnamon scent gives me migraines and too much cinnamon makes my tongue swell. So whoever asked, yes, I do believe it’s an allergic reaction.

I was a Big League Chew kinda gal myself. That and GatorGum, the Gum by Gatorade.

Chestnuts roasted by LemurCat @ 04/05/2007 1:18 PM

Somehow I remember that commercial, but I was born in ’87, so I’m not exactly sure how. O_o

Here’s a fun new activity that I’ve started doing recently: Watch a commercial and purposely misinterpret it. For example, in this commercial, a couple each chews a piece of Big Red, and then they kiss all night into the morning. But do they actually kiss? Oh no, they died. Big Red killed them and caused a fast-acting rigor mortis. Big Red also causes you to miss the bus to your big life-changing football game. Etc.

This wasn’t the greatest example, but you get the idea.

Oh yeah, this is my best example and what started my game: That Capital One card (I think) commercial where people buying stuff is like a big, fast-acting machine. But then, one guy pays with cash. Then, everything is thrown off. Chaos ensues, and everybody there turns on him. So what does Capital One do? Using their cards turn you into an elitist jerk, forcing you to prey upon those who prefer the stability of using cash.

Chestnuts roasted by Ben @ 04/05/2007 1:21 PM

Cinnaburst AND Mintaburst or whatever the name was had edible wrappers. But they make the gum taste terrible.

Chestnuts roasted by kb @ 04/05/2007 1:53 PM

In Matt’s defense, the competition DOES look a lot cooler.

Chestnuts roasted by RageTreb @ 04/05/2007 2:02 PM

To those who wondered about small cinnamon gums, yes, Trident did have a cinnamon gum, but the sticks were actually shorter than the one in the picture, and the wrapper was not red, it was white with the word “TRIDENT” written multiple times on the wrapper in red print.

On another note, does anyone else wonder why all cinnamon-flavored products such as gum and candy are red, when natural cinnamon, and cinnamon sticks, are brown, and do not taste anything like the gum and candy products? I mean, can you imagine sprinkling something like Red Hots(TM) candies on your French toast on Saturday morning? I’m sure some of you can, but I sure can’t!

Chestnuts roasted by Old Jim @ 04/05/2007 2:34 PM

Well cheetos don’t exactly taste like cheese, either. Besides could you imagine if cinnamon products tasted like real cinnamon.

Alright, I’m just looking for an excuse to share the exploits of this lovely chap

Chestnuts roasted by K- @ 04/05/2007 3:09 PM

I think it’s supposed to be dentyne.

Chestnuts roasted by ColoPam @ 04/05/2007 3:16 PM

I also remember thinking that Big Red was supposed to be striped when I was little. Apparently, the whole comparison went over my head. I’ve never liked cinnamon flavored things. The only exception is Fireballs. I love me some Fireballs.

Does Big Red Soda taste at all cinnamon-y? I’m curious. When I was living in Idaho, they had something called Red Cream Soda…which I had never seen before. It tasted only slightly different than normal Cream Soda, though I could never put my finger on it. Does Red No.5 have flavor? ;)

Chestnuts roasted by MissJess @ 04/05/2007 3:17 PM

I’m more of an Orbit guy myself.

Any one else ever try Jolt Gum? You can find it at Spencers or Eckerd (it’s cheaper there) and it actually has caffeine in it…and it works.

Chestnuts roasted by Invader Norbert @ 04/05/2007 3:19 PM

Didn’t Shel Silverstein write a poem about a girl who always chewed gum, and one night, while she was asleep, her jaw started chomping out of reflex, and she chewed her own head off?

Chestnuts roasted by kingklash @ 04/05/2007 3:21 PM

I answered my own question using the ever-reliable wiki. Big Red soda is “the original red cream soda”. And it is created by adding orange and lemon oils to the traditional vanilla flavor. Now I know. And now, I am going to get lost on wikipedia researching random stuff for a few hours.

Chestnuts roasted by MissJess @ 04/05/2007 3:41 PM

Holy crap….
I had forgotten about the little red/white piece until your article. I was in the same boat you are as far as wondering how they got that little red/white piece out of that Big Red wrapper.
If it makes you feel any better, I have a doctorate degree and was apparently equally oblivious to the “This is the competition” motif.

Chestnuts roasted by Mowntandew @ 04/05/2007 3:45 PM

If you’ve never had Big Red soda, it would definitely be worth it to buy a case online or something and get it shipped.

Chestnuts roasted by Tommy @ 04/05/2007 4:15 PM

Don’t worry Matt. I also didn’t know the same thing about the striped. Probably because this is the only gum commercial I remember that actively did a comparison to its competition. Even, today, all they say “We last longer than other brands.” There is no gum company feud. We’re not talking Coke vs. Pepsi or McD’s vs. BK here.

Chestnuts roasted by JLAJRC @ 04/05/2007 4:22 PM

Didn’t Shel Silverstein write a poem about a girl who always chewed gum, and one night, while she was asleep, her jaw started chomping out of reflex, and she chewed her own head off? I really hope so.

Has anyone here tried the new Dentyne Tango-Passion Berry? I think its shit- like Juicy Fruit, but…not.

Chestnuts roasted by Tutsuro @ 04/05/2007 4:27 PM

Thanks to whoever mentioned the edible Trident wrappers, you just made me google “edible gum wrappers”.

I know I remember eating the wrappers of some type of gum on purpose at some point in my life. I just don’t remember when/where/WHY?? Now I can’t rest until I find out!

Chestnuts roasted by bravissima82 @ 04/05/2007 5:05 PM

Alright, folks, mystery solved. I am pretty sure that we used to chew up the wrappers of Fruit Stripe gum (Yikes! Stripes!) While trying to remember what kind of gum it was, I kept thinking of zebras, so I googled “zebra gum” and came up with Fruit Stripe. This is the gum that had the tattoos and stuff on the wrappers too. I might be getting my gum memories mixed up, but I really think this is the one.

Also, anybody remember Ouch gum? It came in a tin case like Band-Aids. What marketing genius came up with that???

Chestnuts roasted by bravissima82 @ 04/05/2007 5:14 PM

Also, anybody remember Ouch gum? It came in a tin case like Band-Aids. Who are the ad wizards who came up with this one???

Fix’d!
And me. I does :P

Chestnuts roasted by K- @ 04/05/2007 5:34 PM

I’ve had gum from a tin case like Band-Aids but I don’t remember it being called Ouch gum.

I miss when you could buy candy cigarettes that came in little Marlboro and Kool (or was it Kent) packs. Those made kids look so fucking cool. Then someone had to go and tell the government that kids shouldn’t be pretending to smoke as it sets a bad example. :evil:

Also, I used to eat my candy tarts in the shape of fish bones and other garbage in little garbage tin containers. Yes, I was quite the gimmick whore as a child.

No more candy memories.

Chestnuts roasted by dohopoki @ 04/05/2007 5:35 PM

No wait, I had gum that came in a gameboy shaped container and has sweet trading cards for gameboy games. Okay, now I’m positive I don’t have anymore memories of anything.

Chestnuts roasted by dohopoki @ 04/05/2007 5:50 PM

I had the Game Boy one AND the Game Gear one. Booyaka, Booyaka!!

Chestnuts roasted by K- @ 04/05/2007 5:52 PM

Wow, this all brings me back.

I think I had ouch gum, it was in a tin case like Band-Aids. And then I filled the tin with marker filters when I stayed up til 2 am, back in first grade.

Trash can candy? I still have a few of the cans. Never much cared for the candy though.

I really wanna say that I remember that Game Boy gum-thing, I really do.

And, I thought they still made cigarette candy? I’m remembering this guy I knew chewing a candy cigar, but that was about 8 years ago. Wow.

Chestnuts roasted by Tutsuro @ 04/05/2007 6:01 PM

Wow, Ouch gum.

Chestnuts roasted by Tommy @ 04/05/2007 6:06 PM

Hey this is a little off topic but I had to share.
Monster in my Pocket is coming back! http://monster.inmypocket.com/
You can see all the new toys there. It looks like it is going to be pretty cool!

Chestnuts roasted by SuperRecoome @ 04/05/2007 8:23 PM

Ohhh man, that image of the big red compared to the other gum will forever be etched in my head…its that big red commercial and the bubble tape commercials “six feet of bubble gum, for YOU not them”, that dictated my chewing habits back then.

Chestnuts roasted by Boat @ 04/05/2007 8:48 PM

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