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Big Redis acinnamonflavoredchewing gumintroduced by theWilliam Wrigley Jr. Companyin 1975. Big Red was available in theUnited KingdomandIrelandin the mid to end of the 1990s, but is no longer available there.[1][2]It is a popular souvenir for visitors to the United States from Ireland, or the United Kingdom.[citation needed]
 | |
| Product type | Chewing gum |
|---|---|
| Owner | Mars Wrigley division ofMars, Incorporated |
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 1975 |
| Tagline | "Long lasting fresh breath" |
Big Red was also released in Australia in the early to the middle of the 1980s, but was discontinued there in the end of the 1980s.[citation needed]
It was re-released in 2004, and again at the end of 2007. It is also available in Mexico, Luxembourg, Belgium, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, New Zealand, and parts of Sweden; the gum sold in Germany, Norway and Poland is not red but white. It is meant to be hot in flavor. Despite it not being a sugarless gum, in 2003 in the United States, Wrigley's replaced some of the sugar withaspartameandAce K,both artificial sweeteners.
The "Big Red" song
editLike its sister product,Juicy Fruit,Big Red had its own commercialjingle,calledKiss a Little Longer,which was used from 1979 to 1998. The song was composed by Peter Cofield from Sunday Productions inNew York City,and sung by Ryan Devereaux. Many of the commercials depicted couples passionately kissing in a romantic setting for an unusually long time, always including one kisser who then must chase his departing ride.
This commercial formula would later be parodied by a number of television shows, includingSaturday Night Live.In August 2008, Wrigley teamed with popular singer songwriterNe-Yoto update the classic jingle. In February 2010,Verizon Wirelessrepurposed the classic jingle for a television campaign featuring the company's industry nickname, "Big Red" (a reference to the colour of the company's logo).[3]
In popular culture
editBig Red was referenced in the 2006 movieTalladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobbyin a mid-credits sequence where Ricky Bobby (played byWill Ferrell) utters the phrase "I'm Ricky Bobby. If you don't chew Big Red, then fuck you."
Big Red also features in the second episode of theMarvel Studiosstreaming series,WandaVision.In the episode taking place in the 1960s,Visionis given a piece of Big Red chewing gum. However, Big Red was not introduced until 1975.
Sponsorship
editBig Red along with Wrigley's gum products were sponsored in formerNASCARteamChip Ganassi Racing,Big Red sponsored from 2007 to 2008 onJuan Pablo Montoya's 42 car.
References
edit- ^"Wrigley's UK brand list".Wrigley.May 19, 2017.RetrievedMay 19,2017.
- ^"Wrigley's US brand list".Wrigley.May 19, 2017.RetrievedMay 19,2017.
- ^Verizon does Big Red, De Beers ad parodies