Doublemint
Encyclopedia
Chewing gum
Chewing gum is a type of gum traditionally made of chicle, a natural latex product, or synthetic rubber known as polyisobutylene. For economical and quality reasons, many modern chewing gums use rubber instead of chicle...
made by the Wrigley Company. It was launched in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1914, and has had variable market share
Market share
Market share is the percentage of a market accounted for by a specific entity. In a survey of nearly 200 senior marketing managers, 67 percent responded that they found the "dollar market share" metric very useful, while 61% found "unit market share" very useful.Marketers need to be able to...
since that time.
One of the most notable aspects of this brand is the advertising campaign, begun in 1956, which utilized twin
Twin
A twin is one of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy. Twins can either be monozygotic , meaning that they develop from one zygote that splits and forms two embryos, or dizygotic because they develop from two separate eggs that are fertilized by two separate sperm.In contrast, a fetus...
s as spokespersons for the gum
Chewing gum
Chewing gum is a type of gum traditionally made of chicle, a natural latex product, or synthetic rubber known as polyisobutylene. For economical and quality reasons, many modern chewing gums use rubber instead of chicle...
, as a play on the word "double" in the name. The original "Doublemint Twins" were Jayne and Joan Boyd of Hammond, Indiana
Hammond, Indiana
Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 80,830 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hammond is located at ....
, who appeared in advertisements for Doublemint until Joan became pregnant in 1963. The company however continued sporadically to promote the campaign, which included twins Jennie and Terrie Frankel in the late 1960s; later "Doublemint Twins" included June and Patricia Mackrell through the 1970s (who had also been the Toni Twins for Toni Home Permanent, which used the slogan "Which twin has the Toni?"), Patricia and Cybil Barnstable, Denise and Dian Gallup, Cynthia
Cynthia Daniel
Cynthia Lynn Daniel is an American actress and photographer and twin sister of actress Brittany Daniel.-Biography:Born in Gainesville, Florida, Cynthia is five minutes younger than her twin sister Brittany. Her parents are Carol and Charlton B Daniel Jr. The two also have an older brother named...
and Brittany Daniel
Brittany Daniel
Brittany Ann Daniel is an American television and film actress. She is the twin sister of actress and photographer Cynthia Daniel...
, Tia
Tia Mowry
Tia Dashon Mowry-Hardrict is an American actress. She first gained fame for her teen role as Tia Landry on the ABC/WB sitcom Sister, Sister...
and Tamera Mowry
Tamera Mowry
Tamera Darvette Mowry-Housley is an American actress. She first gained fame for her teen role as Tamera Campbell on the ABC/WB sitcom Sister, Sister...
(future co-star of The Game). Heidi and Alissa Kramer, and Jean
Jean Sagal
Jean Sagal is an American television actress and director. In the 1980s, she co-starred with her twin-sister Liz Sagal in the 23-episode television series Double Trouble that ran from 1984-85. She has since appeared on such shows as Picket Fences, Knots Landing, Quantum Leap and 21 Jump Street...
(née Barbara) and Elizabeth Sagal
Liz Sagal
Elizabeth "Liz" Sagal is an American television professional, active as an actress, screenwriter and film editor.In the 1980s, she co-starred with her twin-sister Jean Sagal in the 23-episode television series Double Trouble that ran from 1984–85, as well as the 1982 movie Grease 2, a loose sequel...
(daughters of TV director Boris Sagal
Boris Sagal
Boris Sagal was a Ukrainian-born American television and film director.-Early life and career:Born in Yekaterinoslav, Soviet Union, Sagal emigrated to the United States where he attended the Yale School of Drama. Sagal's many TV credits include directing episodes of The Twilight Zone, "T.H.E...
and sisters of Married... with Children
Married... with Children
Married... with Children is an American surrealistic sitcom that aired for 11 seasons that featured a dysfunctional family living in Chicago, Illinois. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, ran from April 5, 1987, to June 9, 1997. The series was created...
s Katey Sagal
Katey Sagal
Catherine Louise "Katey" Sagal is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She first achieved widespread fame as Peggy Bundy on the long-running Fox comedy series Married.....
). The Sagal twins enjoyed a brief run as the stars of a sitcom, Double Trouble, in 1984. Later twins projected more sex appeal in keeping with trends in American advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
; the Barnstable twins were later asked to pose for Playboy magazine due to their popularity as spokeswomen for the gum. In 1987, Denise and Dian Gallup spoofed their roles as the Doublemint Twins in cameo roles in the Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks is an American film director, screenwriter, composer, lyricist, comedian, actor and producer. He is best known as a creator of broad film farces and comic parodies. He began his career as a stand-up comic and as a writer for the early TV variety show Your Show of Shows...
film, Spaceballs
Spaceballs
Spaceballs is a 1987 American science fiction comedy parody film co-written by, directed by, Mel Brooks and starring Bill Pullman, John Candy, Mel Brooks & Rick Moranis. It also features, Daphne Zuniga, Dick Van Patten, and the voice of Joan Rivers. The film was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on...
.
In 2004, the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
Court of Justice ultimately denied Wrigley's request for trademark status on the name "Doublemint"; The Court found that the mark DOUBLEMINT was "descriptive" of the product and in violation of trademark law.
The actual flavorings used in Doublemint gum are evidently a trade secret
Trade secret
A trade secret is a formula, practice, process, design, instrument, pattern, or compilation of information which is not generally known or reasonably ascertainable, by which a business can obtain an economic advantage over competitors or customers...
, but the company does say that the main flavor ingredient is peppermint
Peppermint
Peppermint is a hybrid mint, a cross between the watermint and spearmint . The plant, indigenous to Europe, is now widespread in cultivation throughout all regions of the world...
.
Ironically enough, while Doublemint is in the chewing-gum business, the original Doublemint Twins were not permitted to be seen chewing gum in public, on direct orders from Wrigley himself. Reasons for this order are unclear.
Although it is not a sugarless gum, Wrigley's replaced some of the sugar with aspartame
Aspartame
Aspartame is an artificial, non-saccharide sweetener used as a sugar substitute in some foods and beverages. In the European Union, it is codified as E951. Aspartame is a methyl ester of the aspartic acid/phenylalanine dipeptide. It was first sold under the brand name NutraSweet; since 2009 it...
and Ace K, both artificial sweeteners, in 2003.
Wrigley began running Doublemint Twin commercials again in 2005 with a new set of twins, Natalie Garza
Natalie Garza
Natalie Garza is an American actress of film and television. She has appeared on such TV series as Gilmore Girls, The 12th Man, Half and Half, Presidio Med, How I Met Your Mother, and has a recurring role as Faith on the Oxygen series, Campus Ladies...
and Nicole Garza
Nicole Garza
Nicole Garza is an American actress of film and television. She has appeared on such TV series as The O.C., Gilmore Girls, Entourage, Invasion, How I Met Your Mother, and has a recurring role on the Oxygen series, Campus Ladies...
dressed in old-fashioned clothes. They ride a tandem bike through various modern day situations, singing about the complexity of modern life and touting the joy of the simple pleasure of Doublemint gum. Wrigley also began an open casting call
Casting (performing arts)
In the performing arts, casting is a pre-production process for selecting a cast of actors, dancers, singers, models and other talent for a live or recorded performance.-Casting process:...
for people to be in their ad campaigns. The call goes out to not only actual twins but anyone and their dog—literally. Many twins have applied but so have people and their friends, their pets, even inanimate objects. They can be seen at the official Doublemint Gum website. Since then, they have run various commercials with some of the new twins as well as Natalie & Nicole from the 2005 campaign.
R&B singer Chris Brown performed a modified version of "Forever
Forever (Chris Brown song)
"Forever" is a song by American R&B singer Chris Brown. It is produced by Polow da Don. It is the first single from the repackaged Exclusive: Forever Edition, and is the fifth overall single by Brown from his second studio album, Exclusive with uncredited backing vocals from Keri Hilson...
" in a 2008 commercial for Doublemint which introduced a thinner Plen-T-Pack package. Wrigley terminated their endorsement deal with Brown on February 9, 2009 due to his arrest for domestic violence against Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
.