In celebration of the Texas State Fair opening later this month, you may be asking yourself: Hey, Greta, what other things did the Chicago’s World Fair of 1893 bring to our lives? Gum.
Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit, to be specific. In 1891, William Wrigley Jr had a line of soap products and baking powders. As an incentive to buy his baking powder, he was giving away sticks of gum. He noticed that his ‘freebie’ was more popular than his line of actual products. He originally, and against public opinion, marketed Sweet Sixteen Orange and Lotta Gum to kids – before that, gum chewing was viewed as a feminine past time. At the Chicago World’s Fair, which happened to take place during an economic depression, Wrigley took another risk and rolled out Juicy Fruit which proved to be wildly popular with fair-goers. Spearmint flavor came next.
Like your brownies paired with corny dogs and Juicy Fruit? With a few serial killers thrown in? Take a tour. If that combo doesn’t inspire you, I don’t know what will.
Image of Juicy Fruit taken from the Wrigley’s website.
