Usually, when people reminisce on the D.L. Clark Company (created back in the late 1800s), they associate the Clark Bar's name and good ol’ Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (our home field ). But there is another star that has to share the spotlight with the sought after candy bar, Teaberry Gum. Think of a refreshing mint gum that isn’t too harsh on the taste buds, and that is what you get with Clark’s Teaberry Gum, or, at least, that is what you got before it disappeared from well-stocked retro candy counters a few years ago. So, lucky for vintage candy fans, Teaberry Gum is set to return this year.
But how did this special chewing gum come to be? The D.L. Clark Company had so many different types of candy that they had to create smaller companies to focus on their products. And voila! The Clark Gum Company was born.
This spin-off company took over all the gum products from the D.L. Clark company, and in 1900 debuted Teaberry Gum. This gum hit the scene soon after; the company acquired the patent for “easy chewing gum.” The flavor had its origins in Teaberry Leaves that Mr.Clark enjoyed as a child before chewing gum was readily available. In case you are wondering, Teaberry is a berry that has a minty, wintergreen flavor (don’t be embarrassed I didn’t know what it was either). Sounds refreshing, I suppose?
Teaberry Gum took off in the 1960s after Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass Band performed the “Teaberry Shuffle.” Originally a Tijuana Brass Tune, the song was named “The Mexican Shuffle.” Still, for the commercial’s purposes, “The Teaberry Shuffle” came alive as the famous commercial showed people chewing Teaberry Gum, performing an everyday task, and suddenly busting out a few dance moves before returning to their job. The memorable campaign was accompanied by the slogan, “Have a little fun,” which only made people more excited to chew on a refreshing piece of Teaberry Gum.
So, now that a new manufacturer is giving new life to Teaberry Gum, why not indulge and have a little fun with your gum? Sign up here and be the first of your peers to take a trip down memory road….
