Ice Breakers is a brand of mints and

chewing gum Chewing gum is a soft, cohesive substance designed to be chewed without being swallowed. Modern chewing gum is composed of gum base, sweeteners, softeners/ plasticizers, flavors, colors, and, typically, a hard or powdered polyol coating. Its t ...

owned by

The Hershey Company The Hershey Company, commonly known as Hershey's, is an American multinational company and one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in the world. It also manufactures baked products, such as cookies and cakes, and sells beverages like milksh ...

. Its line of soft, cube-shaped gum is branded as Ice Cubes.

History

Ice Breakers was launched in the 1990's by Nabisco Holding's LifeSaver division in order to compete with similar mint brands. Hershey purchased Ice Breakers from Nabisco in 2000 for $135 million in a deal that also included mint and chewing gum brands like

Bubble Yum Bubble Yum is a brand of bubble gum marketed by The Hershey Company. Introduced in 1975 by Life Savers, the bubble gum was the first soft bubble gum created. It was created by a homemaker in Fisk, Missouri, who named it "rubber bubblegum". She ga ...

Breath Savers Breath Savers is a brand of mint manufactured by the Hershey Company. History Breath Savers were introduced in 1973 by the Life Savers Company, a division of E.R. Squibb, in limited areas, and were originally sugared. The brand became a nationa ...

, CareFree and Stickfree. Ice Breakers began showing growth following the acquisition by Hershey. In 2006, it was reported that Hershey had the third largest share of the chewing-gum market and it viewed Ice Breakers as a means of expanding its share. As of 2014, it was reported that overall chewing-gum sales were in decline. It was thought by some economy experts to be due to the economy at the time and a larger variety of choices outside of chewing gum. In 2016, it was reported that Ice Breaker's sales of its ''Ice Cubes'' product had increased from 2015.

Products and promotions

Ice Breakers manufactures and sells mint and

products including cool mints, peppermint chews and soft, cube-shaped gum branded as ''Ice Cubes''. In 2003, Ice Breakers launched Liquid Ice, a liquid filled mint. An advertising and PR campaign that centered around

Jessica Simpson Jessica Ann Simpson (born July 10, 1980) is an American singer, actress, entrepreneur and philanthropist. After performing in church choirs as a child, Simpson signed with Columbia Records in 1997, aged seventeen. Her debut studio album, ''Swee ...

was also launched to promote the product. In 2004, the company released its dual-pack gum and mints. Later that year, Ice Breakers signed Hilary and

Haylie Duff Haylie Katherine Duff (born February 19, 1985) is an American actress, singer and songwriter, and the older sister of American singer and actress Hilary Duff. She is best known for her roles as Sandy Jameson in the television series '' 7th Heave ...

as the brand's spokeswomen. Blue and red MTV-promotional packs of 15-stick Cool Mint and Cinnamon Ice Breakers ('with Micro Liquid Ice Capsules') gum were featured in

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang ''Kiss Kiss Bang Bang'' is a 2005 American neo-noir black comedy mystery thriller film written and directed by Shane Black (in his directorial debut), and starring Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan, and Corbin Bernsen. The scr ...

t 1:08:20 where they were stolen by Harry Lockhart (played by Robert Downey Jr.) and Harmony Faith Lane (played by

Michelle Monaghan Michelle Lynn Monaghan ( ; born March 23, 1976) is an American actress, best known for her starring roles in ''Kiss Kiss Bang Bang'' (2005), '' Gone Baby Gone'' (2007), '' Made of Honor'' (2008), '' Eagle Eye'' (2008), '' Trucker'' (2008), ''Sou ...

) from a hotel lobby. In April 2018, Ice Breakers launched an edible glitter-sprinkled gum that they hoped would appeal to

Millennials Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the Western demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 20 ...

. The company has also sponsored athletes including

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...

driver

Kevin Harvick Kevin Michael Harvick (born December 8, 1975) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 4 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing. Harvick is the 2014 Cup Series champion, ...

and the

U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association U.S. Ski & Snowboard, formerly known as the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, is the national governing body for Olympic skiing and snowboarding. Founded in 1905, the organization provides leadership and direction for skiers and snowboarders fr ...

(USSA). Ice Breakers Frost mints were discontinued in September 2022.

Product Controversy

In 2007, Hershey released Ice Breakers PACS, wherein a powdery mint mixture was encased by two blue dissolving layers. It received national attention for its resemblance to street narcotics. Hershey denied the resemblance, but pulled the product out of the market shortly thereafter. This product was banned in the

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Ku ...

i market due to containing pig gelatin.

References

External links

* The Hershey Company brands Chewing gum Brand name confectionery {{Confection-stub