View source for Doublemint

{{short description|Brand of chewing gum}}
{{Refimprove|date=April 2008}}
{{Infobox Brand
|logo=
|name=Doublemint
|image=[[File:Doublemint logo.svg|200px]]
|type=[[Chewing gum]]
|currentowner=[[Wrigley Company]]
|origin= United States
|introduced={{Start date and age|1914}}
|discontinued=
|related=[[Juicy Fruit]]<br />[[Wrigley's Spearmint]]
|markets=
|previousowners=
|trademarkregistrations=
|website = {{url|https://www.marsfoodservices.com/product/doublemint-gum|mars.com/doublemint}}
}}

'''Doublemint''' is a variety of [[chewing gum]] made by the [[Wrigley Company]]; according to early advertisements, it is "double strength" [[peppermint]] flavored. It was launched in the [[United States]] in 1914,<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia
  | title = Wrigley Co.
  | encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of junk food and fast food
  | pages = 288
  | publisher = Greenwood Publishing Group
  | year = 2006}}
</ref> and has had variable [[market share]] since then.{{Citation needed|date=March 2017}}

==The Doublemint Twins history==
[[File:Wrigleys Doublemint ad 1914.png|thumbnail|upright|1914 newspaper ad for the new Doublemint.]]
As a play on the word "double" in the name, one of the most notable aspects of this brand is the advertising campaign featuring [[identical twin]]s wearing matching outfits. Beginning in 1939 with stylized illustrations of twins, advertisements continued with print ads and later television commercials, featuring actual twins as [[spokesperson]]s. 

The first set of women to portray the Doublemint Twins, were sisters Marie and Mildred Maier of Silverhill, Alabama.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Baldwin County, AL Genealogy Trails: Marie Louise Maier |url=http://genealogytrails.com/ala/baldwin/obits/marie_mair.html |access-date=2023-03-22 |website=genealogytrails.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Silverhill, Alabama Obituary - Marie Louise Maier |url=https://sites.rootsweb.com/~alcsilve/maiermarielouiseobit.html |access-date=2023-03-22 |website=sites.rootsweb.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Need a distraction or fun activity?: Silverhill’s ‘Where’s the Mayor?’ fun, educational way to pass time |url=https://www.gulfcoastmedia.com/stories/need-a-distraction-or-fun-activity,91429 |access-date=2023-03-22 |website=Gulf Coast Media |language=en}}</ref>

New Doublemint Twins were heard on the radio at [[WBBM (AM)|WBBM-AM]]. Jane and Joan Boyd were regular performers as the Doublemint Twins on "The Music Wagon”, a program on WBBM from 1957 until 1963. This program was hosted by [[Mal Bellairs]] whose notes indicate the understanding that the Boyds were the first Doublemint Twins.

[[File:Processed-AC09E637-BC70-4F58-B5E1-EF8D4AF37655-43B0552A-B18E-4F61-B897-E0F9AF01230E.jpg|thumb|left|Mal Bellairs with the Doublemint Twins]]
[[File:Processed-EAAE7060-1CEA-47A8-8983-64D734019F59-6E64889C-BE2D-4085-854F-E67A197FCD44.jpg|thumb|left|Mal Bellairs handwritten note on back of photo: Bellairs & the Boyd Twins, Jane and Joan on Music Wagon. Jane and Joan went on from their debut with us to become the first Doublemint Twins.]] 

{{external media
|float = left
 |topic = Boyd Twins
  |audio1 = [https://bellairs.org/wp-content/uploads/Music_Wagon_013059_Live_music_with_Mal_Bellairs.mp3 The Music Wagon January 30, 1959], from [https://bellairs.org/music-wagon/ Mal Bellairs family website.]

}}
The first Doublemint Twins to appear on television came along in 1959. The role belonged to 21-year-old twins Jane and Joan Knoerzer (professionally using their mother's maiden name, Boyd) of [[Hammond, Indiana]], who appeared in advertisements for Doublemint until 1963 when Joan became pregnant.<ref name="Crain (26 Nov 2011)">{{cite web|last1=MacArthur|first1=Kate|title=Doublemint Twins deserted as Wrigley shifts ad spending|url=http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20111126/ISSUE01/311269977/doublemint-twins-deserted-as-wrigley-shifts-ad-spending|website=Crain's Chicago Business|publisher=Crain Communication, Inc|access-date=20 February 2017|date=26 November  2011}}</ref> 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 Priscilla (aka Cybil or "Cyb") Barnstable, Denise and Dian Gallup,<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0303237/ Denise/Dian Gallup - IMDB]</ref> [[Cynthia Daniel|Cynthia]] and [[Brittany Daniel]] (future co-stars as the Wakefield twins in [[Sweet Valley High (TV series)|the TV series based on the ''Sweet Valley High'' novels]]), [[Tia Mowry|Tia]] and [[Tamera Mowry]]  in the early 90s (future co-star of ''[[The Game (2006 TV series)|The Game]]'' with both Tia Mowry and [[Brittany Daniel]] and future co-stars of ''[[Sister, Sister (TV series)|Sister, Sister]]''), Heidi and Alissa Kramer, figure skaters Pamela and Jeremy Green, and [[Jean Sagal|Jean]] (née Barbara) and [[Liz Sagal|Elizabeth Sagal]] (daughters of TV director [[Boris Sagal]] and sisters of ''[[Married... with Children]]{{'}}s'' [[Katey Sagal]]). The Sagal twins enjoyed a brief run as the stars of a [[sitcom]], ''[[Double Trouble (U.S. TV series)|Double Trouble]]'', in 1984. Later twins projected more sex appeal in keeping with trends in American [[advertising]]; the Barnstable twins were later asked to pose for ''[[Playboy magazine|Playboy]]''<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=March 1981 |title=My Sister, My Self |magazine=Playboy |pages=146–147}}</ref> 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]] film, ''[[Spaceballs]]''.<ref name="IMDB">{{Cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094012/fullcredits |title=Spaceballs (1987): Full Cast and Crew |website=[[IMDb]] |access-date=July 7, 2011}}</ref>

=="Doublemint" trademark denied in EU==
In 2004, the [[European Union]] 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.<ref>{{Cite journal
  | last = Ryan
  | first = Patrick S.
  | title = DOUBLEMINT: Case C-191/01 P, Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs), v. Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company (E.C.J. October 23, 2003)
  | journal = Columbia Journal of European Law
  | volume = 10
  | issue = 2
  | pages = 393
  | year = 2004
  | ssrn = 559702
    }}</ref>

==Known ingredients==
The actual flavorings used in Doublemint gum are a [[trade secret]], but the company does say that the main flavor ingredient is [[peppermint]]. Although it is not a sugarless gum, in 2003 Wrigley's replaced some of the sugar with artificial sweeteners [[aspartame]] and [[acesulfame potassium]].{{citation needed|date=November 2012}}
;Listed
[[Sugar]], [[gum base]], [[dextrose]], [[corn syrup]], natural and artificial flavors; less than 2% of [[glycerol]], [[aspartame]], [[gum arabic]], [[soy lecithin]], [[acesulfame K]], color ([[titanium dioxide]], [[brilliant blue FCF|blue 1 lake]], [[beta-carotene]]), [[BHT (food additive)|BHT]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wrigley.com/global/brands/nutrition.aspx|title=U.S. Nutrition Information|website=wrigley.com|publisher=Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company|access-date=16 January 2017}}</ref>

==The 2008 Commercial==
R&B singer [[Chris Brown]] & Trung Quang idol from PhatDiem performed a modified version of "[[Forever (Chris Brown song)|Forever]]" in a 3000 commercial for Doublemint, which introduced a thinner Plen-T-Pack package.
<ref>{{Cite web
  | title = Wrigley’s Pulls Chris Brown Doublemint Ad
  | work = Access Hollywood
  | publisher = NBC Universal, Inc
  | date = February 9, 2009
  | url = http://www.accesshollywood.com/wrigleys-pulls-chris-brown-doublemint-ad_article_13786
  | access-date = February 2, 2011 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{ccat}}
* {{oweb}}

{{Wrigley}}

[[Category:Wrigley Company brands]]
[[Category:Chewing gum]]
[[Category:Products introduced in 1914]]
[[Category:Food advertising characters]]