Life Savers
Encyclopedia : L : LI : LIF : Life Savers
- For other meanings see life saver (disambiguation)
Life Savers was a subsidiary of Kraft Foods before being purchased by the Wrigley Company in 2004. In recent years, the brand has expanded to include Gummi Savers, Life Saver Minis, Life Saver Fusions, and Creme Savers. Discontinued brands include Fruit Juicers and Life Saver Lollipops.
History
Life Savers candy was first created in 1912 by Clarence Crane, a Cleveland chocolatier and father of the famed poet Hart Crane. Crane was looking for a new "summer candy" to supplement his chocolate business, which slumped in hot weather.Crane developed a line of hard mints, but didn't have the space or machinery to make them. He contracted with a pill manufacturer to press the mints into shape. The pill manufacturer, whose machinery was malfunctioning, found that the pressing process worked much better when the mints were stamped with a hole in the middle.
Crane called the new candy "Crane's Peppermint Life Savers," because they looked like miniature throwable life preservers. The ring-shaped devices were just beginning to come into use after the Titanic disaster.
In 1913, Crane sold the formula for his Life Savers candy to Edward Noble for only $2,900. Noble started his own candy company and began producing and selling the mints known as Pep-O-Mint Life Savers. He also began to package the mints into rolls wrapped in tinfoil to prevent them from going stale. This process was done by hand until 1919 when machinery was developed. In 1925, the tinfoil was replaced with aluminum foil.
Noble promoted the candy at the cash registers of saloons, cigar stores, drug stores, barber shops, and restaurants. He had the candy placed, with a five-cent price, near the cash register. Noble soon began to create and sell many other flavors.
In 1929, fruit-flavored hard candy Life Savers were introduced. In 1935, the classic "Five-Flavor" rolls were introduced, offering a selection of five different flavors in each roll.
Life Savers production for North America was based in Holland, Michigan for many years. In 2004, when the brand was acquired by Wrigley's, production was moved to Canada.
Trivia
- Wint-O-Green Life Savers are known for their ability to produce bright sparks when bitten in a dark room, due to triboluminescence produced by an electrical charge produced by grinding wintergreen and sugar together.
- The South African chorus group Ladysmith Black Mambazo sang the distinctive a capella songs used in Life Savers and Creme Savers commercials throughout the 1990s.
- There is an urban legend about the creation of Life Savers which states that the creator's daughter died after choking on a hard candy, and that the hole in the middle was included to prevent further death (thus earning the name Life Saver). This tale often mistaken for truth and is probably more well-known than the real origin story.
Timeline
- 1912: Crane's Peppermint Life Savers created by Clarence Crane in Cleveland, Ohio.
- 1913: Edward Noble bought the Life Saver formula, renamed Pep-O-Mint Life Savers, and started Mint Products Company in NYC.
- 1924: The first fruit flavors were produced as solid candies.
- 1929: Technology improved to allow a hole in the center of the fruit candies.
- 1931: Life Savers Limited acquired Beech-Nut and the two merged companies became Squibb Beech-Nut Inc.
- 1935: The Original Five-Flavor roll of Life Savers debuted.
- 1981: Nabisco Brands Inc. acquired Life Savers from the E.R Squibb Corporation.
- 1987: Canadian Life Savers business acquired by Hershey Canada.
- 1996: Canadian Life Savers business acquired by Beta Brands Limited.
- 2004: USA Life Savers business Acquired By Wrigley's.
Flavors
There have been over 50 flavors of Life Savers to date. The different flavors of Life Savers have included:Original Five-Flavor roll (1935–2003)
- Lemon
- Lime
- Orange
- Cherry
- Pineapple
New Five-Flavor roll (2003–present)
- Cherry
- Pineapple
- Raspberry
- Watermelon
- Blackberry
Other flavors, packaged separately
- Pep-O-Mint (first Life Savers flavor, introduced in 1912)
- Butter Rum
- Wint-O-Green
- Spear-O-Mint
- Musk (sold chiefly in Australia)
- Wild Cherry
- Hot Cin-O-Mon
- Cryst-O-Mint
- Hot Rings (sweet and spicy)(promotional flavor around the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 3)
- Blue Rad (blue raspberry)(promotional flavors around the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 3)
- Orange Mint (introduced 2006)
- Sweet Mint (introduced 2006)
Other Five-Flavor rolls
- Tropical Fruits Five-Flavor roll (Fruit Punch, Pina Colada, Mango leon, Tangerine, Banana)
- Tangy Fruits Five-Flavor roll (Watermelon, Green Apple, Strawberry, Tangy Tangerine, Banana)
- Wild Berries Five-Flavor roll (Strawberry, Red Raspberry, Black Raspberry, Blackberry, Cherry)
- Chill-O-Mints Five-Flavor roll (Wintergreen, Spearmint, Vanilla Mint, Peppermint)
Creme Savers flavors
- Caramel & Chocolate
- Strawberry
- Raspberry
- Orange & Creme
- Banana & Creme (Limited Edition Tropicals Pack)
- Piña Colada (Limited Edition Tropicals Pack)
- Mango & Creme (Limited Edition Tropicals Pack)
Discontinued flavors
- Anise
- Butterscotch
- Choc-O-Mint
- Cinn-O-Mon
- Cl-O-Ve
- Cola
- Lic-O-Rice
- Molas-O-Mint
- Root Beer
- Stik-O-Pep
- Vi-O-Let
Links
- [History of the Life Savers company]
- [USAToday article on changing 5 flavors]
- [Article on move from Michigan to Canada]
- [Why do Wint-O-Green Life Savers spark in the dark?]
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