Mike and Ike

History

Mike and Ike was created by the Bethlehem, Pennsylvania-based candy company Just Born in 1940. When Just Born acquired the Rodda Candy Company in 1953, Rodda's expertise in jelly beans helped Just Born produce new Mike and Ike flavors, such as cotton candy. Additional flavors, such as root beer, came in the 1960s, and others have been introduced on and off since.

The origin of the Mike and Ike name is obscure, even to the company. Just Born has claimed it originated from a vaudeville song, an internal naming contest, or the names of the inventors. People have also claimed that the name is from the Rube Goldberg comic strip Mike and Ike (They Look Alike); Dwight D. Eisenhower, whose nickname was Ike; the Matina Brothers, two of whom were nicknamed "Mike" & "Ike," and were billed as circus dwarves and appeared as Munchkins in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.

Candy

Mike and Ike are oblong fruit-flavored chewy candies that come in several colors and varieties, including cherry, strawberry, orange, lemon, and lime. Popular varieties are Tropical Typhoon, Berry Blast and Jolly Joes. Each candy has 7 calories, 0 grams of fat, and approximately 1 gram of sugar. The candy is kosher and gluten-free.

They are similar to Hot Tamales, another candy introduced by the same manufacturer in 1950, though they are not spicy.

Varieties

Just Born produces several varieties of Mike and Ikes, including:

Retro/limited varieties include:

• Lem and Mel (Lemon and watermelon) flavor (launched 1991; reissued 2013)
• Cherri and Bubb (Cherry and bubble gum) flavor (launched 1989; reissued 2013, then again in 2019)
• Strawbana (launched 1991) (discontinued)
• Tangy Twister (possibly Orange, but cannot be found in stores or online)
• Mike and Ike – Strawberries n' Cream (launched 2000; reissued 2019)
• Mike and Ike – Orange n' Cream (launched 2000)
• Cherry Cola (launched 2004, reissued 2016)
• Buttered Popcorn (launched 2004, reissued 2016)
• Sour Lemon
• Mike and Ike Minion Mix – Blueberry and Banana flavors (launched 2014)
• Mike and Ike Valentines Mix (Seasonal)
• Mike and Ike Mummy's Mix (Seasonal)
• Mike and Ike Merry Mix (Seasonal) (launched 2015)
• Mike and Ike Sundae Sweets (Limited edition) (launched 2017)
• Mike and Ike Cotton Candy (Limited edition) (reissued 2015, then again in 2021 and 2025)
• Mike and Ike Root Beer Float (Limited edition) (reissued 2015, then again in 2021 and 2025)

There are also seasonal packages for Easter in which the Mike and Ike flavors are formed as jelly beans.

Media

In April 2012, the company ran an ad campaign based on the premise that Mike and Ike were "breaking up" due to "creative differences"; the packaging showed one or the other name scratched out. The campaign was intended to capture the interest of younger consumers. In 2013 the company announced Mike and Ike would reunite. In addition to a re-designed packaging and juicier tasting candy, a trailer for a movie was released, entitled, The Return of Mike and Ike.

References

References

1. Andrew F. Smith. (2006). "Encyclopedia of junk food and fast food". Greenwood Publishing Group.
2. Newman, Andrew Adam. (2012-04-12). "Reviving Two Characters by Tearing Them Apart". The New York Times.
3. Jeff Wells. (January 22, 2016). "10 Sweet and Colorful Facts About Mike and Ike". Mental Floss.
4. "Our History {{!}} Just Born".
5. Myers, Dan. (2018-01-10). "Who are Mike and Ike?".
6. Myers, Dan. (2018-01-10). "Who are Mike and Ike?".
7. Dean Jensen. (September 1, 2006). "The Lives and Loves of Daisy and Violet Hilton: A True Story of Conjoined Twins". Ten Speed Press.
8. "Mike & Ike History". Old Time Candy.
9. "Fruity Facts about Mike and Ike". Just Born.
10. Andrew F. Smith. (2007). "The Oxford companion to American food and drink". Oxford University Press.
11. "Mike and Ike candy flavors". justborn.
12. "Just Born Interactive Timeline". Just Born.
13. (2013-03-20). "Mike And Ike Getting Back Together After Messy Divorce". huffingtonpost.
14. "Mike and Ike candy flavors". justborn.
15. Just Born INC. (2010). "Stock up".
16. Dale, Maryclaire. (April 13, 2012). "Mike and Ike announce split in cheeky ad campaign". [[Bloomberg Businessweek]].
17. Bangert, Dave. (April 28, 2012). "A culture war in the candy aisle". [[Journal & Courier]].
18. Cox, Ana Marie. (May 8, 2012). "Same-sex marriage amendments: bigotry's last gasp". [[The Guardian]].
19. (2013-03-27). "Mike and Ike's 'Breakup' Lifted Sales and Social". ADWEEK.