Orbit (Wrigley's Orbit) , referred to as Extra in the UK and Freedent in Europe, is a

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

of sugarless

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 tex ...

from the

Wrigley Company Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, also known as Wrigley Company or simply Wrigley's, is an American multinational candy and chewing gum company, based in the Global Innovation Center (GIC) in Goose Island, Chicago, Illinois. Wrigley's is a subsidiary ...

. In the United States, where it was re-launched in 2001, it is sold in cardboard boxes with 14 individually wrapped pieces per package. In the UK, where it was launched in 1899 it was originally sold as a traditional long-stick gum, later replaced by the same format as the US. Orbit White, packaged in

blister packs A blister pack is any of several types of pre-formed plastic packaging used for small consumer goods, foods, and for pharmaceuticals. The primary component of a blister pack is a cavity or pocket made from a formable web, usually a thermoforme ...

of 20 pieces, was released to compete with

Cadbury Adams Cadbury, formerly Cadbury's and Cadbury Schweppes, is a British multinational confectionery company owned by Mondelez International (spun off from Kraft Foods) since 2010. It is the second-largest confectionery brand in the world, after Mars. ...

' Trident White gum in 2001."Category Wars: Wrigley Returns To Orbit In Whitening Showdown"
by Mike Beirne, ''

Brandweek ''Brandweek'' is a three-day brand marketing symposium and a part of Adweek, Llc. It was also previously a weekly American marketing trade publication that was published between 1986 and April 2011. Profile Brandweek is a part of Adweek, cover ...

'', 5/17/2004, Vol. 45 Issue 20, p11.

History

Orbit was originally released in 1899. It was launched in 1944 in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

as a replacement brand by Wrigley due to

rationing Rationing is the controlled distribution (marketing), distribution of scarcity, scarce resources, goods, services, or an artificial restriction of demand. Rationing controls the size of the ration, which is one's allowed portion of the resourc ...

of gum-making ingredients in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The brand was discontinued after the war ended, when Wrigley's three established gum brands,

Juicy Fruit Juicy Fruit is an American brand of chewing gum made by the Wrigley Company, a U.S. company that since 2008 has been a subsidiary of the privately held Mars, Incorporated. It was introduced in 1893, and in the 21st century the brand name is reco ...

Wrigley's Spearmint Wrigley's Spearmint is a brand of Wrigley's chewing gum. Wrigley's launched the brand in 1893, and marketed the gum as its ''classic'' brand, although the company's brand Juicy Fruit has been on the market slightly longer. As the name implies, ...

and

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, and has had variable market share since then. The ...

, returned to the US market. The gum was reintroduced 30 years later in 1976, when it was introduced in Germany, Switzerland and The Netherlands. This marked the first time that a sugar-free gum was marketed under the Wrigley name. The brand was later introduced in other countries, including Canada, Australia, the UK, Norway, Poland, Israel and Serbia. The gum returned to American shelves in the late 1970s, but was removed from the shelves in the 1980s due to a suspicion that the sweetener might cause cancer. The gum was relaunched in the US in 2001. Orbit gum is now sold in the UK as Wrigleys Extra, alongside the 'real', hard shell Extra gum.

Advertising

The US advertising campaign for Orbit centered on the Orbit Girl, a British accented character who always showed up to "dirty" and awkward situations wearing all white, a scarf, and a smile.

Vanessa Branch Vanessa Lynn Branch (born March 21, 1973) is an English-born American actress and model. She is best known in the United States as the Orbit Gum girl for its 2002 to 2010 television marketing campaign, as well as Giselle in the ''Pirates of t ...

played the Orbit Girl from 2001 to 2010, when she was replaced by Farris Patton, who played the Orbit Girl from 2010 through 2014. In 2014, Orbit moved to a more global approach to marketing, replacing the Orbit Girl, and with a new commercial with

Sarah Silverman Sarah Kate Silverman (born December 1, 1970) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and writer. She first rose to prominence for her brief stint as a writer and cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' during its ...

to kick off its new campaign: "Eat. Drink. Chew Orbit." to emphasize the benefits of chewing gum after eating and drinking. In the UK and Ireland the Orbit name was replaced by

Extra Extra, Xtra, or The Extra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * The Extra (1962 film), ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * The Extra (2005 film), ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * Extra (newspaper), ...

in 2015, with the same 14-piece package. In 2019 the replacement was applied in Germany as well.

Products

Orbit

* Peppermint * Bubblegum * Spearmint * Eucalyptus * Mint * Bubblemint * Wintermint * Winterfresh * Sweetmint * Freeze Mint * Citrusmint * Apple Remix * Tropical Remix * Strawberry Remix * Wildberry Remix * Peppermint DoublePak * Spearmint DoublePak * Citrus Remix * Melon Remix * Crystal Mint * Lemon Lime * Mint Mojito * Maui Melon Mint * Positively Pomegranate * Raspberry Mint * Fabulous Fruitini * Sangria Fresca (discontinued) * Strawberry Mint * Lime Melon * Piña Colada * Orange Cardamom * Mixed Fruit * Coca-Cola * Blueberry * Raspberry Pomegranate

Orbit White

Orbit White was launched in 2002 as a sugar-free pellet gum and sub brand of Orbit gum. Packaged in

of 12 pieces, it was released to compete with

' Trident White gum in 2001. * Bubblemint * Mint * Peppermint * Spearmint * Wintermint

Orbit for Kids

* Bubblegum * Strawberry and Banana * Grapes Excel Mist in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

had "micro-bursts" which are small polka dot chips filled with a flavor contrast to the rest of the stick. The "micro-bursts" were meant to create "a hydrating sensation", as claimed on the box. Orbit discontinued the Orbit Mist subline in 2013. * Peppermint Spray * Watermelon Spring * Mango Surf

References

{{Authority control Chewing gum Wrigley Company brands Products introduced in 1944