Chiclets


Chiclets is a brand of candy-coated chewing gum owned by Mondelez International. The brand was introduced in 1900 by the American Chicle Company, a company founded by Thomas Adams.

History

The Chiclets name is derived from the Mexican Spanish word "chicle", derived from the Aztec Nahuatl word "chictli/tzictli", meaning "sticky stuff", and referring to a pre-Columbian chewing gum found throughout Mesoamerica. This pre-Columbian chewing gum was tapped as a sap from various trees, but especially from the sapodilla tree.
Chiclets are essentially the same as the indigenous chicle, with the innovation of a hard sugar coating offered in various flavors and colors. The original flavor was peppermint, and assorted fruit flavors were available in Algeria, Colombia, Argentina, Egypt, Canada, India, Iraq, Lebanon, Mexico, Syria, Dominican Republic, United Kingdom, Portugal, and parts of the Americas.
Various people have been credited with inventing Chiclets including the brothers Robert and Frank Fleer, and Louis Mahle.
As of 2016, the Chiclets gum brand was discontinued by Mondelez in the United States. It has re-appeared as of 2019, manufactured in Mexico.