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Brand of fruit flavored candy

Mike and Ike is an American brand of fruit flavored candies that were first introduced in 1940 by the company Just Born, Inc. Despite conjecture, the origin of the candy's name remains unknown. Mike and Ike were originally all fruit flavored but now come in several different varieties.

Mike and Ike is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. People have claimed that the name may have come from the comic strip Mike and Ike (They Look Alike), which had ended by the 1940s. Or the name may have referred to the Matina Brothers, two of whom, nicknamed "Mike" & "Ike," were billed as circus dwarves and had roles as Munchkins in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz; author Dean Jensen claimed the two brothers had become so popular in America that a boxed candy was named after them. Other proposals include a company wide contest, the creators' names being Mike and Ike, a vaudeville song titled “Mike and Ike”, and Dwight D. Eisenhower, whose nickname was "Ike." Just Born acquired the Rodda Candy Company in 1953 and, with the help of Rodda's expertise in jelly beans, produced 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.

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.

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.