Crossword Dictionary

OPAL FRUITS

Opal Fruits, now known as  Starburst, is the brand name of a box-shaped, fruit-flavoured soft taffy candy manufactured by The Wrigley Company, which today is a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated, after Mars transferred the brand's production to it. Starburst has many different varieties, such as Tropical, Sour, FaveREDs, Watermelon, Very Berry, Superfruit, Summer Blast, and Original. The original flavours include: strawberry, lemon, orange, and cherry (changed from the initial lime). However, the UK original flavours are blackcurrant, lemon and lime, orange, and strawberry. The tropical flavours include: strawberry banana, pineapple, mango melon, cherry and kiwi.

he brand was introduced by Mars in the UK in 1960, named Opal Fruits by Peter Phillips (known as Peter Pfeffer at the time), the winner of a competition that won him £5. The four original flavours were strawberry, lemon, orange, and lime. Opal Fruits were introduced in the United States in 1967 as M&M's Fruit Chewies and later, in the late 1960s, Starburst. While the etymology of the name Starburst isn’t certain, it was probably an attempt to express the burst of flavor at each bite, and draw attention while space interest was at its peak during the Space Race. Originally, Starburst came in the same flavours as Opal Fruits. Subsequently, its first variant, "Sunshine Flavors", was released and was later renamed "Tropical Opal Fruits". In Europe, the lemon and lime flavours were combined to become a singular "Lemon and lime" flavour to make room for a blackcurrant flavour.