Sorry to Burst Your Bubble, but You Won't Be Able to Buy Stride Gum in Stores

Sorry to burst your bubble, but finding Stride Gum at your local convenience store is a thing of the past.

The popular gum brand was launched by Cadbury in 2006. With promising "ridiculously long-lasting" flavor and shareable packaging, Stride came in a variety of flavors: Winterblue, Spearmint, Sweet Peppermint, Forever Fruit, Sweet Berry, Sweet Cinnamon, Nonstop Mint, Uber Bubble, Stride Shift, and Stride Spark. And who could forget the iconic Mega Mystery, everyone’s favorite.

Kraft Foods acquired Stride in 2010, which relaunched the brand with a new formula the following year after sales slumped, per reports.

Eleven years after Kraft's acquisition, folks are still asking what happened to Stride. Keep reading to find out if you can still get your hands on this gum brand.

The case of the missing gum. Stride Gum is an easily recognizable brand that seemingly had a large fanbase of annual chewers. However, in 2019, consumers started to notice the absence of the gum on their local store shelves.

"Who has seen a Stride Gum in the last 5 years? What the f--k happened to it I'm questioning my existence right about now," one person tweeted. Another person captioned a picture of the Stride packaging: "Who [the f--k] else remember[s] Stride Gum?" 

This person questioned, "What happened to Stride gum? I’m not the only one who remembers this, right?" Another individual commented, "When’s the last time anyone has had stride gum? Haven’t seen that s--t in years."

So, what's the deal?

According to the company's Twitter account, Stride has not been active since September 2019. When one consumer asked why they couldn't find the sour fruit flavors in Los Angeles, the company replied back, "Let's make sure you can find them all. Have you checked our product locator yet? It should tell you the nearest store that carries them."

When another commenter told the brand: "Please I am begging you to bring back the peppermint Stride ... I've tried every gum on the shelf and nothing else is better," Stride, replied, "We're still available nationally. If there are no stores near you that carry it, ask your local store manager to order some for you. Although it may be a long shot due to international ordering, there might still be a way to get your hands on this delicious gum.

In any event, it appears Stride gum was discontinued in the U.S., Canada, and Europe in 2019 so that the company could focus on "other confections like chocolate and baked goods," per Yahoo.

Stride gum might still be available in select countries, but if you’re not jet-setting abroad, don’t fret—we’ve got a hack: eBay! Search for bulk packs on eBay's site, though options are limited. And if Stride proves elusive, just add it to your nostalgia stash with Kudos bars, Choco Tacos, and Fruit Stripe Gum.