Now That's Nifty

Tic Tacs are those tiny little mints, in the familiar hard, clear, plastic case. As a kid, they are fun to shake like a maraca, and as an adult, they provide a refreshing, breath-freshening treat. But, where did they come from? Would you believe me if I said, Nutella?

Yep, in 1969 Ferrero opened offices in New York City. They already had a yummy chocolate spread, but they wanted to introduce something new, so along came the Tic Tac. Interestingly, they were created by the founder's son during the legendary Summer of Love. Think about it, it's hard to get your love on, when your breath stinks.

This begs the question, if these are Italian, does eating them make you unpatriotic? The answer is yes, probably. Oh well, they are super tasty!

When they first came out they were referred to as (rather uninspired), "Refreshing Mints." Oh bravo, Mr. Marketing Guy. How did you come up with that? The next year they were renamed to reflect the sound they make in your pocket.

They started out with two flavors, Fresh Mint, and Orange. Ahh, Orange Tic Tacs. They make no sense as a mint; they have no right to be a mint, but it works. Plus their bright orange color is perfect for hunters who want to stay visible. Like a hunting vest in a mint.

In 1980, Tic Tac spread its way across 5 continents! That's all of them right? 1, carry the 3, divide by... Yep! That's all of them!

Since their humble beginning, Ferrero has introduced other flavors.

Here is the complete list of all 78 Tic Tac Flavors (excluding some mixes):

Alpine Mint (Germany)
Aniseed (India)
Apple Pie
Apple Treat (India)
Banana (India)
Berry
Berry Blast
Candy Cane
Carnaval (Brazil)
Cherry
Cherry Cola
Cherry Passion (combo of cherry and passionfruit flavors)
Chocolate
Cinnamon (First alternative flavor, in UK called Winter Warmer; discontinued in the U.S. in 2010)
Citrus Punch (Limited Edition triple flavor: Orange, lemon, and grapefruit)
Citrus Twist (limited edition)
Coconut and Pineapple (“Goût Coco Ananas”, 2009, France, Poland)
Cool Cherry (UK 2008)
Elaichi [Cardamom] (India)
Eucalyptus (2007 Poland and Slovakia)
Exotic Cherry
Exotic Cherry Chill
Extra Mint Cherry (Brazil)
Extra Strong
Fennel (Saunf)
Fresh Melons (Germany)
Fresh mint (Europe/US); Peppermint (Australia)
Fresh Orange
Frosty Mint
Fruit Festival (limited edition)
Fruity (Orange and Cherry 2010 World Cup Edition - England)
Grape and Lychee Twist
Grape
Green Apple
Holiday Twist
Intense Mint
Lemon Mint (Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Hong Kong and Poland)
Lime (2005)
Mandarin
Mango (2007 - Australia, France, Hong Kong, and Netherlands. Singapore, 2009)
Melon Mango
Melon Mix (Serbia 2008. Italy, United Kingdom 2009)
Mintensity (India)
Mixers - Chery, Cola
Mixers - Coconut, Pineapple
Mixers - Peach, Lemonade
Naughty or Nice Cherry
Orange
Paradise Mint
Passion Fruit (aka Maracuja - Italy, France, Netherlands, Australia, Latvia, Brazil, Belgium, Poland, United Kingdom and New Zealand, 2007)
Peach and Passion (India)
Peach Fusion
Peppermint
Piña Colada
Pink Grapefruit (Breast Cancer Awareness)
Pomegranate (2010)
Popcorn (2014)
Powermint
Raspberry
Raw Mango
Sour Apple
Spearmint (1980s; discontinued in 2010)
Sprite
Strawberry
Strawberry and Cream
Strawberry Fields
Strawberry Mix (India)
Summer Ice Pop
Tangerine
Taste Melons (“Gout Melons”, France)
Tic Tac Chill
Tropical Acerola (France; Italy, Australia, Netherlands in 2007. Latvia in 2008. Germany, Poland in 2009)
Tropical Adventure
Tropical Twist (UK - passion fruit)
Up! (flavors like Passion Fruit and Acerola, with added vitamin C, Brazil)
Watermelon (Sandia)
Wintergreen
X-Freeze Strong Mint