5 Jewish Things About Skittles That Donald Trump Jr. May Not Know
Skittles Image by Wrigley Company
In one of the uglier moments of the current political season, Donald Trump Jr. tweeted out an image comparing Syrian refugees to a handful of poisoned Skittles.
Condemnation has been pretty much universal on this one. So, we thought we’d take a moment to reclaim the innocence of Skittles and delve into some of the lesser-known highlights in its illustrious Jewish history. Here are five facts you probably didn’t know about the 42-year-old fruit-flavored candy.
1) One Zelda Rubinstein, perhaps best known best for her role as a clairvoyant in the Steven Spielberg film “Poltergeist” was also for many years the voice over for Skittles commercials.
2) Chicago-born film producer Mark Damon, who changed his name from Alan Harris, executive produced the notorious Golden Raspberry award-winning 1988 film “Mac and Me.” The film is probably best known today for its blatant use of product placement — the titular alien “Mac” eats only Skittles.
3) If you travel to Durham, North Carolina, and find yourself at Duke University’s Rare Book and Manuscript Library donated by Jewish philanthropist and Carlyle Group co-founder David M. Rubenstein, check out the D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles archives. DMB & B created the Skittles “Taste the Rainbow” jingle, though some of us might prefer Skittles’ original 1974 jingle.
4) Jewish sportscaster Roy Firestone makes a cameo appearance in “Bart Star,” a 1997 episode of “The Simpsons” in which Homer visits the Kwik-E Mart and asks the proprietor Apu for Skittelbrau, a new variety of beer with candy floating in it.
5) Although the Skittles sold in Israel are Kosher, several campaigns have been launched to make Skittles kosher in an America as well.
Pro Tip for the Trump Campaign: Enjoy Skittles whenever you can. Don’t compare them to refugees. As Wrigley’s VP of Corporate Affairs succinctly put it, “Skittles are candy. Refugees are people.”
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