Fox’s Glacier Mints

Making a Mint 

Leicester grocer Walter Richard Fox founded Fox’s Confectionery in 1880. By 1897 the firm produced over one hundred different lines in its factory at 40 York Road, next to the Three Cups Pub. Walter’s son Eric joined the company in 1914, just before it moved to new premises at 46 Oxford Road. Eric married Eva Icke in 1915. It’s said that the first batch of Fox’s mints were made in the kitchen of their home in Aylestone Road in 1918. Evidence suggests that Eric bought the unique recipe from the widow of Arthur Wilford, a Leicester market trader who sold sweets. Originally called Acme Clear Mint Fingers, their name was changed to Fox’s Glacier Mints in 1919 because Eva thought this was better for sweets which looked like “little glaciers”. This new name was also easier to advertise. 

Advert for Fox’s Glacier Mints

Peppy the Polar Bear 

About 1921, Eric Fox held a staff competition to create a logo. The winning idea of a polar bear standing on a mint was first drawn by Leicester artist Clarence Reginald Dalby, who later illustrated the early Thomas the Tank Engine books. Christened Peppy, for peppermint, this iconic logo was first used in 1922. The company also started using a number of stuffed polar bears for advertising, taking various Peppys to public events like football matches and festivals. This stopped in 1969 when Fox’s was taken over by Rowntree’s, who thought that using real stuffed animals was no longer appropriate. Instead a cartoon polar bear and fox were created for TV.  

Peppy the Polar Bear previously displayed at Leicester Museum and Art Gallery

Sweet Memories 

In 2003, one of the original stuffed Peppy's was found in an old factory storeroom. This Peppy was donated to Leicester Museums & Galleries, where it is kept today. Although the Leicester factory closed in 2019, many local people still remember the smell of mints on Oxford Street.