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Linda & Lisa Yokubinas (born in 1963/4) are American identical twins, best known for being the longest serving Doublemint Twins in advertising Wrigley's Doublemint Gum, in six commercials from 1985 to 1995. In their commercials, they were always dressed in green & white. Their work on these commercials not only served them financially, but also took them to places they might have only dreamed of, like Canada & Hawaii.[1] There were other famous twins in the advertising campaign such as Tia & Tamera Mowery and Jean & Liz Sagal,[1][2][3][4] but none more memorable than Linda & Lisa.

Early Life[]

Linda & Lisa were born to Joseph & Donna Yokubinas in Baltimore, Maryland. They have three other siblings: Diane, J.J., and Shawn.[5] When they were five, the family moved to Marietta, Georgia, and six years later they relocated to Chicago due to their father's job,[6] but they reside in Palatine.[7]

Career[]

As teenagers, the twins learned to dance. Their dancing led to modeling careers. They even professionally changed their last names. Linda became Linda Ryan, while Lisa became Lisa Winters.[6]

In 1981, four years before their long-running success in a successful ad campaign, they competed at the Miss Illinois-USA pageant.[8]

It was in 1985, when the girls got the call that changed their lives forever. The call from Wrigley's. They were chosen over nine other twins.[6] Their first commercial was filmed by the pool where they dressed in green bathing suits and white hats, which flew off by the wind after they started chewing the gum. Other commercials included the following: Visiting an outdoor Aquarium where two dolphins threw balls at them; having their pictures taken by the sea in Hawaii; and ice skating in Canada.

At one time in 1986, they were called upon by Mark Goodson Productions do to a pilot for a new CBS game show called On a Roll; a show that combined elements of Wheel of Fortune, the puzzle era of Password (in other words, Password Plus & Super Password) and High Rollers. The show ultimately never made to series.

Anxiety & Threatened Relationship[]

Like many others, the twins realize that with fame comes complications, and this was a major one. Long after making the commercials and after they stopped airing, Linda & Lisa lived apart in Atlanta.[9] Linda was feeling very jealous of her sister Lisa. Competitiveness and anxieties took a toll on her mental health. It was so bad that Linda almost never wanted to see or speak to her sister Lisa again. Lisa meanwhile, knew something was wrong with Linda and couldn't bear to watch her be this low, even at her lowest. So to help Linda combat her deep depression, Lisa started sitting down and spoke with her sister, building bridges, working out differences, etcetera, etcetera. Since then their love for each other and their bonds are strong again.[10][11]

Personal Life[]

While their career was still in their infancy, Linda met fashion photographer David Puffer. They got married in 1983.[6] Today, now known as Lisa Ryan-Puffers, she and her husband are interior designers. Linda has since worked with Bassett furniture.[12] Linda has a book in the works; working title: It’s Going to be OK: Moments from My Life[6][11]

Lisa, now known as Lisa Winters-Cox or LA Winters for short, is married as well and is still active in the entertainment industry. She's also an artist and certified yoga instructor. For links to her socials and official website: click here.

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