GaryMrMets
10-16-2003, 03:14 PM
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/sfl-libubblegumoct16,0,4938398.story?coll=sfla-home-dots-right-utility
The big blow-up
We've been chewing and popping bubble gum for 75 years
By Margo Harakas
Staff Writer
Posted October 16 2003
Dubble Bubble is 75, and Bazooka is 56. But other than their obviously different shapes -- one's roundish, the other's slim and rectangular -- they're indistinguishable. They share the same powdery pink pallor, the same bubble-ocity, the same capacity for sticky fun and trouble, and most of all, the same sweet, unique aroma.
Close your eyes, take a whiff, and instantly you recognize -- bubble gum.
For three generations, this page-sticking, hair-snarling, sole-gumming, face-smearing, desk-marring, snap, pop, slurp concoction has fascinated the kids among us.
And all because an accountant, not content with juggling numbers, started juggling ingredients as well.
In 1928, Walter Diemer, accountant for a Philadelphia chewing gum company called Fleer, was messing around, trying to come up with a new more elastic, less sticky bubble-producing chew when he hit upon a formula that shortly would be dubbed Dubble Bubble.
Like the repetitive Bs, the well-masticated gob burst from the mouth into slick, wet, lip-kissing bubbles.
Success was instantaneous. The first five-pound block sold out within hours for a penny a pinch. A new rite of childhood (as well as the concept of food as plaything) was born.
Now owned by Concord Confections, Dubble Bubble this year celebrates the 75th anniversary of Diemer's gummy achievement. At the same time, rival Bazooka Bubble Gum, creation of Topps Confections, marks the 50th birthday of its signature character Bazooka Joe.
Were Diemer around for the festivities, he would undoubtedly be awed by the jaw-breaking numbers engendered by his modest invention: 444 pieces of bubble gum chewed in North America every second, 1.6 million pieces every hour, 40 million pieces a day. He'd especially be impressed with revenue figures for his gooey mouthful, half a billion dollars annually for Dubble Bubble and its imitators, just in North America.
In the early years, twist-wrapped DB was more or less the whole chew, pushing ahead with other innovations such as coupling baseball cards with gum in 1930 and introducing square-wrapped pieces in '37. Not until '47, when Bazooka burst onto the scene with its own comic-wrapped wad, was there real competition. Six years later, Topps introduced Bazooka Joe, the wisecracking kid with an eye patch and an attitude. The brainchild of Woody Gelman and Ben Solomon, who worked on the first animated versions of Popeye and Superman, Joe was Bazooka's answer to Dubble Bubble's comic character, Pud.
Originally, Joe wore rolled-up jeans, nondescript shoes and a baseball cap with the bill pointed forward. His latest makeover in 1996, by Craig Yoe, former creative director for Jim Henson's puppets, has him decked out in baggy jeans, still an eye patch, and a cap with the bill turned backward.
Joe is renowned for such pithy sayings as:
A penny for your thoughts, but I expect change.
It's time to make an important change. Start with your socks.
A penny saved makes cents.
If at first you don't succeed, you're doing it wrong.
DB's Pud, while adorable and tongue-in-cheek, is admittedly less flamboyant. As Paul Cherrie, senior vice president of worldwide sales and marketing for Concord Confections, puts it, "Pud is known for his personality rather than trademark lines."
Both Pud and Joe are guys' guys. Not surprising since the biggest consumers of bubble gum are boys. Boys account for about 65 percent of the market, says Cherrie. But while boys have the numbers, the girls have the titles.
"Our last three crowned champions have been girls," says Cherrie, whose company, in conjunction with Wal-Mart, has sponsored for the past four years the Dubble Bubble National Bubble Blowing Contest.
This year's winner was Aina-Soe Cambridge, of Chicago, who took the title with a 14-inch bubble. Last year's winner was Britney Radford, of Tulsa, who captured the honors with a 13-incher, the same sized airy creation that made Anna Hansen, a 10-year-old from Cape Coral, the 2001 victor.
Interestingly, Floridians are particularly adept when it comes to crafting super-sized bubbles. Two of the four national champs hailed from the Sunshine State. In 2000, Adam Feagley, a 9-year-old from Hudson, slam-dunked the competition with a whopping 17-inch bubble.
That's a lot of hot air and gooey mass, for sure, but it's not the record. According to The Guinness Book of Records online, the biggest bubble gum bubble ever recorded was a 23-inch globe blown by Susan Montgomery Williams of Fresno, Calif., in 1994. Williams described herself at the time as a 20-year veteran of bubble blowing.
For most aficionados, however, chewing is a pastime, not a competitive sport. A pastime whose invention, at least some believe, is worthy of celebration.
On Oct. 25, Dubble Bubble will be honored at a bash at the trendy Dylan's Candy Bar, owned by Ralph Lauren's daughter and located in Manhattan. It just so happens, Bazooka Joe's party is scheduled for the same day, the same city. Site of his celebration, which will include a Wise-Cracking Kid contest, is Caroline's Comedy Club. The jokes will be G-rated.
If all that's not enough to prove the old wad still has buzz, there's the new Matt Damon movie, Stuck on You. Dubble Bubble, it's rumored, has a pivotal role in the film, scheduled for release Dec. 12. So what if the gum doesn't get billing. It's a nice tribute on the 75th anniversary of the sticky stuff.
Margo Harakas can be reached at mharakas@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4728.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/media/photo/2003-10/9815977.jpg
BAZOOKA JOE SAYS
On Ambition: The early bird gets the worm. Some reward!
On Carcinogens: Smoking is like dieting -- the more you do it, the
more you lose.
On Clumsiness: Don't jump to conclusions -- you may fall flat on
your face.
On Meat-Eating: Mary had a little lamb -- and a side order of fries.
On Dependency: You can count on others, but it's better to use your fingers and toes.
On Scapegoats: You are a very responsible person. When somethng goes wrong, people always think you're responsible.
On Hygiene: It's time to make an important change. Start with your socks.
On Greed: Money is the root of all evil. Who wants to be good anyway?
On Humor: He who laughs last obviously didn't get the joke.
On Relationships: If you don't have anything good to say about
someone, you're not thinking hard enough.
On Failure: If at first you don't succeed, you're doing it wrong.
The big blow-up
We've been chewing and popping bubble gum for 75 years
By Margo Harakas
Staff Writer
Posted October 16 2003
Dubble Bubble is 75, and Bazooka is 56. But other than their obviously different shapes -- one's roundish, the other's slim and rectangular -- they're indistinguishable. They share the same powdery pink pallor, the same bubble-ocity, the same capacity for sticky fun and trouble, and most of all, the same sweet, unique aroma.
Close your eyes, take a whiff, and instantly you recognize -- bubble gum.
For three generations, this page-sticking, hair-snarling, sole-gumming, face-smearing, desk-marring, snap, pop, slurp concoction has fascinated the kids among us.
And all because an accountant, not content with juggling numbers, started juggling ingredients as well.
In 1928, Walter Diemer, accountant for a Philadelphia chewing gum company called Fleer, was messing around, trying to come up with a new more elastic, less sticky bubble-producing chew when he hit upon a formula that shortly would be dubbed Dubble Bubble.
Like the repetitive Bs, the well-masticated gob burst from the mouth into slick, wet, lip-kissing bubbles.
Success was instantaneous. The first five-pound block sold out within hours for a penny a pinch. A new rite of childhood (as well as the concept of food as plaything) was born.
Now owned by Concord Confections, Dubble Bubble this year celebrates the 75th anniversary of Diemer's gummy achievement. At the same time, rival Bazooka Bubble Gum, creation of Topps Confections, marks the 50th birthday of its signature character Bazooka Joe.
Were Diemer around for the festivities, he would undoubtedly be awed by the jaw-breaking numbers engendered by his modest invention: 444 pieces of bubble gum chewed in North America every second, 1.6 million pieces every hour, 40 million pieces a day. He'd especially be impressed with revenue figures for his gooey mouthful, half a billion dollars annually for Dubble Bubble and its imitators, just in North America.
In the early years, twist-wrapped DB was more or less the whole chew, pushing ahead with other innovations such as coupling baseball cards with gum in 1930 and introducing square-wrapped pieces in '37. Not until '47, when Bazooka burst onto the scene with its own comic-wrapped wad, was there real competition. Six years later, Topps introduced Bazooka Joe, the wisecracking kid with an eye patch and an attitude. The brainchild of Woody Gelman and Ben Solomon, who worked on the first animated versions of Popeye and Superman, Joe was Bazooka's answer to Dubble Bubble's comic character, Pud.
Originally, Joe wore rolled-up jeans, nondescript shoes and a baseball cap with the bill pointed forward. His latest makeover in 1996, by Craig Yoe, former creative director for Jim Henson's puppets, has him decked out in baggy jeans, still an eye patch, and a cap with the bill turned backward.
Joe is renowned for such pithy sayings as:
A penny for your thoughts, but I expect change.
It's time to make an important change. Start with your socks.
A penny saved makes cents.
If at first you don't succeed, you're doing it wrong.
DB's Pud, while adorable and tongue-in-cheek, is admittedly less flamboyant. As Paul Cherrie, senior vice president of worldwide sales and marketing for Concord Confections, puts it, "Pud is known for his personality rather than trademark lines."
Both Pud and Joe are guys' guys. Not surprising since the biggest consumers of bubble gum are boys. Boys account for about 65 percent of the market, says Cherrie. But while boys have the numbers, the girls have the titles.
"Our last three crowned champions have been girls," says Cherrie, whose company, in conjunction with Wal-Mart, has sponsored for the past four years the Dubble Bubble National Bubble Blowing Contest.
This year's winner was Aina-Soe Cambridge, of Chicago, who took the title with a 14-inch bubble. Last year's winner was Britney Radford, of Tulsa, who captured the honors with a 13-incher, the same sized airy creation that made Anna Hansen, a 10-year-old from Cape Coral, the 2001 victor.
Interestingly, Floridians are particularly adept when it comes to crafting super-sized bubbles. Two of the four national champs hailed from the Sunshine State. In 2000, Adam Feagley, a 9-year-old from Hudson, slam-dunked the competition with a whopping 17-inch bubble.
That's a lot of hot air and gooey mass, for sure, but it's not the record. According to The Guinness Book of Records online, the biggest bubble gum bubble ever recorded was a 23-inch globe blown by Susan Montgomery Williams of Fresno, Calif., in 1994. Williams described herself at the time as a 20-year veteran of bubble blowing.
For most aficionados, however, chewing is a pastime, not a competitive sport. A pastime whose invention, at least some believe, is worthy of celebration.
On Oct. 25, Dubble Bubble will be honored at a bash at the trendy Dylan's Candy Bar, owned by Ralph Lauren's daughter and located in Manhattan. It just so happens, Bazooka Joe's party is scheduled for the same day, the same city. Site of his celebration, which will include a Wise-Cracking Kid contest, is Caroline's Comedy Club. The jokes will be G-rated.
If all that's not enough to prove the old wad still has buzz, there's the new Matt Damon movie, Stuck on You. Dubble Bubble, it's rumored, has a pivotal role in the film, scheduled for release Dec. 12. So what if the gum doesn't get billing. It's a nice tribute on the 75th anniversary of the sticky stuff.
Margo Harakas can be reached at mharakas@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4728.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/media/photo/2003-10/9815977.jpg
BAZOOKA JOE SAYS
On Ambition: The early bird gets the worm. Some reward!
On Carcinogens: Smoking is like dieting -- the more you do it, the
more you lose.
On Clumsiness: Don't jump to conclusions -- you may fall flat on
your face.
On Meat-Eating: Mary had a little lamb -- and a side order of fries.
On Dependency: You can count on others, but it's better to use your fingers and toes.
On Scapegoats: You are a very responsible person. When somethng goes wrong, people always think you're responsible.
On Hygiene: It's time to make an important change. Start with your socks.
On Greed: Money is the root of all evil. Who wants to be good anyway?
On Humor: He who laughs last obviously didn't get the joke.
On Relationships: If you don't have anything good to say about
someone, you're not thinking hard enough.
On Failure: If at first you don't succeed, you're doing it wrong.