History
The Food That Built America Recap for The Birth of Bubblegum
This week’s episode of The Food That Built America on The History Channel is titled The Birth of Bubblegum and focuses on how the confection became one of the most popular treats of all time.
Back when gum was first becoming popular, it was either in mint flavors, or unusual ones like violet and licorice, and mostly geared towards adults.
Frank Fleer wanted to take gum to the next level. Using the rise of candy’s popularity as inspiration, he decides to create gum for kids to enjoy.
After some trial and error, he presents blibber-blubber, gum kids can play with by making bubbles…..what we now know as bubblegum. However, it gets stuck to everything and needs to
be removed with turpentine.
It doesn’t work out, so he focuses on candy until his death in 1921.
His son-in-law Gilbert Mustin takes over the company and revisits the idea of inventing bubblegum.
Accountant Walter Diemer, decides to work on it, and after some more trial and error, adds an ingredient used in latex to make the gum less sticky. They also add some color and various flavors to make it more exciting for children.
In 1928, Dubble Bubble is on the market for a penny apiece.
In Brooklyn, Joseph and Phil Shorin are working in the tobacco business with their father Morris. The business is failing, they decide to go into the gum business…..by inventing Topps gum.
The war would take a toll on the gum business since sugar was being rationed. However, the Shorin brothers decide to compete with Dubble Bubble and go into the bubble gum business rather than the regular gum business since the latter was so expensive.
The brothers realize kids love America and playing solider, so they invent Bazooka in 1947. It was bigger, more flavorful and had a comic strip inside, but sales were small. They decide to make it into a penny gum and add incentives to keep kids coming back for more. Enter baseball cards.
The competition heated up and to stay above the fold, the brothers decided to add a mascot, whom we know and love as Bazooka Joe.
This put Bazooka on the map and allowed kids to fall in love with bubble gum.
People still wanted a softer gum, so the Lifesavers company decided to get in on the action…..inventing Bubble Yum. It is now the top bubble gum in the business.
Hubba Bubba would soon follow thanks to Wrigley’s.
Todd Field is caught by Rob Nelson chewing on licorice and sees the potential for a good product for kids. The two of them get together and invent what we now know as Big League Chew…the gum that mimics chewing tobacco.
However, the flavor and color is not a hit, so it is a no-go at first at Wrigley’s. However, they love the idea, so they decide to collaborate. Wrigley’s will make the gum, but Rob will get the credit for the idea. It is released in 1980 and has several flavors, including original, apple and watermelon.
More novelty gum is invented, including Bubble Tape, squeeze gum and more…..making it a billion-dollar industry.
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