A Puzzle That Pops

How did the bubble gum cross the road?

Well, we will have to solve the puzzle on how bubble gum came to be before we can answer this question.

How It All Began

Long, Long Ago...

• Sap and resin from trees
• John Bacon Curtis - State of Maine Pure Spruce Gum - 1848
• Adam's New York Chewing Gum - 1860
• Yucatan Gum (peppermint) - 1880
• Blibber Blubber - was too sticky - 1880

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• Sold from vending machine - 1888
• Wrigley Chewing Gum Company - 1891
• Multiple Wrigley brands 1892-1914
• Dubble Bubble - 1928

The Company

• Fleer Company candy and chewing gum
• Losing money, so something had to be changed
• Trying to make bubble gum
• Founder made Blibber Blubber, but later gave up
• Luckily, one man did not give up

The Guy

• Walter Diemer was assistant and in charge of gum mixture
• When the boss left, he dumped a bunch of ingredients
• A gum that could blow bubbles
• “‘It was an accident. I was doing something else,
• and ended up with something with bubbles’"

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• Excited, but it became hard
• Added another ingredient
• Gum that blew bubbles and did not go hard
• Named it Dubble Bubble

Selling It

• Wrapped 100 pieces and gave to a store in Philidelphia
• 1 cent, sold out within a day
• Fleer Company made more than $1.5 million from it the 1st year
• During Great Depression, people found and spent pennies
• Diemer never got a patent

How It's Made

Ingredients

• Gum base
• Sugar
• Corn Syrup
• Softener
• Flavoring/food coloring

The Process

• Mixed in different ways and temperatures
• Cooled
• Kneaded and formed to correct shape
• Five days for single batch

Why Pink?

• Most common color is pink
• Only color available for Diemer
• Color stuck

The Benefits

Staying Healthy

• Sugar free cleans plaque bacteria
• Xylitol (one type of artificial sweetener)
• -can stop cavity bacteria from growing
• Not so hungry and healthier snacks

In The Classroom

• Helps concentration and focus
• Helps grades

Artwork

• San Luis Obispo, California
• 6 foot wide statue from chewed gum

Military

• "The U.S. military had learned just how valuable chewing gum could
• be during World War I. It freshened and cleansed the mouth when
• toothbrushes were unavailable. It quenched thirst when water was scarce.
• Most importantly, it relaxed soldiers during tense moments of fighting,
• increased their morale, and kept them alert-all of which helped save lives"

The Disadvantages

Unhealthy

• TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint Disorder)
• Swallow extra air and release of stomach acids
• Lanolin
• Releases mercury from fillings
• Headaches

Why We Should Care

Bubble Gum Today

• More than 93 countries
• More than 550 factories
• Turkey has the largest number of factories
• United States has the 2nd largest number

Flavors and Forms

• Tubs, boxes, packages
• Gum balls, or individually wrapped with twisted ends
• Flavors like Blueberry, Strawberry, Lemon-Lime, Banana, Pineapple
• Pop like flavors like Cherry-Cola, Root Beer, Orange, Cherry, and Grape

Fun Facts

• Biggest bubble ever blown had a 23 in. diameter
• Swallowed gum will not stay for years, only a few days
• Singapore bans gum and gives out fines
• Burn about 11 calories an hour chewing gum

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• U.S. has sold 3.5 million miles of gum in a year
• -wrap the earth 150 times or to moon and back 7 times
• Only humans chew gum
• -monkeys chew it a little bit, then stick it to their hair

Congratulations!!

So how did the bubble gum cross the road?

It stuck to the bottom of the chicken's foot.

Quote Citations

• Diemer quote: from Walter Diemer Bubble Gum
• Military quote: from Tracking the Success of Bubble Gum

works Cited

• Refer to "LA 1920's Project - Works Cited" -Google Doc