Friday, February 6, 2009

POP! SMACK! BLAM!


Today is National Bubblegum Day! This is the one day kids can chew gum in school to earn money for the charity of their choice. I don't know how long this has been going on and I don't remember my school doing this. Sounds like fun though, so I hope some schools are participating today. I've always loved bubblegum. I remember when Bubble Yum first came out. After years of chomping down on hard bubblegum like Bazooka, the softness of Bubble Yum was a real treat. I can almost hear Tracy's husband screaming right now. He's a dentist -- bless his heart.

Bubblegum was invented in 1906 by Frank Fleer, but it didn't work very good. It wasn't until 1928 that a successful gum was produced. It was called Blow Gum at first and later became known as Blo Bubble. Fleer's company kept working and created the gum known as Double Bubble, which is still available today. It's commonly believed that bubblegum is pink because that's the only color the inventor had at the time. Bubble blowing has become a big deal and there are competitions every year to see who can blow the biggest bubble. Click here to see what I mean. The largest bubble is 23 inches, blown by Susan Montgomery Williams in 1994. With the invention of gums like Bubble Yum, Bubblicious and Hubba Bubba, even a novice can blow a humongous bubble. Check out my blog here where I entered a bubblegum contest. Things got messy, not to mention hairy.

This picture here is of my girls, Nicole & Nichelle, taken in 2001. That year we had gotten a bubblegum making kit and the girls were attempting to blow bubbles with what they made. The kit worked, but the gum didn't make very good bubbles. So, if you can get your hands on some bubblegum, today is the day to do it. Click here to see another website that has a lot of fun facts on Bubblegum Day, including some kid's books featuring bubblegum. Have fun and try not to get those sticky bubbles in your hair!

13 comments:

  1. I love bubble gum. The schools could have a lot of fun with something like this! Cute picture of your girls!

    Nancy

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  2. Oh I remember when Bubble Yum came out too. There was a reason for the "Yum"

    When I was little, we used to chew the wax, like gum, that we took off the top of jellies and preserves. We were dirt-floor poor.

    'Course we ate some weird stuff too.

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  3. Vince is alright with gum.... sugar free gum that is! (It is the chewy candies that make him pull out his already thinning hair... like jelly beans, jujubes, even fruit roll ups!) I just tell him that if it weren't for those things, he would be out of business and I would never get to go on vacation! hee hee

    Prior to having my kids, I used to love bubble gum and chewed it every day. Then when I was pregnant, I was told not to chew gum because of the sucrose - glucose- whatever. And I just haven't gone back.

    But maybe in honour of the holiday I will pick up some Bubblicious!

    Tracy

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  4. I love bubblegum! Your blog reminded me I had one last piece waiting for me in my kitchen cabinet. So here I sit smacking bubbles. My favorite flavor is cotton candy. It is really hard to find around here. My kids love bubblegum. My 2 oldest are just starting to get good at blowing bubbles. Wait until I tell them there are contests.
    Erin

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  5. I do like the taste of bubble gum! My poor 6 year old is banned from gum. Every single time I cave in and let her have it, it ends up in her hair, stuck on the leather car seats, on the floor. Every time!
    So I don't have gum around much. When she was two or three, she found some and ate and swallowed 10 pieces! The doctor said not to worry luckily...

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  6. Bubble gum day? Never heard of it, but my kids will get a kick out of it.

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  7. I need to go get some bubblegum! Maybe that will put a smile on my face for awhile! :)

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  8. What a great idea. I think my kids would have loved this day. Your kids look so happy blowing bubbles for the camera Rena. Great post!

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  9. Tag, you're it!

    Hope you'll come out and play: post the 4th picture in your photo folder and explain it.

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  10. Wow! It sounds like it was so fun. I also wasn't able to experience it when I was younger. I chew gum but I can't blow it and produce a bubble out of it. Poor me! Whenever I try, I end up with a very sticky gum on my face. haha! :)

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  11. I love bubble gum! It's hard to get here so we take bunches with us in our suitcases.

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