Jun17

bazooka.

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when we were young

bazooka gum 

was the most popular

bubble gum

hard as a rock

we loved how sugary it was

the little comics inside

reading our fortunes

we had all summer

to play games 

think up things to do

one day

my sister, my friend and i

had a contest to see who

could get the most pieces of gum in their mouth 

bazooka was really really hard to chew

it took a lot of work 

to chew it and chew it and chew it

to make it soft

to make a bubble

 our friend won the contest

 ten pieces in her mouth 

while chewing it 

she won nothing but the glory

we all had

very, very sore teeth

very sore jaws

but what a contest

so worth it!

—

Bazooka bubble gum was first marketed shortly after World War II in the U.S. by the Topps Company of Brooklyn, New York. The gum was packaged in a red, white, and blue color scheme and originally sold for one penny. Beginning in 1953, Topps changed the packaging to include small comic strips with the gum, featuring the character “Bazooka Joe”. There are over 1,535 different “Bazooka Joe” comic-strip wrappers to collect. Also on the comic strip is an offer for a Premium and a fortune.

“if summer had a flavor, it was pink bubble gum.” — Goodreads
Random Recent Comments:

“Bazooka Joe gum: It’s like chewing a mountain that someone shot a freeze ray into.” — Reddit / 30 Rock

“I think my jaws still ache from chewing all that bubble gum when I was a kid.” — Facebook 

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26 responses »

  1. Bazooka Joe gum was also sold in the UK, and I loved it because it was long-lasting, and had the small comics inside. I dread to think what damage it did to my teeth, as I had to have many fillings later.
    Best wishes, Pete.

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  4. I haven’t thought of this bubblegum in a long time. I’d forgotten about the comics, and how fun it was to have them when you unwrapped the gum. With all those pieces of gum and comics, did you ever send away for anything?

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  11. Oh the memories! I loved the five seconds or so sweetness you enjoyed with the gum before the sugar went went. 🤣 I bet these would be at least 25 cents each now with inflation! I wonder if they still make these!

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  13. you know, this is really funny. We, in Switzerland, and being rather on the v. modest side of social standing, had hardly ever a chewing gum. BUT when we discovered Bazooka, the world stopped for us. That (horribly) sweet taste, the rock hard texture, the feeling of loosing one’s skin around the teeth….. AND the little stories we didn’t really understand but made excellent English lessons (but not much sense!). Last but not least; the taste lasted just about forever – I would so love to get them again, just for nostalgic reasons!

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  16. You have stimulated a memory of the time I managed to get chewing gum stuck in my long hair when I was a junior school kid. For some reason I’m thinking it wasn’t Bazooka. Recall an irate Mum.

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  21. I’m a gum connoisseur, 🤣 and it’s still the same version all these years later. The only difference is the economics. It’s sold at our local Dollar Tree (actually, everything now costs $1.25) in small packs. Now, you get five pieces for $1.25. Inflation is running rampant in the gum market. 🤣

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