"bubble gum" news and stories

Jason Kronenwald likes words that begin with the letter "b" - specifically, blondes and bubble gum. Combine your two passions, and what do you get?

Of course! Portraits of iconic blonde women made entirely out of chewed bubble gum. (Why...what were you thinking? Weirdo.) Kroenwald has minions of gum-chewers at his disposal, but says he prefers Trident when it comes to personal chewing. He claims that there are no paints or dyes used, and that "the mixing of color takes place in the mouth during chewing." Hmm...so kinda like Willy Wonka, then?

Here are a bunch, from Marilyn to Britney.

Creative or cheap? You decide.

via [epi-log]

You remember: she's the chewing gum fanatic in Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory who broke a world record by chewing one stick of gum for three months straight. And we're guaranteed that Maurizio Savini would be her hero.

Savini's chewing gum sculptures have getting a ton of press lately, probably less for artistic merit and more for pure gawking value. For the record, all of the gum he uses is un-chewed, and according to a bio on nonprofit art foundation Pastificio Cerere's site, Savini chose gum as a medium for its barrage on our senses and because it reminds him of childhood.

Check out more of his sculptures here, and then give us your opinion.

Bubble Yum bubble gum has a new flavor coming out starting in early December 2006, Hershey's Chocolate flavored Bubble Yum. This brings the flavors up to 16 for the first soft bubble gum, which was first released by Lifesavers back in 1975. I remember buying my first pack and being able to blow huge bubbles. Then having to get my mom to freeze, cut, and pry the gum out of my hair and eyebrows. Man was that fun, especially when she accidentally clipped my ear and I bled like a stuck pig.

Sales were pretty big back then, especially in the NY area, and Bubble Yum was the gum to chew. Then in 1977 rumors flew about how there were spiders eggs in the gum and sales plummeted. So the company took out full page rebuttals in the NY times and dozens of other newspapers across the country. Well, I guess sales rebounded and now it's one of the best selling bubble gums with several imitators. So much so that Hershey's bought the brand in 2000 and of course Hershey's Chocolate flavor Bubble Yum was a sure bet. Thinking back I seem to remember some other soft chocolate bubble gum that I tried as a kid but I can't just can't pin down the details. Maybe Bubbilicious made a chocolate flavor?

I'm not quite sure why this list is up at ESPN, though it's part of their Page 2 and pretty much anything goes there.

They want to know what your favorite Halloween candies are. Are you a chocolate person, or do you like things like Twizzlers and Air Heads? For the record, I checked off Almond Joy, Dots, Goobers, Heath Bar, Hershey Bar, Hershey Kisses, M&Ms, Milk Duds, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and Riesens.

Of course, this does have a sports twist to it: check out the Candy Bracket, various candies and candy bars going up against each other like it's March Madness. Call it Fall Madness. The candies are separated into four categories: Classic, Convenience, Movie Theater, and Trick or Treat.

The Wrigley gum company is on a mission to prove that gum is not something to be chewed for fun and to annoy teachers. After years of the underappreciation of the value of its products, the company has turned to science for some answers. The Wrigley Science Institute was founded to discover whether gum can actually aid in weight management, stress relief, or in boosting concentration, all claims that have been made and passed along by gum chewers over the years. If the Science Institute can find sufficient evidence, the company can then claim the health benefits of the product on the products' packaging or in ads.

Just think back to all the elemantary school teachers who told you not to chew gum in class. If the Wrigley Science Institute is right about some of their theories, those same teachers could be passing out sticks of gum before tests!

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