by Laurnie Wilson
A Softer Chew
These days, everyone expects bubble gum to be super soft and easy to chew. It’s basically a required property of the sugary sweet. Why else would you buy it, except for its awesome taste and super malleability? Well, believe it or not, bubble gum wasn’t always this way. In fact, the first soft bubble gum on the market caused quite an uproar. Read on as we unwrap the myth of Bubble Yum and the spider egg controversy.
Before the 1970’s, bubble gum took quite a bit of chewing in order to make it edible. But in 1976, Bubble Yum changed all of that. This gum, produced by Life Savers, was the first soft bubble gum on the market, and was an instant success! Suddenly, chewing gum was easy, fun, and delicious! Sales went so high that production of the gum could barely keep up with the demand.
A Repulsive Rumor
But as with all success stories, there are usually a few skeletons hiding somewhere in a closet. And after about a year, the choosiest demographic of consumers began to get suspicious. Somewhere around 1977, school kids started spreading rumors that Bubble Yum was so soft because spider eggs were one of the ingredients.
Sales dropped off dramatically in Chicago and New York, where analysts believe the rumors began, and soon burst onto the news around the country. How else could the gum be so soft? Everyone was begging to know the answer, and spider eggs seemed like the only way. As the confusion and disgust waged on, sales of the once uber popular treat took a nosedive.
Horrified, Bubble Yum immediately went to work, creating advertisements that read, “Somebody is Telling Very Bad Lies About A Very Good Product.” They spent $100,000 to contest the claims, using full-page ads in top publications around the country to spread the word and clear their name.
Although the scandal eventually died down and sales went back up, it was quite a sticky situation for a while, and it left a generation of gum-chewers somewhat skeptical as to the truth behind the gum. Luckily, you can rest assured, knowing that Bubble Yum is entirely spider egg free. But it sure is a great story to talk about. Now who ever said I little white lie never hurt?
Now that you know Bubble Yum is completely safe to chew, you can buy some here.
Sources:
https://www.snopes.com/horrors/food/bubbleyum.asp
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubble_Yum
https://www.minyanville.com/businessmarkets/articles/kft-HSY-cby/8/2/2009/id/23683
Images:
https://urbanlegendsonline.com/spider-eggs-make-it-chewy/
https://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2011/01/17/i-saw-it-advertised-one-day-21/
