Buzz
Bubblegum holds a special place in many memories, from the frustration of getting it tangled in your hair—requiring the classic mayonnaise remedy—to the thrill of competing with friends to blow the largest bubble. Despite its iconic status, bubblegum is surprisingly enigmatic when you pause to consider its origins. Have you ever questioned why it’s almost always pink or what exactly its flavor represents? Let’s dive in.
The Evolution of Bubblegum Through History
For millennia, people have chewed chicle, a natural tree-derived gum. The commercial chewing gum industry took off in the U.S. in 1848 and saw continuous innovation in the years that followed.
The tale of bubblegum starts in 1928 when Walter Diemer, a 24-year-old accountant at the Fleer Chewing Gum Company, began experimenting with gum recipes in his free time.
After mixing the right ingredients, he stumbled upon a stretchy, pliable material that allowed people to blow bubbles—a first for any gum. However, there was a major issue: the gum was an unappealing gray, and Diemer knew kids wouldn’t be interested in chewing something so dull.
Diemer didn’t intentionally aim for pink. He simply used the red dye available at the factory, which turned the gray gum into the vibrant pink treat we recognize today. This shade became so iconic that it’s now inseparable from bubblegum, even though it’s sold in countless colors today.
What exactly is bubblegum’s flavor?
Bubblegum’s flavor is similar to blue raspberry—it’s entirely artificial but instantly recognizable. While it now comes in many specific flavors, traditional bubblegum is a blend of fruity notes, often described as a combination of strawberry, banana, and cherry, or even a “strawberry-banana-punch-mix.”
Diemer also played a key role in crafting bubblegum’s iconic flavor. Aiming to create a taste that would delight kids while maintaining the gum’s bubble-blowing properties, he developed the distinct fruity-sweet profile we associate with bubblegum today—a flavor that’s universally familiar yet hard to pin down.
