The colorful chewing gums in the market are a favorite of many people. After all, you can enjoy a good flavor, and the product can help tackle various issues such as bad breath. Mint bubble gums mainly offer this flexibility.
However, do you ever wonder how the bubble gum came into being? If so, you’re in the correct place. This post will help you learn all about the invention of bubble gum.
Who Invented The Bubble Gum?
Bubble gum was invented for the first time by Frank H. Fleer in 1906. He was a famous candy company owner in that era and had been making chewing gums since 1885. However, he wanted to create a unique product to beat his rivals in the industry.
So Frank created a new formula to make a gum that could be blown into bubbles. He named the new product Blibber-Blubber. However, this invention was too sticky and brittle to be sold to customers.
When Was The First Official Bubble Gum Released?
Walter Diemer, an accountant of the Fleer Chewing Gum Company, improved the formula of Blibber-Blubber in 1928. He added latex to the recipe to reduce the brittleness of the product. This is how the first official bubble gum was released.
The improved product was named Dubble Bubble by the company. Diemer also played an active role in the sales of the new product. He visited various candy shops to show salespeople how they could blow bubbles using the gum.
This allowed the salespeople to guide customers about the new feature of the bubble gum. Interestingly, Dubble Bubble was the only bubble gum on the market until 1947.
Is Chewing Gum A 20th Century Invention?
Nowadays, people interchange the term chewing gum and bubble gum because of the same appearance and features. However, that was not the case years ago. Chewing gums have been in being for more than a thousand years.
They were present during the era of ancient Greeks, North American natives, and Mayans. Older civilizations used tree saps to make chewing gums. However, the first commercial product of this invention was sold in 1848 by John Curtis.
What Is The Difference Between A Chewing Gum And Bubble Gum?
The primary difference between chewing gums and bubble gums is the ability to blow bubbles. You cannot form bubbles using a product of the former category. This is because of the lower gum base in chewing gums.
Mint is the main flavor in the chewing gum category. Meanwhile, you can enjoy an extensive range of flavors in bubble gum. The former is primarily used for breath freshening, whereas the latter is suitable for enjoying sweet taste.
Final Thoughts
This is all the information you require about the invention of bubble gum. Frank Fleer was the first person who had the idea of making this product. However, Walter Diemer is credited as being the bubble gum inventor.
He improved Blibber-Blubber and turned it into a new product that could be sold on the market. Meanwhile, Fleer Chewing Gum Company was the first business that sold bubble gums.