Bazooka Bubble Gum is the classic bubble gum with a Bazooka Joe comic inside the wrapper. The Topps Company developed its Bazooka Bubble Gum product in Brooklyn, New York after the end of World War II. It was named after the humorous musical instrument which entertainer Bob Burns had fashioned from two gas pipes and a funnel in the 1930s. (This contraption also gave its name to the armor-piercing weapon developed during the War.)
Bazooka, with its distinctive name, taste, and red, white and blue logo and packaging, soon became a familiar part of Americana. As a matter of fact, a psychological study of tastes and smells that bring back memories found that one of the most frequently identified items was Bazooka Bubble Gum.
 I cannot remember a time when I did not love Bazooka Bubble Gum. I once bought some very expensive shampoo at a salon just because it smelled like bubble gum! When I was a kid there was a little luncheonette right next door to our church. They had a big candy counter and every Sunday between Sunday School and Church I would buy a piece of Bazooka for 1 penny. Of course, I wasn't allowed to chew it during the church service (but I tried). The love affair continued as I got older. My first full-time "real" job after college was in a hospital laboratory in NJ. The gift shop at the hospital sold Bazooka by the piece - I think it was 5 cents. Every day after lunch I would drag my co-workers to the gift shop so I could get my Bazooka fix. This went on for several years. When I left that job to move to PA they gave me a big jar filled with Bazooka as a going-away gift. They thought I wouldn't be able to find Bazooka in PA! I'm happy to say that they were wrong. Twenty five years later I am still buying Bazooka and enjoying it. ~ Lynne from Pennsylvania |
