Sunday, April 02, 2006
Chew this up and spit it out
Yet another American icon is attempting an international comeback: Bazooka brand bubble gum. The gum, manufactured by The Topps Company, has been a staple in kids’ mouths since 1947. The brand is best known for the “Bazooka Joe” comic strip that comes wrapped around every piece.
To get its brand ready to duke it out with Wrigley, Hubba Bubba, Double Bubble, Bubblicious and others in the marketplace, Topps decided is was time for Bazooka Joe to be joined by a new, more diverse gang of comic strip characters. So now there’s a tomboy, an environmentalist, an Asian DJ, an African-American “awkward guy,” and a German exchange student. When I was a kid, I never once thought about the characters’ personalities or what the characters stood for; they stood for nothing. I guess things have changed.
As reported in Brand Republic, Paul Cherrie, managing director of The Topps Company, said: "Bazooka is an American icon, a world icon for that matter. We've improved the product and are introducing new Bazooka bubblegum products and packaging in the coming months -- a whole comprehensive marketing program -- and putting a concerted effort behind its revival."
Bazooka itself is now available in a wide variety of flavors and forms, including Original, Grape flavors, as well as Sugarless Bazooka. Bazooka Blasts, with "Super Flavor Crystals," provides longer lasting, more intense flavor.
I don’t know about you, but I could never learn to blow a proper bubble. I just chew until the sugar and flavor are gone, then spit the wad out.
