Favourite brands of bubble gum!

[CreepysFan]

It clearly predates Zip codes so it appeared no later than 1963. I'm guessing it could have appeared in Boy's Life magazine.

   

  The ad is from this 1952 Archie comic, Suzie # 85.

   

[Zombiology]

The ad is from this 1952 Archie comic, Suzie # 85.

OMG!  I remember that issue!!

[CreepysFan]

   

Great issue, most of my comics are the early Teen scene variety.

[CreepysFan]

   

  This was pretty popular in the early seventies.  Fruity taste, but not great for bubbles.

   

[Hepcat]

Here are a couple more Dubble Bubble ads:





They were evidently drawn by Ray Thompson, an oldtime cartoonist who went into advertising. These ads appeared in not just Archie comics but in DC and other comics.

[Sean]

The other penny gum slabs that most commonly competed with Dubble Bubble for kids' coppers in the early sixties were Bazooka. They looked like this:



The gum was wrapped in comics that featured the adventures of Bazooka Joe:



I have not.  I remember rock hard slabs of original, cherry and grape when I was a kid, though.

I've not seen it sold at candy counters in my neck of the woods for twenty years or more but I take it that in the States it's now sold in little buckets:





Has anyone seen the little slabs of Bazooka lately?

[Hepcat]

I have not.  I remember rock hard slabs of original, cherry and grape when I was a kid, though.

Like in the pictures above? Where was this? What years? The only kind of Bazooka gum I've ever seen sold in the little slabs was the original but it was just called Bazooka.

[Sean]

Like in the pictures above? Where was this? What years? The only kind of Bazooka gum I've ever seen sold in the little slabs was the original but it was just called bazooka.

They looked like the top pic you have of the slab.  We used to sneak up to a soda shoppe called Heidi's that was on the highway.  Circa 1973-74ish.  They were a penny apiece maybe 2 pennies.

[Sean]

From Wiki:

The Topps company expanded the flavors, making them Original, Strawberry Shake, Cherry Berry, Watermelon Whirl, and Grape Rage. The Strawberry flavor is packaged in a pink and white wrapper and the Grape in a purple and white wrapper.

I only had access in the early/ mid-70s to Cherry, Grape and Original.

[Sean]

 

The 1970s
With the 1970s series, it's deja vu all over again as the comics are re-issued for the third time (and more, later in the decade). The 'D' designation in the code number has been dropped. The codes now start with the year of release. Another difference is most of the individual series have expanded from 42 to 45 comics and generally the numbering is now continuous from one set to the next. Throughout the decade the individual comic 'values' increase in worth towards prizes. For variation collectors, most of the sets have alternate versions to chase after.
I've extended this section into 1981 as the dividing point for good reason: the 81 series marks the last appearance of the original Bazooka Joe and his gang. Next time we see the comics, Joe has a new gang! They are completely revamped. But in the meantime ...



"Whole Number" series
#271-315
'Cherry' version

"Whole Number" series
#271-315
'Grape' version

This very unusual series seems to fit between D-10 and the 71 series. For lack of a better name, I call it the "Whole Number" series. I'm open to suggestions. The set contains 45 comics ranging from #271-315. Where did Topps pull those numbers from? It's an anomaly. All comics are reprints from earlier 'D' series. The most distinguishing feature is all comics are found in both pink and purple versions that correspond with Cherry or Grape Bazooka bubble gum.

[Hepcat]

These are the packs of Magic Colors cigarettes I remember:





Like the cigars, the cigarettes were produced by the Philadelphia Chewing Gum Company under the Swell brand name. The Hysterical Mothers of America Opposed to Just About Everything combined with the Anti-Nico Nazis to get the cigarettes banned in most places twenty or so years ago.

[Sean]

How 'bout THESE cigars!?

[Scatter]

There's a dirty joke in there somewhere.

[Zombiology]

There's a dirty joke in there somewhere.

I know what it is but I can't say it here.

[CreepysFan]

   

I remember Dad bringing me home those bubble gum cigarettes.  Can't remember how the gum tasted though.  Didn't you have to peel paper from around them ?