Background
Dubble Bubble is the OG! It is:
- The first successful bubble gum (circa 1928).
- The invention of an accountant, of all people.
- The redemption story of a failed gum.
We could write a book about Dubble Bubble, and maybe we will one day, but for now, we’ll limit ourselves to the Top 10 Most Interesting Things to Know About Dubble Bubble.
#10 - Dubble Bubble Wasn't Always Pink
The winning batch of Dubble Bubble took months of trial and error, until a final 300-pound batch was created that worked like a charm. At the last minute, Walter Diemer (the inventor) realized he forgot to add some color. The only coloring available was pink, so he threw it in and the iconic pink hue was established, which then became the standard color for bubble gum in general.
Can you imagine green or blue or yellow or something else being the “normal” color of bubble gum instead? Yeah, me neither. I’m glad it was pink that Mr. Diemer had on hand.
#9 - The Inventor was an Accountant
There aren’t a ton of super famous accountants. There’s Luca Pacioli, the “father of accounting.” There’s the Ernst brothers, the Rockerfeller guy, and Frank Wilson who brought Al Capone down. I guess Mick Jagger and Bob Newhart are pretty famous, but they were famous despite being former accountants.
For our money, Walter Diemer is the most legendary accountant of all time! He cracked the code on Bubble Gum, inventing a whole new product category. Our bubble gum history article has more details, but here’s the short version:
- Frank Fleer tried to make bubble gum and created a thing called “Blibber Blubber” that didn’t work out.
- 22 Years pass by.
- Walter, working at Fleer in proximity to the chemist, says “hey, let me handle this, guys” and starts to play with the formulation.
- After many iterations, Walter finds a formula that works and the first successful bubble gum is born!
#8 - Dubble Bubble was Included in Military Rations During WWII
That’s how important gum was to the people of America. Thanks Dubble Bubble for doing your part to helping beat Hilter! It was a sacrifice to Fleer, which had to halt production since all the supplies were going to the war rations.
According to our sources, Dubble Bubble was included in the rations, and then handed out by US military personnel as gifts, which helps to spread the popularity of gum throughout the world.
#7 - Dubble Bubble is in the Record Books
We’ve got a whole article on the biggest bubble gum bubble ever blown. Go check it out. You know what type of gum was used to break the record? You guessed it! Chad went with the OG–3 pieces of Dubble Bubble.
#6 - Dubble Bubble is the Child of Blibber-Blubber
Dubble Bubble started from a failed attempt at bubble gum called “Blibber-Blubber,” which doesn’t really sound like something we want to put in our mouths.
#5 - It took 22 years, then 1 year, then 4 months to get it right
Blibber-Blubber didn’t work out and the invention of bubble gum waited 22 years until Walter Diemer took a shot at it. After a year of trying stuff, he stumbled on a recipe that worked! He was able to blow bubbles easily. The next morning, the batch was hard as a rock and he couldn’t figure out how to reproduce it for another 4 months! Finally, he got it! What a great example of perseverance.
#4 - Diemer was the Original World Record Bubble Blower
He might not have been anointed this official title, but he was, because he was the first one to blow bubble gum bubbles. In fact, he taught all the sales people how to do it, so they could go off and show the shop owners, who probably showed the shoppers.
#3 - Dubble Bubble has a Mascot Named "Pud"
That’s Pud and his pals right there. Pud is the roundish guy in the striped shirt. These “Fleer Funnies” were included with the gum way back in the early days.
Pud and his pals were not the original characters, however. The first crew was “Dub and Bub” — clever names! Here’s a look at one of those original comics.
There’s a great page that goes into more detail about all these comics and even shows a current version of Pud (who appears to have gone on a diet plan).
#2 - Dubble Bubble has Catchy Ad With a Delightful Song That Will Get Stuck in Your Head
See what we mean?
#1 - Dubble Bubble is Owned by the Tootsie Roll Company
Dubble Bubble was a Fleer product when it was introduced and remained that way until 1998, when Concord Confections bought the brand. They introduced variations, like the Dubble Bubble gumball, which is widely sold still. In 2003, Tootsie Roll Industries acquired Concord and thus Dubble Bubble. Hey, this bar of Dubble Bubble looks a lot like a Tootsie bar! We bet they used the same manufacturing equipment.
Do you spot Pud?!
Our Review
It’s time for our review of this iconic bubble gum. Now, we’ve heard the ingredients were changed in the 1980s, so this isn’t technically the original 1928 version of dubble bubble. Also, dubble bubble comes in several forms. In this review, we tested the classic individually twist wrapped 6.0g version.
Taste - 4.7 out of 5.0
“Bubble gum” is not only a style of gum, it’s a flavor and this gum defined that flavor. So, it’s no surprise that we really enjoyed the classic bubble gum flavor in Dubble Bubble. It’s not too strong or too weak.
Flavor Duration - 3.2 out of 5.0
In our tests, the flavor was “mostly gone” after an average of 7.8 minutes, which equates to a score of 3.2 out of 5.0. Not terrible, but not that great either. We wonder what the very original formula was like in this regard.
Texture - 4.0 out of 5.0
Dubble Bubble is on the hard side. About half of us thought it was “too hard” and the other half thought it was just right. These early bubble gums, like Dubble Bubble and Bazooka, had a reputation of being very hard. We are guessing the original 1928 formula was even harder.
Here’s one issue, however: Those big bubbles are going to pop and stick all over your face. You’ll just have to deal with that because it’s worth it.
Bubble Blowing Ability - 3.5 out of 5.0
The best bubble blower of our group was able to get a “huge” bubble out of a single serving!
For our scoring, however, we look at the average max size bubble from our group of testers. According to that, we scored bubbles between medium and large sizes: 3.5 out of 5.
Conclusion
Dubble Bubble has our highest respect. It is the George Washington of bubble gums. It was:
- The first successful and commercial bubble gum.
- The gum handed out as gifts during WWII, which popularized bubble gum around the globe.
- The gum that defined the pink color of bubble gum that is used for just about every gum.
- The gum that defined the flavor of “bubble gum.”
- The gum that was used to break the bubble gum bubble size record.
It’s a legendary gum. Go get some!
BONUS - A "double bubble" with Dubble Bubble
In celebration of Dubble Bubble, we made a video of a bubble within a bubble, created with one serving of Dubble Bubble. Can you pull this off too? If so, drop a note in the comments!