Fun Correspondent Jim Sims writes:

Happy birthday, bubble gum! 75 years ago, a mom-and-pop store on Schenectady Street in Philadelphia, PA sold out Walter Diemer's first five-pound batch of Dubble Bubble, the world's first commercial bubble gum, in a few hours. Three quarters of a century have seen people perfect their bubble blowing skills; the Guinness World Record for largest bubble blown is 23" and over a million children aged 12 and under took part in Dubble Bubble's fourth annual National Bubble Blowing Contest this summer.

Chewing bubble gum isn't the sort of deep fun we spend hours or weeks we prepare for; it is one of the most common examples of ordinary fun I quote in Major Fun's article "Lowering the Fun Threshold". "You can raise the amount of joy in your life considerably by considering the ordinary fun, the 'Minor Fun,' and making it central to your day-to-day routine. If you can spice up a dull job with some ordinary fun by blowing a bubble or two in the background, so much the happier."

Yet bubble gum is not quite so dumb. One of the joys of play is that it can teach us to cope with the setbacks in life with a smile. If you care to try for deeper fun by raising the stakes, spend time trying to blow the biggest bubble you can, the biggest bubble you dare. You may not find it convenient to enjoy the sort of messy play which might result in a custard pie in the face, but blowing bubbles is enjoyably ever-so-slightly out of control. You never know just when the bubble will burst, or exactly what sort of mess you'll have to clear up when it does!

Want more to chew on?

See this article in the Indianapolis Star

And here's one that answers the eternal question why bubble gum is pink

And this gumly art video exploring concepts relating to Kussmaul Breathing ("air hunger") through bubble blowing

And of course this video of the Guinness World Record for the largest bubble blown

Whilst here we have documentation of Dubble Bubble's 4th Annual National Bubble Blowing Contest, and an article descrubbling a preliminary round for the aforementioned contest.

For the all-but-professional blower, here are some tips from those who have demonstrated professional prowess.

Pictures? See this and this.

And for historical reference, this past Blog o'Fun article within which (scroll down) a Bubble Gum game is poppingly described.

Labels: Major Fun