Blibber-Blubber facts for kids

Blibber-Blubber was the very first attempt at making bubble gum. It was created in 1906 by an American candy maker named Frank H. Fleer. But this early bubble gum wasn't very good! It was sticky and broke apart easily. It was so sticky, you even needed a special liquid to get it off your face if a bubble popped! Because of these problems, Blibber-Blubber was never sold in stores.

The Sticky Start of Bubble Gum

Imagine trying to chew gum that sticks everywhere and falls apart! That's what Blibber-Blubber was like. Frank H. Fleer, a candy expert, tried to make bubble gum way back in 1906. He wanted to create something fun that kids could blow bubbles with.

His first try, Blibber-Blubber, didn't quite work out. It was too brittle, meaning it broke easily. It was also super sticky and didn't hold together well. This meant it wasn't strong enough to make good bubbles. Because of these issues, Blibber-Blubber never made it to the candy shops.

How a Happy Accident Led to Real Bubble Gum

Many years later, in 1928, a man named Walter Diemer came along. He was an accountant at the same company, the Frank H. Fleer Company. Walter loved to experiment with new gum recipes in his spare time. He tried many different ideas to make bubble gum better.

One day, he was working on a new recipe. He added a special ingredient called latex. Latex is a stretchy material, like rubber. Walter later said that the amazing result was a complete accident! This new gum was much better than Blibber-Blubber. It was stretchy and strong enough to blow big, fun bubbles.

The Birth of Dubble Bubble and Its Famous Pink Color

Walter Diemer's accidental discovery led to the first successful bubble gum that was sold everywhere. It was called Dubble Bubble. This new gum was a huge hit!

You might wonder why most bubble gum is pink. Walter Diemer chose pink for Dubble Bubble because it was the only food coloring he had at the time. This simple choice made pink the official color of bubble gum. Soon, almost all other bubble gum makers started using pink too.

Thanks to Walter Diemer's improvements, especially adding latex, bubble gum became very popular. Today, you can find bubble gum in many different colors and flavors all around the world!