Bubblegum Alley facts for kids
Imagine an alley where the walls are completely covered in chewed bubble gum! That's exactly what you'll find at Bubblegum Alley in downtown San Luis Obispo, California. It's a famous spot known for its unique and colorful walls, created by thousands of pieces of used bubble gum left by visitors. This sticky art display is about 4.5 meters (15 feet) high and 21 meters (70 feet) long. It stretches for 20 meters in the 700 block of Higuera Street, right in the heart of San Luis Obispo.
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The Sticky History of the Alley
No one is completely sure how Bubblegum Alley first started, but there are a few fun theories! Some historians think the tradition began after World War II as a special event for students graduating from San Luis Obispo High School. Others believe it started in the late 1950s. This theory suggests it was part of a friendly rivalry between students from San Luis Obispo High School and California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly).
By the 1970s, Bubblegum Alley was already a well-known local landmark. However, not everyone loved it. Some shop owners thought the gum-covered walls were messy and wanted them cleaned. Because of these concerns, the alley was completely cleaned twice during the 1970s. But guess what? People quickly started adding gum to the walls again, and the sticky art returned! In 1996, a business group tried to have the alley cleaned once more, but this time, their efforts were not successful. The gum wall remained, and it has been growing ever since.
Famous Appearances and Mentions
Over the years, Bubblegum Alley has become quite famous! It has been featured on many television shows, news programs, and in newspapers all around the world. Major newspapers like The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times have written about how visitors feel about the gum wall – some find it amazing, while others think it's a bit strange! Other articles have appeared in newspapers such as the San Francisco Chronicle, the Grand Rapids Press in Michigan, the Times Union from Albany, New York, and The Guardian in the United Kingdom.
Television crews have filmed the alley for shows like The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, That's Incredible!, Real People, and "California's Gold" on PBS. MTV even featured Bubblegum Alley in its show Call to Greatness. For that episode, the crew chose the alley to film an attempt to break the world record for the largest bubblegum bubble. The show featured record holder Susan "Chewsy Suzy" Williams. At the end of the episode, it was mentioned that she blew a 610 mm (24 inch) bubble while there, though this wasn't shown on TV. Her official record bubble, blown on national TV in 1996, was 584 mm (23 inches). ABC’s Ripley's Believe It or Not! also shared a story about the alley on October 14, 1984. It was also seen on an episode of The Girls Next Door on E! and mentioned in an episode of United States of Tara.
Bubblegum Alley in Books
Bubblegum Alley has even made its way into books! In chapter seventeen of the novel Mr. Monk on the Road by Lee Goldberg, the alley is described and becomes the setting for a discovery by the character Monk. The alley is also mentioned in Megan McDonald's book from the Judy Moody series, Judy Moody: Around the World in 8 and a Half Days. More recently, in 2021, Bubblegum Alley became the main topic of a children's book called Stuck: A Bubblegum Alley Adventure.
Music Inspired by the Alley
The unique alley has also inspired musicians! The famous parody artist "Weird Al" Yankovic mentioned Bubblegum Alley in his 1978 song "Take Me Down," which was a tribute to San Luis Obispo. The band Those Darn Accordions recorded a song called "Wall of Gum" on their 1999 album Clownhead. This song tells a story about an unexpected event happening in Bubblegum Alley.
Art and Creativity on the Walls
Bubblegum Alley isn't just a collection of gum; it's also seen as a form of public art!
Professional Gum Artists
The alley has inspired professional artists, like Matthew Hoffman. On the east side of the alley, high up on the north-facing wall, you can see a giant self-portrait of Hoffman. This amazing artwork, called "Projectbubble Gum," is made entirely out of bubble gum! Creating the picture of the artist blowing a bubble required a huge amount of gum. Hoffman got help from the community to collect all the gum needed. His idea was that if people participate in their community, they will care more about it. Since many individuals chewed the gum, they felt like they were part of creating the artwork. This helps people feel a sense of responsibility and pride in their community. Even the robotics Team 1717, which is featured in the book The New Cool, is shown in the alley using neon blue gum.
Poets and the Alley
The alley has even inspired poets! One poet from Arroyo Grande, who prefers to be known only as "M," wrote a poem defending Gum Alley. This poem was published in an article by Don Pieper in the Telegram-Tribune on April 30, 1986, titled "An Ode to Gum Alley."
Images for kids
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Matthew Hoffman's self-portrait made of gum.
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A message of love for San Luis Obispo on the gum wall.
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A flower design made from bubblegum.
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Gum art with Greek letters.
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A face created with bubblegum.
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A peace sign made from bubblegum.
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A general view of the gum-covered wall.
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Close-up of colorful gum on the wall.
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A person walking through Bubblegum Alley.
See Also
