They still sell this stuff...Bazooka Joe

The gum in which this micro comic strip was wrapped around, was the treat of my childhood.

The pink substance we thought was bubble gum was hard to chew, lost it's flavor in a few masticating milliseconds, and probably contained more chemicals to make it taste sugary, than it did of actual sugar.

However since my brother and I didn't get sweets of any kind very often, nor did we even get real potato chips, pop, Little Debbie or Hostess treats in our 5-day a week lunch boxes, Bazooka Joe was the one treat we were given access to on a semi-regular basis, courtesy of our friendly neighborhood barbershop.

Imagine my surprise when C came up to me while making the rounds at our small town's Dollar General store (not to be confused with Dollar Tree, Dollar Store, $.99 Store, Family Dollar or Hollar Dollar -- okay, I made that last one up) with a multi-pack of the treat of my youth, and asked me if she could bring it home to "share" with her little sister (note, as of late, whenever my 8-year old wants something of questionable price and sugar content, turning it into a "shared" item makes it all the more appealing in her mind...clever girl).

I being the sucker for retro items from my youth, immediately grabbed it from her and thoroughly examined it for authenticity, aroma, and expiration date. We were at Dollar General after all.

Knowing that she had scored a major coup in finding a sweet consumable that both she and I were now jonesing for, my daughter covertly produced a second package from out of thin air with all the flair of David Copperfield and announced that she had procured another one for Mommy to share in.

There's that share word again.

Little did C realize that to consume the chewy pink bubble producing substance, she would have to endure me droning on and on and on about how Bazooka Joe bubble gum was a minor, yet important component in the happiness of my childhood and why the miniature comic printed on wax paper and carefully wrapped around each individual wad of gum was akin to the greatest fortune cookie fortune ever given.

Had she known there would be endless reminiscing and multiple tellings of Bazooka Joe tales, I think she would have gone for some Bubble Yum instead.

Oh wait, remember the rumor about spider eggs encased in the pioneering soft and chewy Bubble Yum...now that's a story. It all started back in 7th grade...

Go here and hit the History link for a quick trip down memory lane.

Note to readers post-bazookajoe.com visit...yeah, I know..."Tha Heights" are embarrassing, in a Katie-Couric-using-the-word-"bling" kinda way. But I chalk it up to just another bunch of adults trying to market to kids and failing, and hope they'll figure out that the old market for this stuff is a much more viable target for their advertising dollars.