National Bubble Gum Day Date in the current year: February 2, 2024

Bubble gum (also spelled bubblegum) is a type of chewing gum that can be inflated out of the mouth in the form of a bubble. Modern chewing gum was created in the mid-19th century, but it took more than six decades to create inflatable chewing gum that we know as bubble gum. Modern bubble gum was invented by Walter Diemer, an accountant from Philadelphia, in 1928.

The first attempt to produce bubble gum was made by the gum and candy company Fleer in 1906. It wasn’t successful though; the gum, named Blibber-Blubber, was too brittle and sticky to be marketed. Twenty years later, Diemer was working for Fleer as an accountant but liked to experiment with gum formulations during his spare time. He accidentally improved the Blibber-Blubber recipe, creating a bubble gum base that was stretchier and less sticky than Fleer’s first attempt at bubble gum. It led to the creation of Dubble Bubble, the world’s first bubble successful gum.

Interestingly, the signature pink color of bubble gum is also accidental. The only food coloring available at the Fleer factory was pink, so Diemer just went with it. Later, bubble gum producers around the world accepted it as the standard. Bubble gum usually has a fruity flavor produced by mixing various flavorings.

Ruth Spiro, the author of the bestselling book series Baby Love Science, created National Bubble Gum Day in 2006 because she thought that the world needed a day focused on education and philanthropy but in a fun way, and what is more fun than bubble gum? We also suspect that Spiro wanted to pay tribute to her debut picture book titled Lester Fizz, Bubble-Gum Artist.

Ruth Spiro envisioned National Bubble Gum Day as a way for kids to raise money without having to sell stuff to family members, neighbors and friends. On the first Friday of February, children can donate two quarters to “buy” the privilege of chewing bubble gum in class. The money is used to fund school activities or donated to a charity. This way, children get to have some fun in class by breaking the “no-gum” rule and at the same time learn about the importance of charity, being generous and giving back to the community.

The celebration of National Bubble Gum Day isn’t limited to educational institutions. Community centers, libraries, and other organizations, institutions and businesses can hold National Bubble Gum Day events to support various charities. If there are no events near you, you can organize an event of your own or simply donate to a charity and reward yourself with delicious bubble gum.

Other ways to celebrate include learning interesting facts about bubble gum, sharing some bubble gum with friends, family members or coworkers, holding a friendly bubble-blowing contest, and spreading the word about the holiday on social media with the hashtags #NationalBubbleGumDay and #BubbleGumDay.