Bubble Gum Legend: How Bazooka Sustains Sweet Success Through Nostalgia
Since its inception in 1947, Bazooka bubble gum has remained a bestseller 76 years later, thanks to its classic formula and iconic comics. This article explores how it maintains a unique position in the fiercely competitive candy industry through nostalgia strategies, brand innovation, and market adaptation.
In 1947, Topps created a bright pink square bubble gum that was initially hard to chew, with a sweet aroma and a rich flavor of fruit and marshmallow. Years later, the company added the now-iconic comics to the packaging, featuring Bazooka Joe and his gang.
Today, 76 years later, consumers are still chewing these Bazooka bubble gum squares and sticks that are hard at first and then soften. Although the candy landscape and consumer trends have changed dramatically over the past three generations, Original Bazooka Bubble Gum has remained consistent.
Rebecca Silberfarb, Vice President of Marketing for the Americas at Bazooka Candy Brands, said Bazooka has successfully maintained its iconic status over the decades.
"What people knew it as 75 years ago or during their childhood is still the core of the brand today," she said. "We are a brand that brings 'edible entertainment,' which is what we call it internally."
Today's kids—and former kids—open the red, white, and blue packaging, read the comics, chew the gum until it softens, and then try to blow bubbles, Silberfarb said. The original recipe of the gum remains unchanged, the packaging is similar to decades ago, and Bazooka Joe with his eye patch and his gang still bring smiles with their corny jokes and sometimes puzzling predictions (like "You might want to wash your old sneakers").
At the corporate level, Bazooka has undergone many changes. Bazooka was founded by Topps, which later transformed into a well-known trading card company. Topps' candy division was renamed Bazooka Candy Brands in 2009. Over the years, the company added brands like Ring Pop (its top-selling product) and Push Pop. Silberfarb said Bazooka is actually one of the smaller brands in the company.
Although newer brands better align with specific trends among younger candy consumers, Silberfarb said the company continually works to keep Bazooka trendy. They have tried adding graffiti-style designs to the packaging, placing puzzles instead of comics inside, putting the brand and Bazooka Joe on social media, adding sugar-free varieties, and designing new packaging formats and purchasing methods.
But for the most part, the company has found that consumers want the classic Bazooka gum they have known for years. Some less popular changes were rolled back, while a few new innovations—such as flavors and sugar-free options—were kept.
"It's about staying true to the consumer and the essence of the product, while also evolving with the times," she said.
From market leader to king of nostalgia
To celebrate its diamond anniversary last year, Bazooka produced a short documentary about its history and market impact.
Former Topps CEO Arthur Shorin shared the story of how this iconic bubble gum brand was founded in Brooklyn, New York, in 1947. His father, Joseph Shorin, co-founded the company with brothers Abram, Ira, and Philip, after previously trying less sweet bubble gum flavors that did not sell well. Bazooka's signature flavor was born when sugar rationing ended after World War II.
Early on, the gum quickly became popular for two reasons. The company attracted retailers by selling them other products at full profit. In the documentary, Shorin shows a box containing 240 pieces of Bazooka gum, along with three 25-cent bottles of Bufferin aspirin—meaning retailers earned an extra 75 cents in profit.
"What people knew it as 75 years ago or during their childhood is still the core of the brand today."
Rebecca Silberfarb
Vice President of Marketing for the Americas at Bazooka Candy Brands
As Bazooka entered more retailers, Topps actively promoted its gum to children. The brand advertised in comic books, newspapers, and broadcast media. The comics attracted young fans, who at one point could collect them and redeem them for various prizes.
"Then we captured 10% of the market share," Shorin explains in the documentary, "15%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%. Bazooka became not only a national brand but an international one."
Today, Bazooka's market share has shrunk significantly. Other brands have entered the bubble gum space, and the appeal of the bubble gum category has expanded. Some consumers seek sweetness and the ability to blow big bubbles, but others look for fresh breath or different flavors—which are not Bazooka gum's strengths.
However, Bazooka's sales are still growing, Silberfarb said. Over the past year, Bazooka's sales increased 10% year-over-year.
Today, most consumers buying Bazooka are adults who loved it years ago.
"There is a lot of adult nostalgia," she said.
Silberfarb said this nostalgia has indeed helped Bazooka successfully get through the years.
The company has also done extensive work in licensing its brand logo, characters, and colors. Bazooka Joe appears on numerous T-shirt designs, baseball caps, and accessories (including golf club covers). The iconic character has even been made into LOL Surprise dolls.
This month, Bazooka collaborated with four artists to create bubble gum-inspired artwork. These pieces—a puffer jacket, a BMX bike, a rug, and a painting—showcasing bubble gum inspiration through modern art will be auctioned to support the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Silberfarb said that merchandising and many people's memories of the brand complement each other, keeping it at the forefront.
"It's hard to imitate Bazooka because it has so much heritage and nostalgic love," she said. "...We are fortunate to have maintained 75 years of tradition and authenticity that makes people see it as unique."
The 'new nostalgia' attempt
Nostalgia is a huge sales driver in the candy space.
In recent years—especially during the uncertain times of the pandemic—nostalgic candy sales have surged, said Christopher Gindlesperger, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications at the National Confectioners Association. The NCA does not directly track sales of nostalgic candy brands, but he said that as people overall increased their candy consumption, the nostalgic category also expanded.
Because many consumers have emotional connections to candy and sweets, brands producing these products have particularly close relationships with consumers, Gindlesperger said.
"That's the magic of this industry," he said. "Companies produce products that truly meet a need, filling a gap at the level of human emotional well-being."
Few categories can leverage nostalgic consumer pull like candy, Gindlesperger said. Consumer memories can send sales into overdrive. In 2018, when the former New England Confectionery Company notified employees it was at risk of going out of business for financial reasons, sales of its namesake product, Necco Wafers, soared, with one online retailer reporting an immediate 50% increase in sales. The wafer, produced since 1847, is a nostalgic staple, though not universally loved.
"That's the magic of this industry. Companies produce products that truly meet a need, filling a gap at the level of human emotional well-being."
Christopher Gindlesperger
Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications at the National Confectioners Association
Although much of the sales come from nostalgic adults, Gindlesperger sees Bazooka as an example of a brand pursuing what he calls "new nostalgia."
"You operate around strong existing brand equity, whether it's a specific product or the entire company, and then build on that, introducing innovative products and packaging to consumers," he said. "Get them involved and take them on the journey with you."
Nostalgia as a long-term strategy
Shelley Balanko, Senior Vice President at the Hartman Group, said it is not surprising that nostalgia has been prevalent among food and beverage brands in recent years. The company researches and analyzes American food and beverage culture.
Looking back over the years, Balanko said nostalgic brands tend to perform well during uncertain times. They saw growth during the Great Recession, the COVID-19 pandemic, and even during the current inflation.
"That's what nostalgia is about: creating comfort and connection," she said. "Comfort is an emotion gained through a sensory experience or memories associated with a nostalgic food experience. Connection is a connection to oneself, possibly to a less stressed, less anxious version of oneself from the past."
However, Balanko said nostalgia alone may not be a sustainable strategy for company growth. If a favorite food or drink looks and tastes exactly the same today as it did generations ago, it will certainly attract some consumers seeking a return to easier times. But yesterday's ingredients may not be what today's consumers want—especially those that may be higher in sugar, have ingredients that sound more chemical, or may be less sustainable or ethical. Marketing and messaging that were spot-on years ago may also be seen as out of touch today, she said.
Bazooka has been working to meet these demands, said Bazooka's Silberfarb. Sugar-free options, social media campaigns, and merchandising and marketing deals make the brand feel more modern.
While nostalgic candy is a major category in the candy industry, brands enter it voluntarily. Some of today's biggest brands—including Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, which celebrates its 95th anniversary this year, and Snickers, first sold in 1930—do not position themselves as nostalgic. Balanko said these brands have evolved effectively over the years, retaining what consumers have always loved but adding new product lines or innovations.
Silberfarb said that while Bazooka is currently in the nostalgic candy category, the brand hopes to evolve slowly—and ultimately reach its 100th anniversary as a consumer favorite. She briefly summarized the brand's long-term goals.
"It's still about maintaining that relationship," Silberfarb said. "It truly goes beyond the gum itself. The gum is the catalyst for the product and the experience. But our iconic red, white, and blue, Bazooka Joe, the comics—bringing those everywhere and sharing them with fans."