I’ve been an Entrepreneur since birth
It’s not just for the money, it’s a thrill for me
In 1974 I was 12 years old. I was already working a lot of different kinds of odd jobs, and starting to get my entrepreneurial flair moving as well. Well. I work in people’s yards, did all kinds of different things I could do to make money. I liked to have my own money even at a young age because I could buy things that I wanted. It was just a lot of fun for me to do that.
In that year, 1974, a new product hit the market, and it was aimed at kids, just like me. It was Bubble. Yum , a new type of bubble gum that was aimed at young kids. All kinds of very cool flavors, flavors you had never seen before with gum. I bought some at a convenience store, although it was very hard to get a hold of. There was always a lot of people trying to get it, and when a store would get stock, it would be gone in minutes. I really liked it when I got that first pack, and it sparked a few ideas in my entrepreneurial soul.
Bubble Yum: A Chewy Sensation
Bubble Yum, with its distinctive packaging and playful name, burst onto the gum scene in 1984. Produced by Adams Gum, a division of Beatrice Foods, it quickly became a cultural phenomenon, particularly among children.
Before Bubble Yum, the gum market was dominated by traditional flavors and packaging. Adams Gum aimed to capture a younger demographic by creating a product that was both fun and delicious. The bright, neon colors and the promise of big, bubbly fun were an instant hit.
Children were particularly enamored with Bubble Yum. The gum’s stretchy texture made it ideal for blowing large, colorful bubbles, a pastime that became synonymous with childhood. The packaging itself was a source of excitement, with its bold graphics and playful design. Bubble Yum quickly became a staple in lunchboxes and vending machines across the country.
While the target audience was primarily children, Bubble Yum also appealed to a wider demographic. Its nostalgic appeal has ensured its continued popularity over the years. Bubble Yum remains a beloved brand, a testament to its ability to capture the hearts and taste buds of generations.
When introduced in 1974 Bubble Yum was the craze
After I had my first taste of Bubble Yum, and I realized how hard it was to get a hold of, I decided that if I could find a supply, I could really sell this stuff at school, because kids were going crazy for it. I was in 7th grade at the time.
There was a convenience store that I would go to quite a bit to buy things like gum, drinks or whatever. The people that worked there knew me because I’d come in pretty often, I had money to spend since I was doing a lot of different odd jobs. After finding out about the bubble yum, I went in there and talked to them and they said that they get it in several times a week, but it sells out so quickly. I told them that I would buy everything that they got in all in one purchase if they would do that for me. Since they knew me, they agreed, every time they got Bubble Yum, they would let me know and I would go in and buy everything. My mom would bring me there so I could buy it and we could haul it home in the car. I was too young to have a driver’s license at that time.
The first day that I brought a supply of Bubble Yum to school, I think I had about two cases of it, I forgotten how many packs would be but maybe 48 packs or so. I had paid $0.25 per pack as I recall. I started spreading the word to other students that I had a supply of Bubble Yum! In my locker, both cases that I brought to school would fit in the locker, so that was no problem. I thought about what price to sell it for, I decided $2 per pack which was almost 10 times what I had paid for it. I sold all of the packs in those two cases within just 5 minutes or so. I kept getting more and more Bubble Yum from the store every time they’d notify me, and I actually got up to where I was selling it for $3 to $4 a pack at school. This is back in the early to mid-1970s, that is really a lot for a pack of bubble gum, but this stuff was rare, hard to get a hold of.
I was able to keep doing this for about a year, but after a year or so, the supply chain for Bubble Yum got easier to get and kids could just buy it for way less at the convenience store. Bubble Yum was getting better, and you could go buy it at the store by then, and pay a lot less for it than I was charging. I wasn’t really interested in selling it cheaper, because then I wouldn’t be able to make that much money from it.
After the Bubble Yum craze died down, I still kept doing things like this, just with other hard to find items that interested kids my age. I’ve been doing this kind of thing all through my life. Now and I’m 62 but I still enjoy selling things like this to bring in a few extra bucks. I sell on eBay, Facebook Marketplace and on other platforms. It’s more about fun, but a few extra bucks is nice to have as well.
I had forgotten about this whole bubble yum thing , but a few days ago it came to my mind and I decided to write a little article about it since it was kind of unusual for a kid that age to start a business, and it was just a fun thought and memory.
Leave a Reply