The Topps Company developed its Bazooka Bubble Gum product in Brooklyn, New York after the end of World War II. It was named after the humorous musical instrument which entertainer Bob Burns had fashioned from two gas pipes and a funnel in the 1930s. (This contraption also gave its name to the armor-piercing weapon developed during the War.) Bazooka Joe comic Bazooka, with its distinctive name, taste, and red, white and blue logo and packaging, soon became a familiar part of Americana. OldTimeCandy.com
Every now and then, a scent or a thought of a taste triggers childhood memories, and one of those is Bazooka Bubble Gum, the classic bubble gum with the Bazooka Joe comic inside the wrapper. One of my earliest candy-buying memories was being knee-high to the counter as I selected those little individually wrapped pieces of bubble gum from the bottom shelf at Mr. Chinn’s candy shop. It’s what a whole generation of kids learned to blow bubbles with, and I couldn’t even play a Little League game without some in my mouth. So it’s sad to report that Bazooka Bubble Gum as you knew it from your childhood is no longer. In an effort to appeal to a new generation, the taste, shape, and packaging have all been changed and Bazooka Joe rests among the fallen.
Nostalgic moments live in your heart and soul forever, occasionally transporting you to a more innocent and simple time in your life. Today’s kids are creating memories of their own that in a few decades will trigger the same kind of smile from those warm remembrances. This heart experience allows all to meet in the subjective space that transcends linear time.
Spiritual Contemplation: Find a quiet space and allow a pleasant memory, scent, or taste to transport you to an innocent time that warms your heart and puts a smile on your face. Then notice how real it is now and how you just transcended time and space.
Affirmation: Innocent and simpler times that make me smile are alive within my heart!