Bubbling: an international sport! (Bubble Gum Weekend)

Although bubble gum was invented in the good ol' U.S. and A., bubbling has become an international sport!

Maybe the Olympics should have bubble gum blowing!

Bubble gum became so popular around the world that Bubble Yum even marketed its brand in Mexico with a Spanish-language ad campaign. This commersh is probably from the late '70s:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzD-dY3SVYs

Notice that this ad uses many of the same concepts as Bubble Yum's U.S. campaign of the time. For instance, a person squeezes the piece of gum to demonstrate its softness. Also, people bubble.

However, the great marketing geniuses at Bubble Yum may have committed a major translation error: "Goma de Mascar."

I studied Spanish in college, and when the professor asked the class to name various snack foods in Spanish, someone said "goma", believing it was the Spanish word for gum.

The professor gave the class a strange look.

The student replied, "You know, goma."

The professor said, "You mean this?" She began moving her jaw as if she was chomping a giant wad of BG.

"Yes, that."

The professor replied that "goma" actually means rubber, as in gumboots - not the chewing kind of gum. The Spanish term for chewing gum is "chicle."

So Bubble Yum was actually marketing its product as rubber for chewing!