The only gum you'll ever need (Bubble Gum Weekend)

I'm so pleased to find this ad that I couldn't wait any longer to post it!

I found this on YouPube earlier this week, and it's what reminded me of the missing Johnny Bench medallion that I've sent you on a sleuthing mission to find.

The Reds catcher was hired by Fifth Third Bank as its pitchman in 1973. Who can forget those '70s ads with Bench, which ended with the jingle singers singing, "The only bank you'll ever need"?

That wasn't the only product endorsement for Johnny Bench. In 1979, he appeared in a commersh for Bubble Fudge - a chocolate flavored bubble gum put out by the Bazooka people.

I can't believe there's a bubble gum that was sold in 1979 that I don't remember. But I never knew this gum or the ad existed until I found the ad a few days ago.

That may be for the better. Folks who actually remember this brand describe it as wretched. One website calls it "absolutely the worst gum in the history of gum."

But since it appears to be a defunct product, here's the hilarious commercial that features Johnny Bench and his nephew bubbling:



Actually, Bench's bubbling skills in this ad are so disastrous that the gum appears to be marketed as bubble gum for people who don't know how to bubble.

Ironically, I once wrote a parody article for a computer bulletin board system in which Johnny Bench despised bubble gum because he was afraid it would get caught in his catcher's mask. But this ad shows why he seemed to be one of few ballplayers at the time who never bubbled during games.