Wrigley's takes on an Allowed Cloud (Bubble Gum Weekend)

When something isn't allowed, that's an Allowed Cloud.

We all experience Allowed Clouds every day. For instance, there's an Allowed Cloud against marching into the courthouse with a bucket of turpentine and smearing it on the judge's gavel.

There's an Allowed Cloud against riding a Green Machine in the left lane of Interstate 74.

By the early '90s, Wrigley's recognized the existence of Allowed Clouds and appealed to many who felt affected by them. An ad campaign was launched to sell Wrigley's spearmint gum to folks who felt frustrated by bans on smoking in enclosed public spaces.

This campaign highlighted the oral gratification associated with gum. The commercials had an ominous look that featured large black letters on a white background, much like those oversized "Frankie Say Relax" t-shirts of the '80s.

An example is this commersh from 1994:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItXkIOoKmgI

Needless to say, the slogan "Pure chewing satisfaction" was instantly parodied by many who heard it. Yes, you guessed it: They said, "Pure pooing satisfaction."

Ironically, this campaign started right when public places in the United States began barring people from chewing gum. Florida airports even made it illegal for businesses on airport premises to sell gum.

Of course, the Allowed Cloud against gum was about control - since I'm sure they didn't seriously think there was an epidemic of people getting cavities from someone else's secondhand gum. This Allowed Cloud was and is fascist.

It's been said that smokers enjoy gum because bubbling mimics the inhaling and exhaling of smoking. But then again, so do a lot of things, but I don't think we'll be seeing ads for them if gum is banned.