He's a-comin', he's a-comin'! (Bubble Gum Weekend)

Yeah, I bet he is.

I may have already featured this Hubba Bubba ad from 1979 that starred the Gum Fighter. But this commersh's need is underscored by the recent downward spiral of bubble gum advertising.

A few days ago, I saw Hubba Bubba being sold at a gas station food mart. Instead of any sign of the Gum Fighter, the pack featured a blue creature that looked just like Cookie Monster except it had only one eye. (No, I didn't buy any.)

This critter hardly compares to the Gum Fighter, who loomed large in the commercials of old:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nE1re4uNpN0

Few bubble gum advertising icons were as effective or as memorable as the Gum Fighter, and that commersh is one of the examples that shows why. (You can tell that was one of the ol' Fighter's first ads, because his sideburns were bigger like those of Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane.)

On the other hand, the Wild West town in that ad must have been the only place in the world where the lives of all its citizens revolved around contests to see who could blow the biggest bubbles without getting the gum stuck to their face.

This ad also showcases the Gum Fighter's practice of blowing the germs off the wad of gum after the bubble bursts.

Bubbling. A rarity today, but a national pastime 30 years ago.