Bazooka is an American brand of bubble gum that was introduced in 1947. It is a product of Bazooka Candy Brands (BCB), which was a division of The Topps Co. until the latter’s acquisition by Fanatics, Inc. in 2022. By 2023, Apax Partners acquired BCB and its product portfolio.
Back in 1953, the individually wrapped pieces of Bazooka bubble gum featured a comic strip inside and the character, Bazooka Joe. The kid's black eyepatch gave him a singular appearance. Joe is joined in his various misadventures by a motley crew of six characters. The comics generally consisted of child-friendly jokes, as well as small advertisements for overly eccentric merchandise one could obtain in exchange for comics and a few cents or dollars. Over the decades, Bazooka Joe's illustration style and mode of dress changed to keep up with the times.
The Bazooka gum was most likely named after the rocket-propelled weapon of the same name developed by the U.S. Army during World War II, which was named after an earlier musical instrument used by radio comedian Bob Burns. He is credited with inventing the crude metal instrument in the 1910s and popularizing it in the 1930s. The instrument had a low-register PVC pipe sound that felt right at home with Spike Jone's City Slickers band.
