Better than Bubble Gum
Formed in 1949, A&BC (American & British Chewing) Gum Ltd. by four men recently de-mobbed from the Army, following the end of WWII. At this point sugar and confectionary were still rationed, but they set out with the aim of making chewing gum – something which had become much more commonplace during the war years.
Initially, the four men who formed the company Simon Aynsz, Rudy Braun & Tony and Douglas Coakley, planned to call the company simply “ABC” after the initial letters of their surnames, but there existed another company using that name so they settled on A&BC (American & British Chewing Gum) Limited.
The original factory was set up in North London but later moved to its long-time home on Harold Hill in Essex in 1949 and remained there until its closure in 1974.
During its 25-year history it produced bubble gum including the Famous Bazooka Joe, which included its own comic strip adventures printed on a wax inner wrapping.
There were also many series of collectible cards included with the flat strip gum. The company became a favourite amongst card traders and collectors for the quality, variety and imagination shown in the design and production of their gum and collectible cards.
Bubble gum was first introduced in Philadelphia in 1928 where it was invented by a 23-year-old Walter Diemer. Diemer was not a chemist but an accountant who worked for a chewing gum company. His gum formula was to go on to became a best-seller called Blibber-Blubber, which was less sticky than regular chewing gum and stretched more easily, which with practice, could be blown into a bubble – hence the name.
Malc worked at the factory in the school summer holidays, alongside his mum, who had a full-time job there. Apart from Malc earning some much-needed pocket money, he enjoyed each Friday, being given the allocated ‘give away bubble gum’, in a large plastic bag. Although with so much gum to chew the novelty soon wore off. (I think that was the intention - to reduce the chance of pilfering during manufacture.) And by the time Malc had finished his summer job there, he never wanted to see another piece of Bubble Gum ever again!
But when we taste God’s Word in the Bible and ‘chew’ over its incredible truths, unlike Bubble Gum, it never loses its flavour, is never too much and once tasted is something we will never tire of and something we all need!
God’s Word satisfies – it will stretch us to our full potential for Him and is everlasting.
“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”
(1 Chronicles 16:34)