Curious About Chewing Gum

PODCAST 191: CURIOUS ABOUT CHEWING GUM

RELEASE DATE: SUNDAY, MAY 29TH, 2022

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  THE TOPIC WE ARE GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT THIS WEEK IS A TOPIC THAT WAS FIRST SUGGESTED TO US OVER 3 YEARS AGO.  WE HONESTLY DIDN’T KNOW IF WE COULD GET A FULL EPISODE OUT OF THE TOPIC, SO WE HELD OFF FOR A BIT.  THEN OTHER LISTENERS STARTED SUGGESTING THE SAME TOPIC, SO I DID SOME RESEARCH, AND I WAS SURPRISED.  IT TURNS OUT THAT THERE IS PLENTY OF TASTY INFORMATION TO CHEW ON WHEN IT COMES TO THIS WEEK’S TOPIC.  

O:  TRIPLE-MAILBAG!

D:  TRIPLE-MAILBAG!

HELLO,

“MY SONS NAME IS GAVIN AND HE IS 8 YEARS OLD.  WE LOVE TO SPEND OUR RIDES IN THE CAR LISTENING TO YOUR SHOW.  THEY ARE USUALLY JUST LONG ENOUGH FOR OUR CAR RIDES TO SCHOOL EACH MORNING.  HE WROTE YOU BOTH A LETTER TODAY ASKING FOR YOU TO DO A SHOW ON GUM AND HOW MAKING BUBBLES IS POSSIBLE.  WE LOVE YOUR SHOWS!

GAVIN” 

“WHY IS BUBBLE GUM STRETCHY?

THANK YOU, FROM ADDIE OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA”

“HI OLIVIA AND JACOB!  MY NAME IS MARGUERITE.  I LIVE IN VANCOUVER, CANADA.  I AM 9 YEARS OLD (ALMOST 10) AND REALLY LIKE YOUR PODCAST.  I LISTEN TO IT WITH MY DAD AT BEDTIME.  I REALLY LIKE THE ONE ON MERMAIDS.  I WAS HOPING YOU MIGHT DO A PODCAST ABOUT PAINT OR GUM.  I THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY INTERESTING TO LEARN HOW THEY ARE MADE.  

THANK YOU, FROM MARGUERITE AND HER DAD.”

O:  THOSE WERE SOME REALLY SUPER E-MAILS.  WE ARE GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT CHEWING GUM THIS WEEK FOR GAVIN, ADDIE, AND MARGUERITE.

D:  THERE IS SO MUCH TO GET TO.  FIRST, WE ARE GOING TO DISCUSS THE HISTORY OF GUM.  THEN, WE’RE GOING TO LEARN A BIT ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS OF GUM AND HOW IT’S MADE.  AFTER THAT, WE’RE GOING TO SHARE A BUNCH OF SUPER INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT GUM.  BEFORE WE GET TO ALL OF THAT, WHAT’S THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK?

O:  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, WHAT IS THE WORLD RECORD FOR THE BIGGEST BUBBLE BLOWN USING BUBBLE GUM?

D:  WHILE YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT THE ANSWER, LET’S HOP INTO OUR TIME MACHINES AND LEARN ABOUT THE HISTORY OF GUM.

O:  PEOPLE HAVE BEEN CHEWING SOMETHING SIMILAR TO GUM FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

D:  THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT PEOPLE LIVING IN NORTHERN EUROPE WERE CHEWING BIRCH BARK TAR 9,000 YEARS AGO.  

O:  THE TAR WAS MADE BY HEATING THE BARK OF BIRCH TREES IN AIRTIGHT CONDITIONS.  

D:  WE DON’T KNOW FOR SURE IF THE BIRCH BARK TAR WAS BEING CHEWED FOR ENJOYMENT, THE WAY MANY PEOPLE CHEW GUM TODAY, OR WHETHER IS SERVED MORE OF A MEDICINAL PURPOSE, LIKE RELIEVING TOOTHACHES.  

O:  MORE RECENTLY, THE ANCIENT MAYANS OF AMERICA CHEWED SOMETHING CALLED CHICLE.

D:  CHICLE WAS ANOTHER SUBSTANCE DERIVED FROM A TREE, THIS TIME A SAPODILLA TREE.  CHICLE WAS OFTEN CHEWED TO RELIEVE FEELINGS OF HUNGER OR THIRST.  

O:  THE AZTECS ALSO CHEWED CHICLE, AND THEY RECOGNIZED THE VALUE OF GUM AS A BREATH-FRESHENER.  THEY ALSO HAD SOME INTERESTING RULES REGARDING WHO WAS ALLOWED TO CHEW CHICLE.

D:  YOU’RE NOT KIDDING.  ADULTS, ESPECIALLY MEN, WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO CHEW CHICLE IN PUBLIC.  EVEN MARRIED WOMEN WERE NOT VIEWED FAVORABLY IF THEY CHEWED CHICLE IN PUBLIC.  CHEWING GUM IN PUBLIC WAS ONLY SEEN TO BE ACCEPTABLE IF CHEWED BY CHILDREN OR UNMARRIED WOMEN. 

O:  IT WASN’T UNTIL THE 1800’S THAT CHEWING GUM BECAME VERY POPULAR.

D:  IN THE 1840’S, A MAN BY THE NAME OF JOHN CURTIS, BOILED THE RESIN FROM SPRUCE TREES, THEN CUT THE RESIN INTO THIN STRIPS BEFORE COATING THE STRIPS IN CORNSTARCH TO PREVENT THEM FROM STICKING TOGETHER.  

O:  WITHIN A FEW YEARS, JOHN CURTIS OPENED UP THE FIRST CHEWING GUM FACTORY IN THE WORLD, IN PORTLAND, MAINE.  

D:  THEN, LATE IN THE 19TH CENTURY, GUM CHANGED FOREVER THANKS TO WILLIAM WRIGLEY.  WILLIAM WRIGLEY STARTED OFF BY SELLING SOAP IN PHILADELPHIA.  THEN, HE MOVED TO CHICAGO IN 1891, AND HE TRANSITIONED TO SELLING BAKING POWDER INSTEAD, AS THE BAKING POWDER WAS SELLING BETTER.  

O:  IN A CLEVER MOVE, WRIGLEY ADDED FREE PACKS OF HIS CHEWING GUM WITH ALL OF THE BAKING POWDER HE SOLD.  PEOPLE TRIED, AND LOVED, HIS CHEWING GUM.  

D:  YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF WILLIAM WRIGLEY’S CHEWING GUM.  IN 1893, HE STARTED SELLING WRIGLEY’S SPEARMINT CHEWING GUM, AS WELL AS JUICY FRUIT.  

O:  HE ADVERTISED A LOT AND TRIED HIS BEST TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE TRIED HIS GUM, BECAUSE HE KNEW IT WAS SO YUMMY.

D:  HE SENT FREE SAMPLES TO MILLIONS OF AMERICANS LISTED IN PHONE BOOKS.  HE EVEN HAD ANOTHER PROMOTION WHERE HE SENT CHILDREN FREE STICKS OF GUM ON THEIR SECOND BIRTHDAYS.

O:  THAT MIGHT BE A BIT YOUNG TO START CHEWING GUM, BUT THE PROMOTION WORKED.  PEOPLE TRIED, AND LOVED, WRIGLEY’S SPEARMINT AND JUICY FRUIT.  WILLIAM WRIGLEY BECAME ONE OF THE RICHEST MEN IN AMERICA, THANKS TO HIS CHEWING GUM.  

D:  AND IN 2008, HIS GREAT GRANDSON, ALSO NAMED WILLIAM WRIGLEY, SOLD THE BUSINESS FOR A WHOPPING 23 BILLION DOLLARS.  

O:  THAT’S ENOUGH MONEY TO BUY A WHOLE LOT OF GUM. 

D:  IT SURE IS.  WILLIAM WRIGLEY’S BIGGEST COMPETITOR WAS A MAN NAMED FRANK FLEER.  FLEER HAD BEEN MAKING GUM SINCE 1885, BUT HE WANTED TO DO SOMETHING TO MAKE HIS GUM DIFFERENT.

O:  IN 1906, HE RELEASED A GUM THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE GREAT FOR BLOWING BUBBLES, CALLED BLIBBER-BLUBBER.

D:  THAT’S A FUN NAME.  WELL, BLIBBER-BLUBBER WAS TOO STICKY, SO IN 1928, THE FORMULA WAS CHANGED A LITTLE BIT, AS WAS THE NAME.  THE GUM THAT WAS NOT AS STICKY WAS NOW CALLED DUBBLE BUBBLE, AND IT WAS, AND STILL IS, VERY POPULAR.  

O:  THERE ARE LOTS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHEWING GUM OUT THERE WITH COUNTLESS DIFFERENT FLAVORS, BUT MOST CHEWING GUMS SHARE THE SAME INGREDIENTS.

D:  FIRST, THERE IS THE GUM BASE.  IT’S THE MAIN INGREDIENT, AND IT IS MADE UP OF 3 DIFFERENT COMPONENTS.  FIRST, IS THE RESIN, WHICH IS THE BASIC CHEWY PART OF GUM.  SECOND, IS THE WAX, WHICH HELPS KEEP THE GUM SOFT, AND LAST IS THE ELASTOMER, WHICH HELPS KEEP THE GUM FLEXIBLE.  

O:  NEXT, SWEETENERS ARE ADDED TO GUM.  YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE WHAT SWEETENERS DO, OR MAYBE YOU WILL.  SWEETENERS HELP MAKE THE GUM SWEET AND GIVE IT LOTS OF YUMMY FLAVOR.  

D:  SOFTENERS ARE ALSO USED IN GUM TO HELP THE GUM RETAIN MOISTURE AND TO INCREASE FLEXIBILITY.  THE SOFTENERS HELP GIVE GUM THE SOFT AND CHEWY TEXTURE IT HAS AS YOU CHEW IT.  

O:  FLAVORINGS ARE ALSO USED TO GIVE GUM WHATEVER YUMMY FLAVOR IT’S SUPPOSED TO HAVE.  SOME OF THE MOST POPULAR FLAVORS INCLUDE PEPPERMINT OR SPEARMINT.  

D:  FINALLY, GUM IS COATED WITH SOMETHING CALLED POLYOL THAT HELPS KEEP IT FRESH FOR A LONG TIME UNTIL IT IS FINALLY ENJOYED.  THE POLYOL COAT COMES OFF QUICKLY ONCE THE GUM ENCOUNTERS SALIVA.  

O:  GUM IS MADE BY MELTING THE BASIC INGREDIENTS TOGETHER, THEN MIXING IN THE OTHER ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS.

D:  ONCE ALL THE INGREDIENTS COME TOGETHER, THE MIXTURE IS SHAPED, THEN IT’S TREATED TO GET THE DESIRED TEXTURE.  ONCE IT IS THE RIGHT SHAPE AND TEXTURE, THE GUM IS COOLED AND THEN WRAPPED.  

O:  GUM IS SO INTERESTING.  WE ACTUALLY TALKED ABOUT GUM ALL THE WAY BACK IN EPISODE 4, CURIOUS ABOUT CANDY.  WE LEARNED THAT GUM DOESN’T REALLY STAY IN YOUR BELLY FOR A LONG TIME AFTER YOU SWALLOW IT.  

D:  GUM GETTING CLOGGED UP IN THE BELLY IS SUPER RARE.  CHEWING GUM WILL USUALLY HANG AROUND IN THE BELLY FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS, AND THEN YOUR BODY WILL GET RID OF IT.  THE BODY CAN’T DIGEST GUM, THE WAY IT DIGESTS OTHER FOODS, BUT IT WILL STILL REMOVE THE GUM AFTER A FEW DAYS.  THAT’S IF YOU SWALLOW GUM IN THE FIRST PLACE.  GUM SHOULD REALLY BE THROWN AWAY WHEN YOUR DONE ENJOYING IT.  

O:  BESIDES BEING YUMMY AND HELPING WITH SMELLY BREATH, ALSO CALLED HALITOSIS, GUM HAS OTHER BENEFITS THAT ARE NOT SO OBVIOUS.  

D:  STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT CHEWING GUM ACTUALLY HELPS WITH CONCENTRATION.  

O:  CHEWING GUM DURING TAKEOFF AND LANDING IN AN AIRPLANE WILL ALSO HELP PREVENT YOUR EARS FROM POPPING.  IT HELPS BY FORCING YOU TO MAKE MORE SALIVA AND BALANCING THE PRESSURE IN YOUR HEAD.

D:  CHEWING GUM ALSO HELPS WITH HEARTBURN.  STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT CHEWING GUM CAN LOWER THE ACID IN THE ESOPHAGUS, GIVING RELIEF TO MANY PEOPLE THAT HAVE HEARTBURN.  

O:  CHEWING GUM WILL ALSO HELP PREVENT YOUR EYES FROM TEARING WHILE YOU’RE CUTTING AN ONION.  HOW IN THE WORLD DOES THAT WORK?

D:  CHEWING GUM FORCES YOU TO BREATHE MORE THROUGH YOUR MOUTH, RATHER THAN YOUR NOSE.  THAT MEANS THAT LESS OF THE ONION VAPORS THAT CAUSE IRRITATION WILL MAKE IT TO LACRIMAL GLANDS, WHERE THEY CAUSE YOU TO TEAR UP.    

ALRIGHT OLIVIA, LET’S ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.  IN 2004, CHAD FELL, OF ALABAMA BROKE THE RECORD FOR THE BIGGEST BUBBLE BLOWN WITH BUBBLE GUM.  WHAT’S THE RECORD?

O:  HIS BUBBLE MEASURED 20 INCHES (OR 50.8 CENTIMETERS).  THAT’S INSANE.

D:  TO BREAK THE RECORD, CHAD USED THREE PIECES OF DUBBLE BUBBLE GUM.  YOU AREN’T GOING TO BELIEVE THIS, BUT THERE IS ALSO A RECORD FOR THE BIGGEST BUBBLE BLOWN WITH THE NOSE.  

O:  YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME.  BLOWING BUBBLES WITH YOUR NOSE?  HOW DOES THAT EVEN WORK?

D:  WELL, JOYCE SAMUELS OF KENTUCKY, BROKE THE RECORD IN 2000.  SHE BLEW A BUBBLE MEASURING 11 INCHES (OR 27.94 CENTIMETERS) USING HER NOSE.  SHE STARTED BLOWING BUBBLES WITH HER NOSE TO MAKE HER KIDS LAUGH.  WHAT SHE DOES IS SHE CHEWS THE GUM FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR, THEN SHE SHAPES IT INTO A RECTANGLE USING HER HANDS.  FINALLY, SHE PUTS THE GUM OVER HER NOSTRILS AND THEN BLOWS OUT THROUGH HER NOSE.  

O:  I WOULD NEVER THINK TO BLOW BUBBLE GUM BUBBLES WITH MY NOSE.  WHAT AN INCREDIBLE TALENT!

D:  WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE

O:  191 - CHEWING GUM.

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB GAVIN, ADDIE, AND MARGUERITE FOR THE BUBBLY EPISODE TOPIC SUGGESTION.  BEFORE WE SAY GOODBYE, WE HAVE A FEW SPECIAL PEOPLE TO THANK.

O:  WE WANT TO THANK OUR NEWEST PATREON SUPPORTERS, MYLES AND LILA M. AND AYLA T.  

D:  THANK YOU SO MUCH, MYLES, LILA, AND AYLA, FOR YOUR SUPPORT.  ALL OUR PATREON SUPPORTERS GET A TON OF EXTRA ACCESS TO CURIOUS KID PODCAST EXTRAS, LIKE A MONTHLY CURRENT EVENTS EPISODE.  

O:  WE ALSO WANT TO THANK SOMEONE FOR LEAVING US A 5 STAR REVIEW, BUT WE AREN’T EXACTLY SURE WHO TO THANK.

D:  THE USERNAME IS 19 LETTERS THAT SEEM TO BE COMPLETELY RANDOM, SO WHOEVER YOU ARE, THANK YOU!  THE REVIEW SAYS “I LOVE CURIOUS KID PODCAST BECAUSE THEY MAKE LEARNING FUN FOR ME.  I LISTENED TO EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEIR PODCASTS AND THEY MAKE NEW EPISODES EVERY WEEK”.

O:  THAT’S SUCH A THOUGHTFUL REVIEW.  WE DO MAKE NEW EPISODES EVERY WEEK, AND WE’VE BEEN DOING IT FOR ALMOST 200 WEEKS IN A ROW… OH MY GOODNESS! 

D:  AND OF COURSE THERE WILL BE ANOTHER ONE NEXT WEEK.  JOIN US WHEN WE GET CURIOUS ABOUT TARDIGRADES FOR LISTENERS IN INDONESIA AND ALASKA.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.