Buy Black Jack Chewing Gum
Black Jack is an aniseed-flavored chewing gum made by Mondelēz International, originally the American Chicle Company. As of July 2018 Gerrit's Brands, Inc. acquired the rights to Black Jack gum, along with Beemans and Clove, relaunching reformulated versions in November 2018.
In 1869, exiled former Mexican president and general Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna (famous for losing the Texas War of Independence) was living in New Jersey.[1] He brought Mexican chicle with him in hopes of selling it to raise funds to help him return to power in his home country. He persuaded Thomas Adams of Staten Island, New York, to buy it. Adams, a photographer and inventor, intended to vulcanize the chicle for use as a rubber substitute. Adams' efforts at vulcanization failed, but he noticed that Santa Anna liked to chew the chicle, which the ancient Mayans had done.
Disappointed with the rubber experiments, Adams boiled a small batch of chicle in his kitchen to create a chewing gum. He gave some to a local store to see if people would buy it; they did and he began production.
Black Jack chewing gum was the first flavored chewing gum in U.S. Candy history, and the first available in individually wrapped sticks. Treating fans to delicious chewing since 1884, the nostalgic Black Jack gum favorite was recently reintroduced, and its distinctive black. Black Jack chewing gum was the first flavored chewing gum in U.S. Candy history, and the first available in individually wrapped sticks. Treating fans to delicious chewing since 1884, the nostalgic Black Jack gum favorite was recently reintroduced, and its distinctive black licorice flavor is just as yummy as you recall.
In 1871, Adams received a patent on a gum-making machine and began mass-producing chicle-based gum. His first product ('Snapping and Stretching') was pure chicle with no flavoring, but sold well enough to encourage Adams in his plans. He began to experiment with flavorings, beginning with sarsaparilla. In 1884, he began adding licorice flavoring and called his invention Adams' Black Jack, the first flavored gum in the U.S. It was also the first gum to be offered in sticks.
Black Jack Gum was sold well into the 1970s, when production ceased due to slow sales. It was re-introduced in October of 1986.[2]American Chicle was purchased by the Warner-Lambert Company in 1962, which became part of Pfizer in 2000. In 2002, Adams was purchased by Cadbury, which merged with Kraft Foods in 2010 and became part of Mondelēz in 2012 following the split.
Black Jack chewing gum returned to the market in the 2000s, in limited quantities, often sold in candy specialty shops.
In popular culture[edit]
In the book Deviant, author Harold Schechter mentions that American serial killer Ed Gein chewed Black Jack gum during his sanity hearing.In the TV series Homeland, Saul Berenson is fond of those chewing-gums. Black Jack gum was also used in the television show Boardwalk Empire. It was featured in Nucki's flashbacks in Season 5, Episode 6.
In Seinfeld Season 3, Episode 5 ('The Library'), Seinfeld is reminiscing with an old friend. He asks if they were chewing Black Jack gum. She says, 'Ugh licorice gum? Never!'
In the 1990 movie Pump up the Volume, Christian Slater's character prefers Black Jack gum .
Referenced in the song 'back to the hotel' by SF Bay area group N2Deep.
In the Sanford and Son episode 'Coffins for Sale' Fred makes a reference to Black Jack Gum being chewed by General Pershing.
In Season 3, Episode 10 of the Showtime original series Homeland, acting director of the CIA, Saul Berenson ensures his secretary has an adequate supply during a tense moment. (Later it is referenced as his lucky gum). 'I'm out of Black Jack. Anymore out there?' Secretary brings him a pack from her desk. 'Is this the last pack?' Secretary: 'I've got you plenty more. Don't worry'.
Rage (1977) by Stephen King. In chapter 22 the lead character, Charlie Decker, says: 'Black Jack gum - there is no finer'
In Season 3, Episode 16 of the American TV series Northern Exposure, 'Three Amigos,' Ruth-Anne offers Maurice a pack of Black Jack gum to bury with their late friend, Bill. She said he always liked it. Then, before they completely finish Bill's burial in the wilderness, Maurice offers Holling a stick and then he stuffs the pack of gum between the rocks that are covering the burial mound.
References[edit]
- ^http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/6-things-you-may-not-know-about-santa-anna
- ^https://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/25/business/new-revival-old-time-gum.html
Beemans gum (originally Beeman's Gum, see image at right) is a chewing gum invented by Ohio physician Dr. Edward E. Beeman in the late 19th century.
History[edit]
Edwin Eugene Beeman originally marketed the gum, which is made of pepsin powder and chicle, as an aid to digestion. It became a part of the American Chicle Company in 1898, and continued on after the purchase of American Chicle by Warner-Lambert in 1962. Production ceased in 1978 due to lagging sales. In 1985, as part of a nostalgia campaign, it was brought back to the market along with Clove and Black Jack chewing gums.
The original wrapper had a pig logo, but was later replaced with a logo featuring the Beeman's name in scroll and a picture of Dr. Beeman. The current wrapper design has a white and red background with white and black lettering. Beemans is sporadically produced by Cadbury Adams as a nostalgia gum, along with the other historic gums Clove and Black Jack. Since then, because of regular demand, all three brands have been introduced with huge popularity. In 2015 the company announced it would no longer produce any of these popular gums. The gum is sold sporadically in the USA by the Gerrit J. Verdburg Co.[1][2]
The gum is prominently featured in major movies The Right Stuff, Hot Shots!, The Rocketeer (in which the gum serves a key plot element), and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, used in the latter for character Mutt Williams (Shia Labeouf) in Indy home scene. Most recently the gum features on the inventor's workbench of young Frank Walker in Disney's Tomorrowland, as Frank is working on his homemade rocket jet-pack.
While it has been considered the 'lucky' gum of pilots, Beemans in fact became popular with aviators due to the antacid qualities of pepsin, useful due to the agitation of stomach acid in flight. This, combined with the ear-pressure equalizing characteristics of chewing any type of gum, made Beemans a common sight in cockpits. The sporadic availability has led some aviators to buy it by the carton whenever possible.[citation needed]
Beemans Chewing Gum no longer contains any pepsin.[citation needed]
Advertisements[edit]
Beeman's Pepsin Gum - Advertisement - 1897 |
References[edit]
- ^Conte, Erin Del (2019-01-22). 'Retro Gum Brands'. Convenience Store Decisions. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
- ^'Vintage Gum Nutrtition Facts'. gerritjverburg.com. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
Black Jack Bubble Gum
- 'Cadbury Adams USA'. Archived from the original on 2006-06-10. Retrieved 2016-03-22.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
- 'Beemans Chewing Gum'. Archived from the original on 2015-09-25. Retrieved 2010-04-19.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)