Chewing gum has been a favorite past time since the time of the ancient Greeks; many cultures have chewed gum-like substances, mostly made from natural substances such as grasses, plants, and resins. The first person to patent chewing gum was William Semple, on December 28, 1869, but it is Susan Montgomery Williams who holds the Guinness World Record for the largest bubble gum bubble blown, at 23 inches in diameter.
If you want to blow big bubbles, do not go for the popular brands such as Bubble Yum and Bubbicilious. They are more suitable for those who likes to chew gum as they are soft, full of flavor, easy to chew and long lasting. Less popular brands like Double Bubble or Bazooka which contain less sugar and take more effort to chew are what you should be looking for in order to blow a winner bubble. They tend to have more elasticity.
Learn to use small amounts of gum to blow your bubble. Adding another piece of gum might do more harm than good to your performance. The rule is more practice, not more gum. If you want to challenge Susan Montgomery Williams someday, you must practice with a maximum of three pieces of gum only.
The two things you need to control are the wind and temperature of where you blow your bubble. Too cold, your bubble will become brittle. Too warm, the bubble will flat out half way. Therefore, especially for beginners, blow your bubbles indoor first. Adjust your surrounding wind and temperature to avoid your bubble from popping too soon.
All bubble gum have sugar and artificial flavors in them for taste. However, these two ingredients are bad news for those who want to blow big bubbles. A trick is to masticate your gum until you work out most of the sugar and artificial flavoring, which in turn will create superior strength for your bubbles. The next step is to get your gum at the right consistency. It gets harder as it cools down after you have blown a bubble. Warm it up to become softer by chewing it further. At the correct consistency, you can effortlessly push your tongue through the gum and fill the pocket with air to blow your bubble.
It is important to blow your bubble slowly if you want to achieve best results. Slow even breaths are essential for your gum to not only stretch and grow, but also maintain the pressure at a constant rate. Try to keep your mouth relaxed and open so that you can fill your bubble with more air. Avoid clenching your mouth as if you are sucking on something. That would make you blow too hard and put your bubble in jeopardy.
The above tips are guidelines to blowing championship bubbles. Not only do you need to practice a lot to get it right, you also need a strong jaw, tongue and diaphragm to succeed. Either practice on your own or have a friendly competition with your friends to see who can blow the biggest bubble. No matter what, the most important thing is to have fun!
Christopher Pratt is the President of Candy Warehouse, a leading candy store that sells the widest range of chewing gum, bubblegum and all sorts of candy related goodies. One of their specialty is the bubblegum cigars as well as the bazooka bubble gum.
About the Author
Chewing gum has been a favorite past time since the time of the ancient Greeks; many cultures have chewed gum-like substances, mostly made from natural substances such as grasses, plants, and resins.
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