Stuck On It

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 9th, 2014

Beverly, Massachusetts- Stuck On It will officially launch tomorrow on May 9th, 2014. With countless sticks of gum consumed by people each year, this blog focuses on bubblegum and its industry.

To get more of a taste of this blog, it features articles and stories related to gum as well as reviews of gum products and advertisements. Giving viewers a keen insight about the latest bubblegum featured in candy aisles and stores across the country.

David by Michaelangelo, The Thinker by Auguste Rodin, or The Statue of Liberty by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi. You may have heard of or seen these sculptures before. But gum sculptures, have you ever heard of that?

Chris Antes is known as a gum sculptor. But what is unique about Chris is that he doesn’t sculpt gum in the way you may think he would, with his hands. He sculpts gum with his mouth by using his tongue. The same way you may have tried to tie a cherry stem into a knot. Chris has been practicing this art for about thirty-seven years.

Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory came out on film when Chris was a kid. This film was Chris' inspiration and motivation to try to do different things with gum. One of the main characters in the movie, Violet, would chew gum for the longest possible amount of time that she could. Chris began to do the same and would chew the same piece of bubblegum for hours.  Eventually, he thought about making gum into sculptures.  Some of his first sculptures include a boot, a snail, and a dolphin. He has practiced sculpting gum into other objects as well.

Chris remembers the very first time he sculpted gum. Being proud of his work and what he accomplished, he decided to show his parents. However, they didn’t believe that he actually made a sculpture out of gum with his mouth. This was mainly due to the fact that his sculpted clay as a child. During his high chair days, his parents would give him clay to play with and he eventually became good at makings sculptures with his hands. So naturally they assumed he took a piece of gum from his mouth and sculpted it with his hands. It wasn’t until later that they realized Chris’ talent of gum sculpting was with his mouth.

(Sculpture created from gum by Chris Antes. Photo courtesy of Chris Antes.)

Chris has perfected his talent of sculpting gum so much that he can make almost any sculpture in less than forty-five seconds while using only two pieces of gum. Although more difficult sculptures take time to practice.  One of the most difficult sculptures Chris spends a lot of time practicing is a monkey. He will spend at least five minutes trying to perfect every detail of this sculpture. It is fairly easy for him to make sculptures in his mouth though, because of the way he can picture an object in his mind and transfer it to his mouth.  Many of you may think that this is an easy skill to acquire or learn. However, it is harder than it looks. Chris has tried to teach many people how to make their own gum sculptures. Most of time, people found it difficult to do and only a few people were able to make something that was somewhat recognizable.Although you shouldn’t let this disappoint you, if you are thinking about trying to make your own gum sculpture.

Chris’ advice to anyone interested in gum sculpting is, “Defiantly try it and practice because not only are you going to develop an artistic talent but you are taking care of your oral hygiene by doing good things for your teeth and gums.”

Taking care of his teeth and oral hygiene is definably something Chris is concerned about. It is one of the main reasons he has decided to chew only Spry gum.  Spry is a gum that uses all natural sweeteners and only seven ingredients.  Having a gum with only a few ingredients makes it easier for him to chew and sculpt. He chooses Spry over other gum brands because of the smooth texture it provides which makes it easier to sculpt with as well.  Chris is currently working on making his very own chewing gum brand even though he enjoys Spry. He wants to incorporate a sugar free sweetener that won’t affect blood sugar but will still satisfy a person’s sweet tooth.  His main motivation in making his own gum is to make a gum that will fit his needs as a sculptor and avid gum chewer.

His expertise and skills with gum has gained him attention both nationally and globally. Last year, Chris made an appearance on America’s Got Talent. His sculptures are small so he didn’t expect to win. But having chance to be on a nationally recognized television show was enough for Chris. According to him, he really enjoyed the overall experience and opportunity of being on the show.  Chris has made appearances of the Ellen DeGeneres show and a popular German television show too.

Some of his artwork can be seen in Key West, Florida in Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum.  He hopes to start in exhibit near his home of San Diego, California one day as well as inspire others to chew gum and find joy in it the same way he does.

“Lint Licker. Cootie Queen.” Are these two names familiar to you? If they are then you can most likely make the connection to one of Wrigley’s most legendary brands of gum, Orbit.

Since ancient Greece, gum chewing habits have existed. However, it wasn’t until the 1860's when gum made its way to the shores of the United States. As the popularity of gum increased, many gum brands were established in the United States. Among them, Wrigley became one of the most well-known companies followed closely by Cadbury and Mondelez International. Wrigley produces other brands of gum in addition to Orbit such as Juicy Fruit, Doublemint, and 5 gum.

Originally Orbit gum was created in 1944 and was intended for soldiers that fought during World War II. Shortly after the war ended, the gum was discontinued. However, it was later re-introduced in 1976 in several European countries. It wasn't until 2001 that the gum made its way back into the United States. Being involved in a competitive industry, the brand had  to be noticed somehow. “Dirty Mouth” and “A Good Clean Feeling” were two campaigns the brand used to quickly gain attention. These campaigns were very successful in helping Orbit become a memorable brand within the gum industry.  

During Orbit’s marketing campaign, they released a commercial that may be one of the most popular commercials in gum history. The commercial involved two women fighting with each other in a childlike manner that while calling each other names that are considered rude. For viewers, the fighting possibly brought up memories of fighting with their siblings when they were younger. It also could of potentially reminded viewers of watching two children banter with one another on an elementary school playground because of the ridiculous name calling. Some of the names included in this commercial were biscuit eating bulldog and stinky McStink face. These extreme names are what makes people stop what they’re doing and notice what is actually going on, on their television screen. It isn't until after the attention of viewers is caught that Orbit decides to mention their brand name. This common theme of waiting to display the Orbit brand at the end of the commercial can be seen throughout their campaigns. In this particular commercial, the end is concluded by the statement, “Faboulous. New Orbit Raspberry cleans another dirty mouth. For a good clean feeling no matter what.” Similar lines are used throughout their."

“That was really one of the reasons that encouraged us to go into the business because everyone was so happy,” said Beth Tauro about her first experience at a candy convention in Atlantic City. Beth and her fiancé, Craig Barker, are the proud owners of The Crazy Candy Lady located in Marblehead, Massachusetts.

Have you ever chewed a piece of bubblegum and been disappointed by how fast it lost its flavor? Recently, a friend of mine gave me a stick of Juicy Fruit bubblegum and in a matter of minutes it lost its flavor. I have tried several different gum brands and have been disappointed by the majority of brands that lose their flavor so quickly. However, I found a way to make your own chewing gum that allows you to add as much flavor as you want. This way, you will never be disappointed with flavorless gum. By gathering a simple list of ingredients and following the easy steps below, you too can make your own chewing gum.

Block after block, we finally made it to the train station. With exhausted feet and tired legs, it was about the right time to leave the city. As we stepped on to the train, we found our way to an open seat and dropped our bags on the ground. A day of shopping can tire you out more than you think.

To pass the twenty minute train ride we chatted about our purchases. It could not have been more than about two minutes into the conversation when my sister pulled something out of her purse. She opened a white package, took out a small piece of gum wrapped in silver foil, and handed it to me. As I asked her what flavor it was, she smiled at me and told me to try it.

I unraveled the piece of gum and realized that it is somewhat frightening to not know if something is going to taste completely awful or amazing. But as my sister insisted, I overcame my fears and stuck the piece of gum in my mouth. I began chewing it and to my surprise an explosion of flavors began to appear. It seemed like all of my senses became alert all at once.

“I bought it in one of the stores. I thought you might like it,” my sister told me.

I responded back with, “I have to admit, it does taste pretty good.”

The flavor was extremely unique and I found it quite difficult to figure out exactly what the piece of gum reminded me of. However, my taste buds welcomed the unfamiliar taste. I turned toward my sister after a few seconds of becoming frustrated for not knowing what the flavor was and looked at her for clues. She would not tell me so I thought about it some more. Then I explained to her that I thought it might be watermelon flavored because of the sweet taste it had to it. It turns out that the pink and green colored piece of gum was actually Trident Layers newest special edition flavor.  The company decided to create a limited edition Jelly Bean flavor specifically for Easter season.

“Hmmmm… Jelly Bean?” I asked making sure I heard her right.

“Yup. Jelly Bean,” she reassured me.

Jelly beans have always been one of my favorite candies. My sister knew this and it is one of the reasons why she decided to purchase this pack of gum to share with me. As I thought about jelly beans and upcoming Easter plans I pondered the taste even more. I tried to search my memory for a recollection of jelly bean flavors that might taste identical to this flavor of gum.  I eventually came to the conclusion that I would not have used Jelly Bean to describe the zest of this gum. If anything, it has a lot of undertones that tasted a lot like candy but nothing that tasted familiar to what an actual jelly bean might taste like.  I was disappointed to find out that Trident had created an entire flavor devoted to jelly beans that tasted nothing like one. Yet it did not ruin my overall perception of the gum. I loved the sweet and sugary candy like taste it left in my mouth, most likely because I have a constant craving for sweets and a major sweet tooth. If anyone else enjoys sweets then they would appreciate the flavor of this gum as well.

“Last call!” the conductor yelled out.

My gaze quickly broke from the window and I snapped back into reality. I realized that it was our stop. My sister and I looked at each other and quickly grabbed the bags next to our feet. We proceeded to make our way off of the train.  With my very first step off the train, a cold breeze rushed towards me and hit me right in the face. My senses became alert once again which is when I realized that the gum still had its sweet flavor. I have noticed that the flavors of chewing gum often quickly come and go, disappearing before being able to grasp what it actually taste like. Being able to still taste the flavor of this gum was completely unexpected and surprising to me. I had been chewing the same piece of gum for the majority of my twenty minute train ride, and it is rare to find a brand or flavor of gum that does not lose its tang after a long period of time.

The combination of long lasting flavor and great taste of Trident Layers Special Edition Jelly Bean flavored gum has inspired me to buy my very own pack of it since trying the piece my sister offered me. The candy like flavor has not yet ceased to disappoint me and it is a great solution for my constant sugar cravings. I would highly recommend this product to anyone that enjoys chewing gum and loves candy flavors.

When I was a kid my mother would often reward my siblings and I for behaving while running countless errands around town with her. Usually while standing in the checkout line at our last stop, the local grocery store, we were told that we could pick out a treat for ourselves. At five years old, this was one of the most exciting decisions I was able to make. I also found that this decision to be very difficult at times due to the fact that there were so many options to choose from and new candies constantly coming out. I often found myself contemplating selecting a candy I was familiar with or trying a new one. Luckily, there are friends, family, and many other sources to help us make some of our decisions in life. This includes even the minor decisions in life such as picking out a pack of gum or a chocolate bar in the candy aisle.

Since 2009, two women from New Jersey known as the “Gum Girls” or Shannon and Katie have decided to review countless number of gum products to help others minimize the stress and risk that comes along with deciding to try a new flavor of gum. These reviews examine the flavor, texture, presentation, and overall quality of gum. A rating out of five is given to indicate if a flavor of gum is worth the investment.

Rosa’s opinions about gum and candy products are helpful too. She has been giving advice about candy products since August 2007. Not only does she review candy products from the United States, but she reviews candy products from other countries. Her knowledge and expertise is especially useful for anyone that loves candy and is planning to travel to another country.