Bowman Gum
After meeting a salesman on a boat to Detroit, Jacob Warren Bowman decided to
enter the chewing gum business. In 1926, Bowman sold "junk chewing gum" with premium prizes that included butcher knives and Indian blankets for every 24
boxes. In 1927, Warren Bowman became part owner of The True Blue Gum Company in
Lansing, Michigan, selling Tri-Mint and Ju-Ce-Kiss for one-cent each.
Warren Bowman left True Blue and purchased 180 pinball machines in
Philadelphia. Bowman hired former Wrigley machinist Charles Dellenbarger to
convert the machines into gum prize dispensers, but the idea was not economically
feasible. Dellenbarger lent a loft shop of older gum equipment to Bowman.
After borrowing $300 from a finance company, Bowman formed The By-Gum Company in
1928.
From 1886–1930, trading cards were commonly packaged with tobacco products, caramels, or other candies. Baseball cards were first sold with chewing gum in 1888 by G&B Gum in New York and H.D. Smith & Co. in Cincinnati.
From 1886–1930, trading cards were commonly packaged with tobacco products, caramels, or other candies. Baseball cards were first sold with chewing gum in 1888 by G&B Gum in New York and H.D. Smith & Co. in Cincinnati.
Bubble gum was introduced by Fleer in 1930 with the Dubble Bubble brand. The By-Gum Co. soon began selling bubble gum under the name Blowney. By-Gum was succeeded by Gum, Incorporated on May 5, 1932, and the bubble gum was renamed Blony.
In 1932, Gum, Inc. released the Wild West Series (R172) with a piece of Blony in each pack. An additional 25 cards were added to the
second printing that included a premium prize card. Later in 1932, Bowman oversaw
equipment installation and training for gum manufacturing in Japan. In 1937, Bowman claimed more than 60% of penny gum sales in America, a figure disputed by Fleer sales manager William B. Hunt.
On February 19, 1938, Gum, Inc. released the Horrors of War series
illustrating the violence of contemporary conflicts around the world. The
cards were conceived by Warren Bowman and designed by George Moll Advertising, Inc. complete set was originally priced at $1. The first series consisted of 240 pictures with another 48
added later. An estimated 100 million cards were printed. The card series was featured in the May 9,
1938, issue of Life magazine.
The Japanese embassy protested the depictions of battles in China
during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The U.S. State Department approved of the
card series for highlighting the 1937 sinking of the USS Panay by Japanese
bombers. On May 20, 1938, a shipment of Horrors of War cards
was seized in Yokohama. Bowman theorized that the cards were reshipped from
Manilla or Hawaii by Chinese merchants "to make propaganda." Warren Bowman was banned
from the empire and denounced as an enemy of Japan.
Gum, Inc.
released popular Play Ball baseball card sets each year from 1939–1941. The high series printing of the 1940 Play Ball set contains
six different advertisements for
Superman Gum. Newspaper advertisements for Downy Flake Donuts offered free
Superman Gum and cards as early as October 3, 1940. The
72-card Superman Gum series was illustrated by Fred Ray.
In 1941, Gum, Inc. issued various national defense themed sets and a
132-card War Gum series. During
World War II, latex
and chicle supplies were diverted to the defense effort, sugar was being rationed to
households, and paper scrap drives were held to salvage pulp. American
Chicle, Beech-Nut, Leaf, Walla Walla, and Wrigley were contracted by the
government to supply gum for military rations. Gum, Inc. was forced to
temporarily suspend production until 1944. After D-Day, gum from American
and Canadian soldiers became widely popular throughout the
Netherlands.
In March 1944, Gum, Inc. rebranded as Bowman Gum, Inc. Post-war marketing shifted towards adults and chewing gum. The field sampling
staff was mostly comprised of unpaid female volunteers that reported taste
test findings to the sales department. Testing indicated that more people
preferred Warrens Mint Cocktail gum over competitor brands. An extensive
advertising campaign for Cin-A-Mint, Fruit Cocktail, and Mint Cocktail
included endorsements from Esther Williams, Jinx Falkenburg, Lady Iris
Mountblatten, and Lana Turner.
Worldwide supply chains remained irregular after the war. Bowman resumed bubble gum production in January 1947, marketing fruit-flavored Bub. In July 1947, Topps Chewing Gum introduced Bazooka bubble gum.
Bowman sports cards returned in 1948 with sets for MLB, NBA, and NFL
players. Former Bowman vice president Edward P. Fenimore, Sr. formed the Philadelphia Chewing Gum Corporation and released a series of baseball cards with the Swell brand. In June 1948, former Bowman chemist Harlan H. Hill founded the Fo-Lee Gum Corp. in Philadelphia. Fo-Lee Gum produced a new Superman Bubble Gum, a license previously held by Bowman.
Fleer, Leaf, and Topps began competing with Bowman for exclusive rights to professional athletes.
Leaf released baseball and football sets in 1948 and Bowman pursued legal
action for contract interference. A settlement was reached and Leaf agreed
to cease production.
In 1950, Bowman released colorful baseball and football sets designed by George Moll Advertising, Inc. On April 13, 1951,
rookie slugger Mickey Mantle signed a $100 contract to appear on Bowman cards.
In May 1951, Warren Bowman sold his interests to Haelan Laboratories Inc. Bubble gum card sales dropped roughly 15% from 1951–1952. Topps aggressively pursued licensing deals to control the gum and card market. While a legal battle ensued
between Haelan and Topps, Haelan was acquired by Connelly Containers in
1955. On January 20, 1956, Bowman Gum and the player contracts
were purchased by Topps for $200,000. The Bowman brand was immediately
discontinued. Blony bubble gum remained in production until 1972.
Jacob Warren Bowman passed away on February 9, 1962, in St. Petersburg, Florida, at the age of 67.
In 1977, Topps employees Woody Gelman and Len Brown released The Great Old Bubble Gum Cards and Some Cigarette Cards. The punch-out book contains perforated reprints of cards from
American Beauties, Horrors of War, Lone Ranger Gum, Mickey Mouse Bubble Gum, and
Superman Gum. Gelman and Brown created the popular Mars Attacks trading cards for Topps. Gelman is
also the co-creator of Bazooka Joe and associate editor of Jefferson Burdick's
1960 edition of The American Card Catalog: The Standard Guide on All Collected Cards and
Their Values.
Three prototype Bowman cards were glued to pages of the 1956 Baseball Card Preference Study, a 24-page report from S. E. Zubrow Company. The three card designs
were shown to 324 boys in Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia. Two copies of
the report were rediscovered in 1983 among the personal files of Woody
Gelman. The prototype designs were used in the 2003
Bowman Heritage Baseball '56 Edition
from Topps.
The Bowman brand remained dormant until Topps released the 1989 Comeback
Edition of Bowman Baseball Bubble Gum Cards. Topps stopped
including bubble gum with cards after 1991. Packs of 2001
Topps Heritage include gum sealed in cellophane to avoid
damaging the cards. The 2015 and 2016 Heritage collections
feature scratch and sniff inserts that mimic old gum stains. Modern
Bowman trading card sets are known for issuing the first cards of young sports prospects.
Gum, Inc. : 1933–1944 | |||
1933 | R172 | Wild West | 49 |
1933 | PX3 | Double Header Buttons | 43 |
1935 | R48-1 | Film Funnies | 24 |
1935 | R48-2 | Film Funnies | 24 |
1935-1937 | R60-1 | G-Men & Heroes of the Law | 168 |
1935 | R89 | Mickey Mouse Bubble Gum | 96 |
1935 | R90 | Mickey Mouse with the Movie Stars | 24 |
1936 | R109 | Pirate's Picture | 72 |
1938 | R189 | Tintype Cartoons | 24 |
1938-1939 | R69 | Horrors of War | 288 |
1939 | R334 | Play Ball | 161 |
1939-1940 | R165 | War News Pictures | 144 |
1939 | R173 | World In Arms | 48 |
1940 | R83 | Lone Ranger Gum | 48 |
1940 | R335 | Play Ball | 240 |
1940-1941 | R145 | Superman Gum | 72 |
1941 | R336 | Play Ball | 72 |
1941 | V277 | Home Defence | 48 |
1941 | R157 | Uncle Sam | 96 |
1941 | R158 | Uncle Sam's Home Defense | 48 |
1941-1942 | R164 | War Gum | 132 |
1944 | R59 | American Beauties | 24 |
Bowman Gum : 1948–1956 | |||
1948 | R405 | Basketball | 72 |
1948 | R406-1 | Baseball | 48 |
1948 | R701-9 | Movie Stars | 36 |
1948 | R407-1 | Touchdown | 108 |
1949 | R701-6 | America Salutes the FBI - Heroes of the Law | 36 |
1949 | R406-2 | Baseball | 240 |
1949 | R701-4 | Movie Flip Book Pre-Vue | 24 |
1949 | R406-3 | Pacific Coast League (PCL) | 36 |
1949-1950 | R701-18 | Wild Man | 72 |
1949-1950 | R701-19 | Wild West | 180 |
1950 | R406-4 | Baseball | 252 |
1950 | R407-2 | Football | 144 |
1951 | R406-5 | Baseball | 324 |
1951 | R701-12 | Fight the Red Menace | 48 |
1951 | R407-3 | Football | 144 |
1951 | R701-13 | Jets, Rockets, Spacemen | 108 |
1952 | R406-6 | Baseball | 252 |
1952 | R407-4-1 | Football Small | 144 |
1952 | R407-4-2 | Football Large | 144 |
1952 | R701-14 | Television and Radio Stars of NBC | 36 |
1952 | R701-7 | Uncle Miltie | 36 |
1952 | R701-17 | U.S. Presidents | 36 |
1953 | R701-1 | Antique Autos | 48 |
1953 | R406-7 | Color Baseball | 160 |
1953 | R406-8 | Black & White Baseball | 64 |
1953 | R701-3 | Firefighters | 64 |
1953 | R407-5 | Football | 96 |
1953 | R701-5 | Frontier Days | 128 |
1953 | R701-15 | Television and Radio Stars of NBC | 96 |
1954 | R406-9 | Baseball | 224 |
1954 | R407-6 | Football | 128 |
1954 | R701-10 | Power for Peace | 96 |
1954 | R701-16 | U.S. Navy Victories | 48 |
1955 | R406-10 | Baseball | 320 |
1955 | R407-7 | Football | 160 |
1955 | R701-8 | Magic Pictures | 240 |
1956 | 1956 Baseball Card Preference Study | 3 | |
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Bolt, Jr., B.A. "Domestic market wide open, penny gum invades 5c. field."
Printers Ink, 14 July1944, pp. 22, 80–83.
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Burdick, J. R.
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and Their Values. Nostalgia Press, 1960
"Cage in Phila. factory falls after Japanese seize shipment."
The Evening News [Harrisburg, PA], 21 May 1938, p. 1.
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Cullinane, Leo. "He Drives Parents Crazy."
The Saturday Evening Post, 1 November 1947, pp. 20–21, 45–48.
"Food Bargain Parade Ends up at Kuebler's."
The Oshkosh Northwestern [Oshkosh, WI], 3 October 1940, p. 18.
Gelman, Woody, and Len Brown.
The Great Old Bubble Gum Cards and Some Cigarette Cards. New
York, Prime Press, 1977.
"Gum, Inc. Changes Name." Advertising Age, vol. 15, no. 13, 27
March 1944, p. 56.
Jamieson, Dave.
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"Japan seizes Phila. gum for 'propaganda pictures'."
The Philadelphia Inquirer, 21 May 1938, p. 3.
Hylton, J. Gordon. "Baseball Cards and the Birth of the Right of
Publicity: The Curious Case of Haelen Laboratories v. Topps Chewing
Gum." Marquette Sports Law Review, vol. 12, no. 1, Rev. 273,
2001.
"Speaking of Pictures... This is Bubble Gum's War in China."
Life, vol. 4, no. 19, May 9, 1938, pp. 4–6.
"The Bubble Gum King of America." The Saturday Evening Post, 1 November, 2022.
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Gum, Incorporated v. Gumakers of America, Inc. 12 May 1942.
“Warren Bowman, Gum Maker, Dies,” New York Times, 11 February
1962, p. 18.