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.

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"Bowman's Bub." Pathfinder, vol. 54, no. 19, 10 September 1947, p. 39.

"Bowman's Bubbles." Time, vol. 30, no. 11, 13 September 1937, p. 60.