Bubble gum, as we know it (the kind made for blowing bubbles), was first successfully created and sold in 1928 by Walter Diemer at the Fleer Chewing Gum Company in Philadelphia.

Quick Scoop: Who actually “invented” bubble gum?

  • Early chewing gums go back to the 1840s with John Curtis’s spruce gum, but those weren’t bubble gums.
  • In 1906, candy maker Frank Fleer created an early bubble gum called “Blibber-Blubber,” but it was so sticky you practically needed turpentine to get it off, so it never really took off.
  • In 1928, accountant Walter Diemer, working at the Fleer Chewing Gum Company, experimented with gum bases and hit on a formula that was stretchy, less sticky, and perfect for blowing bubbles. This became the first commercially successful bubble gum, later named “Dubble Bubble.”
  • That 1928 launch of Dubble Bubble is what most historians point to when answering “when was bubble gum invented.”

Mini timeline

  1. 1840s – First commercial chewing gum (spruce gum) sold by John Curtis in the U.S.
  1. 1906 – Frank Fleer’s “Blibber-Blubber” bubble gum experiment: technically bubble gum, but a commercial failure because it was too sticky and brittle.
  1. 1928 – Walter Diemer develops a new, less sticky, stretchier gum at Fleer; it’s wrapped and sold as Dubble Bubble, the first truly successful bubble gum.

In casual terms, people usually say “bubble gum was invented in 1928,” even though there were failed bubble-gum-like experiments a couple of decades earlier.

Why is this a “trending topic”?

Even though bubble gum itself is old, its backstory keeps popping up in:

  • Short history videos and explainers about “accidental inventions,” often featuring Walter Diemer’s 1928 discovery and the pink color choice.
  • Candy-history blogs revisiting how Dubble Bubble became a cultural icon and how bubble gum spread worldwide.
  • Fun trivia lists online that highlight that an accountant (not a chemist) created the classic bubble gum formula by experimenting on the side.

Multi-angle view (who gets the credit?)

  • “First to imagine bubble gum”: Frank Fleer, with Blibber-Blubber in 1906, shows the early concept but fails in practice.
  • “First successful product people actually used”: Walter Diemer’s 1928 Dubble Bubble formula at Fleer, widely sold and taught to customers with bubble-blowing demos.
  • “First chewing gum in general”: Earlier 19th‑century makers like John Curtis and Thomas Adams, but they were making chewing gum, not true bubble gum.

So, if you need one clear answer to “when was bubble gum invented,” the historically accepted date is 1928, with Walter Diemer’s Dubble Bubble at Fleer.

TL;DR: The idea of bubble gum appeared in 1906 with Frank Fleer’s sticky Blibber-Blubber, but modern, commercially successful bubble gum was invented in 1928 by Walter Diemer at Fleer, sold as Dubble Bubble.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.