Chappies (Did you know)

Chappies bubblegum is an iconic brand in South Africa and in fact, have been around since the late 1940s! What made Chappies chewing gum so much more popular than other types of bubble gum? The simple answer is; everything! Below are a few things you might not know about Chappies bubblegum!

1. Chappies was highly competitive from day 1!
   When other bubblegum brands were selling at 1 cent for a piece, Chappies bubblegum was available at 1 cent for 2 pieces. This is what made Chappies chewing gum a big industry contender from the start.
2. The Chappies bubblegum wrapper played a role in its popularity
   Chappies “Did You Know” wrappers provided great entertainment providing fun facts and trivia. The feature became so popular that the Chappies brand had captivated 90% of the South African market share by the late 1970s.
3. Chappies was a type of currency – well, sort of!
   Here’s a Chappies did you know for you! Back in the late ‘40s, shopkeepers sometimes gave out bubblegum as a form of change. At the time, the various Chappies bubblegum flavours became known as a type of “currency.”
4. Chappies had fierce competitors from the start!
   In the 1940s, Chappies bubblegum was Wicks Bubblegum’s biggest competitor. The product was designed to compete with Wicks.
5. Chappies chewing gum was created in Gauteng
   Arthur Ginsburg, who worked for a Jo’burg confectionary company came up with the Chappies idea.
6. Chappies chewing gum sales number are huge!
   Approximately 2.5 billion pieces of Chappies bubblegum flavours are sold each year.
7. 30 years after initial start-up in South Africa, Chappies chewing gum spread to neighbouring countries.
   In the 1970s, Chappies chewing gum had made it to Rhodesia, Congo, and Zambia.
8. A big brand took over the Chappies brand within 40 years of operation.
   Cadbury bought Chappies chewing gum in 1989.
9. Chappies flavours have changed a lot over the years.
   In the beginning, Chappies flavours included orange, strawberry, lemon, cherry and pineapple. Nowadays, Chappies bubblegum flavours are available in assorted fruit, spearmint, watermelon, grape, and cool cherry.
10. There’s a Chappies song!
    Chappies had an advertisement that included the Chappies bubblegum song with these lyrics:
    “It’s big bubble fun with Chappies bubblegum!
    Gives you flavour by the ton,
    Lots of colours to choose from.
    Everybody knows the one…
    Chappies bubblegum…
    Chappies bubble…gum!”

Did you know – Some popular Chappies gum “did you know” snippets

The Chappies wrappers have always been a big hit! If you’ve always been a fan of Chappies did you know, here’s a few popular ones you might enjoy.

• Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system
• The modern Russian alphabet contains 33 letters
• Some spiders can live at a height of 20 000 ft, they rely on bugs blown by the wind for food
• Legend states that coffee was discovered in Africa by an Ethiopian shepherd
• Millions of trees in the world were accidentally planted by squirrels that bury nuts an do not dig them up again
• Apples are part of the rose family
• Some crocodiles swallow stones to dive deeper into the water
• The word “dude” originally referred to an inexperienced cowboy
• The Nokia tune is based on a 1902 Spanish melody
• The average lifespan of human hair is 3 to 7 years
• Russia covers 9 time zones
• Caterpillars have more muscles than humans
• Athazagoraphobia is the fear of being ignored or forgotten
• An octopus has three hearts
• Cape Town is the only city in the world situated on both the Indian and Atlantic oceans

The very first “Did you know” facts used on the Chappies bubblegum wrappers were sourced from the Test the Team quiz featured on Springbok Radio. A while later, Chappies chewing gum featured interesting facts supplied by academics from Wits University’s Ginsberg alma mater. Initially, they had a stock of five thousand facts.

In 2012, Chappies fans were given a chance to have their own “Did You Know” facts features on wrappers. 50 000 people submitted their facts, with 170 facts carefully selected for printing on thousands of wrappers. The finalists whose facts were used received a lovely treat: a one-year supply of Chappies.
Six more finalists were also treated! Their facts were made into artwork made up of thousands of real Chappies chewing gum pieces. The biggest of the artworks was made out of 177 681 pieces and took around 15 hours to compile. In the end, the artwork was dismantled in as little as 15 minutes, with the use of the children and other members of the public that had been watching in awe as the structure was created!

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With a string of satisfied clients in our wake and with our finger on the pulse of all things emigration and finance related, we’re confident that we’re just the team to provide you with the upbeat services you require. To start the process, get in touch with one of our team members. For tax emigration and financial advice and guidance, take the time to contact us at FinGlobal. Send us an email at info@finglobal.com or call us on +27 283 135 600 .