The roots of Bubblegum can be traced way back to the dark ages. 1995 to be exact. These were grim times, when mobile phones were the the size of a family loaf and there were only about seven pages on the internet. It was also a time when, if you asked the average man in the street what Bubblegum was, he'd have said, "Pink chewy stuff, you blow bubbles with." Ask that average man the same question today and it'd be a far different kettle of fish. In fact, he'd be far more likely to say, "Bubblegum are the coolest, funkiest characters on this crazy old planet of ours!"

He'd be right of course, but I bet he doesn't realise that the Bubblegum we know and love today evolved from a character called Peebo, Space Bubba - and the fact that there's been around 40 different Bubblegum greeting card ranges since 1996!

Below is a brief history of Bubblegum and the groovy greeting card ranges which make up our family tree...

THE EARLY YEARS Cool Dude and Groovy Chick were two of the original characters who featured in the very first Bubblegum greeting card range which appeared in the shops in December 1996.

A second card range followed in 1997. This was called Bubblegum Plus and saw the introduction of the now familiar poems.
1998 saw Bubblegum Hot Stringz hit the scene. A range featuring funky Bubblegum Yo-Yo bods! Then in 1999, an extra sparkle was added with the Bubblegum Vegas range, featuring glitzy foil

By late '99 it was becoming clear that our bubble-headed gang were capturing the public's imagination and Bubblegum was set to explode into the 21st century.

Y2k WITH A BANG! The year 2000 kicked off in style with Bubblegum Wild Things which were swiftly followed by our first glimpse of those adorable Bubblegum Petz.

2000 also saw the release of Bubblegum Kraftee, Fluffees and FM (which was the first range with funky sound chips.)
By the end of the year you could also get hold of mugs, keyrings, t-shirts and all manner of Bubblegum related goodies. Plus you could become a member of the Bubblegum Club for the first time, when we opened our offices in November 2000.

FLIPPIN' MENTAL If 2000 was a busy year, then 2001 and 2002 were just plain dotty. The Bubblegum team turned out a grand total of 18 new card ranges in just 24 months! Big cards, small cards, 3D cards, singing cards, cards with magnets - and 2001 also heralded the arrival of La-di-da, surely the cutest Bubblegum range ever. It's no wonder 2003 was a wee bit quieter, the whole team must have been shattered! Having said that, they still managed to produce three cracking new card ranges during 2003, with Bubblegum Tiki, Buttons and Funky Town being the latest additions to our family tree.

2004 was back to business as usual, with nine dazzling new ranges flying out through the doors of Carlton Cards, including super stylish Bubblegum Boho and Movin' Groovin' Magic with it's amazing animated covers.


THE FUTURE...

With a host of delicious card ranges and oodles of exciting ideas in the pipeline, there's plenty for Bubblegum fans to look forward to in the future. And, as ever, we at the Bubblegum Club will endeavor to keep you bang up to date with the latest developments.

So now you know how much thought, time and effort has gone into creating our beloved Bubblegum bods, the next time you find yourself picking up a Bubblegum card, spare a thought for Phil Renshaw and the gang over at Carlton Cards. They'll be slaving over a hot drawing board somewhere, creating the next generation of our family tree.