Here's What Inspired The Name For Hubba Bubba Bubblegum

It can be chewy pink squares that are filled with sticky gel-like syrup. It can sold in the form of Bubble Tape, where you unravel long pink strips of confections dusted in sugar out of a big round container. If any of this sounds familiar to you, you've more likely than not enjoyed some Hubba Bubba bubblegum.

The American candy market is absolutely saturated in chewing gum, each bearing their own unique names and histories. Dubble Bubble, that bright pink wad of gum with the totally radical skateboarding kid on the front, was actually invented back in the late 1920s by an accountant at a chewing gum company in Philadelphia (via America Comes Alive). Bubble Yum gum, the first "soft" bubble gum, debuted back in the 1970s, going so far as to have a very young Leonardo DiCaprio hawking it alongside exploding boomboxes in an '80s commercial (via YouTube). Older readers might remember Bazooka bubble gum, which provided not just some gum to chew on, but also comics featuring the Archie-esque Bazooka Joe and his pals (via CandyFavorites).

And then we come to Hubba Bubba. Perhaps the most striking thing most people would notice about it is the name. What exactly does the name "Hubba Bubba" even mean? Where did it even come from? Does it actually mean anything, or is it just a catchy nonsensical rhyme designed to catch people's attention?

Perhaps the name isn't rooted in confectionaries so much as it is in the military. 

You're probably a bit confused at where bubble gum and the United States military cross paths. Was Hubba Bubba some sort of military experiment to keep soldiers energized with chewing gum? Was it meant to refresh them to help preserve water rations? While these are all interesting theories, the truth is that Hubba Bubba derives its name from military slang from World War II.

According to OldTimeCandy, Hubba Bubba, which debuted in 1979, gets its name from the phrase "Hubba hubba," which was slang military personnel would use to express approval. The phrase itself goes back even farther, Smithsonian Magazine tells us, and there are four different theories about its origin. The first theory suggests that the phrase comes from Chinese pilots working alongside the U.S. Air Corps. The second theory claims that it's a play on the word "hubbub," while the third theory says it's a mutation of the words "hup hup hup" — both of which were terms used by drill sergeants. Finally, the fourth theory suggests that it is derived from the German word "hubsche," which means "beautiful," and offers up a connotation of attraction. While none of these theories includes bubble gum, the term of Hubba Bubba mainly refers to the positive definition of the word. The idea is that, if you want a gum that makes you say, "Hubba hubba," you'll go get some Hubba Bubba.

When it comes to the U.S. Army and food, however, certain rules and regulations mean you probably won't find any bubble gum in their rations.