DID YOU KNOW... McAllen was once home to the largest distributor of bubble gum in the US?

By Dr. Kimberly Selber | Photos Courtesy of John Paris

That popping sound you hear is the explosion of one of our favorite treats. Bubble Gum. Head to the store today, and there is a veritable cornucopia of gum choices, from gum that squirts to gum in wild flavors to sugar-free gum. But back in the 40s, bubble gum was hard to come by. Candy shops even rationed the sale to two pieces when the treat was available. That is until Andrew J. Paris entered the gum game in McAllen, Texas.

Paris, the son of Greek immigrants, grew up working in his family’s Tobaccaria in Detroit, Michigan. During WWII, candy was hard to come by, so the young Paris, who had a talent for languages, headed south to Mexico, where sugar was not rationed, to buy candy for his parent’s shop.

This is where our story takes a turn.

In an interview published Oct. 10, 1946, in The Herald News, Carlton Drolsbaugh, secretary of the National Association of

Chewing Gum manufacturers, said. “Bubble gum won’t be in adequate supply for another two years…There’s no hope for much bubble gum until 1948.” Why? The industry couldn’t get enough sugar.

The young entrepreneur, Paris, saw an opportunity to manufacture bubble gum in Monterey, Mexico. In just two days, Paris was granted the entire western hemispher’s supply of latex (a major ingredient in bubble gum) and was soon the head of a thriving business, Paris Bubble Gum, at just 26 years old. Paris found himself

traveling between McAllen and Monterey to oversee the gum business. He regularly traveled with over $250k in cash and a “pistolaro” in the backseat of his convertible to pay for materials and labor.

The Briscoe Center, where Paris’ papers are located, stated, “Paris shrewdly cornered the U.S. market on gum after World War II by trading hard cash for soft latex in Monterrey, Mexico, building a factory in South Texas and creating a distribution empire across the nation. He became a celebrity millionaire almost overnight.”

Very quickly, Paris not only prospered but he also rose to national fame. He was featured on radio shows and newspaper articles across the U.S. Art Linkletter hosted an interview with Paris titled, “I Blew the Luckiest Bubble in the World,” LIFE Magazine dubbed him the “Bubble Gum King.”

With all the hullabaloo about bubbles, doors in Holywood popped open for Paris. Evidently, it was Andy Paris who taught a young Natalie Wood how to blow a bubble

for her role in Miracle on 34th Street. And while Wood was only nine at the time, she took a liking to Paris and, according to his son, John Paris, set him up with the more appropriately aged Marilyn Monroe.

On October 1, 1947, Paris opened a manufacturing plant at 609 US Highway 83 in McAllen, Texas. The air-conditioned, art-deco factory with animated bubble-blowing signage was designed by Lucile Hendricks of McAllen and employed fifty women shipping bubble gum worldwide.

Owing to the global triumph of his bubblegum and the presence of his 13 gum factories in Mexico, Paris found himself under the scrutiny of the Cold War-era US government. This attention rapidly eroded his reputation and wealth, as he faced constant interrogations, audits, and penalties; the IRS was suspicious of the cash business with Mexico and disallowed all business expenses paid in cash. By 1955 Paris closed his business and liquidate his assets to settle a debt with the IRS.

While Paris Bubblegum once captured the world’s imagination, it has since faded from public recollection. The Paris Gum Corporation of America building is deignated a historic landmark by the Texas Historical Commission and still stands today as “Trapped,” an escape room. WANT TO KNOW MORE? watch Andy Paris, Bubble Gum King on Amazon Prime

Want to know more?

Watch "Andy Paris, Bubble Gum King" on Amazon Prime.