Summer is upon us, and I blew my first bubble of the season today, with a bit of bubble gum. That got me thinking: What's in this stuff? Why is it so stretchy? Fortunately, I had a browser nearby. Here's a classic segment from How It's Made visiting the bubble gum factory (just the classic pink chewy kind, not the exotic modern variants) and explaining the process:

My favorite parts are the cascade of glucose at 0:58 and the high-speed end-wrapper machine shown around 3:36. I also enjoyed learning that, yes, I'm chewing "plastics and rubbers" as a base, plus two kinds of sugar (yay!) and food coloring.

Recommended Reading

For more on gum, see:

• How Chewing Gum Prevents Songs From Getting Stuck in Your Head

• Chewing Gum Helps Brain Activity

• The Sticky History of San Luis Obispo, California's Bubblegum Alley