What is this, you ask? What kind of treasure is this?
I'll give you hints.
It's old, about 47 years old.
It's handcrafted.
It's made from the outer paper of something that many people chew.
It's a gum wrapper chain that I made in the fifth grade.
Why keep such a thing?
It's a memento of my very first crush on a boy.
All the girls made these chains to be as tall as their boyfriend.
It's fun for me to look at the gum wrappers.
Some I don't even recognize!
I see Wrigley's Spearment.
(the red and dark green on the right)
I see Juicy Fruit.
(the yellow with green letters)
Just a little trivia...a pack of gum cost five cents way back then!
There's Doublemint.
(green and white stripe)
and there's Fruit Stripe gum
that came in five fruity flavors.
(it's the orange, green, and red ones on the right)
What memories this brings back!
My crush was a secret.
Absolutely no one knew...not even my best friends.
He was oh so cute, but I'm not sure he even noticed me!
I can remember always wanting to play on the playground near where he was playing!!
He was a little bit of a bad boy.
He used to get in trouble a lot...
couldn't be still in class, didn't do his homework, missed a lot of days and got in his share of fights.
I wonder where he is today.
I haven't heard anything about him since junior high.
As I said, you made the chain your boyfriend's height.
I wondered as I began to write this if it was finished.
This is 4'9" tall, which seems about right
for a fifth grader.
I just goggled that, and the average height is 4'8",
so I guess I finished it.
I don't know why I kept it all these years.
I guess it's just a reminder of a sweet childhood memory!
OMG - Does that bring back memories. How wonderful you kept it, they are works of art, and of patience! Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteI was so surprised when I read your blog. I remember the gum chain but I didn't know about the length. I can't believe you have saved yours all these years. Cost of gum as really gone up. Fun story.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen this before! How fun. I may have to get directions from you so the boys can make them this summer. That's a lot of gum though! I love the way you photographed it! My favorite picture is the last one! The bug question...do you remember the boy's name? :)
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