Hubba Bubba Soda: History, Packaging & Flavors

Snack History Nostalgia Rating: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆

What do you get when you combine the delicious flavor of pink bubble gum with soda? Why, you get Hubba Bubba Soda of course! If you love sweet treats like Hubba Bubba, their soda was a phenomenal addition to the line. 

Unfortunately, this is yet another product gone far too soon. But while it was here, it was sweet and delicious. Let’s learn more about Hubba Bubba Soda below! 

History

The Hubba Bubba Soda was created by the same company that created Hubba Bubba chewing gum. Hubba Bubba was created by Wrigley in 1979. It came in many different forms over the years. They also created different flavors. 

Now, you can still buy Hubba Bubba bubblegum products, but you likely won’t find the soda anymore. It simply didn’t last very long on the market. 

Hubba Bubba soda was considered a novelty beverage. Much like Jones Sodas, and other similar things, it was crafted to be special and nothing like your traditional soda choices. It was sweet and had that distinct flavor of original pink bubblegum. Of course, it was also carbonated and had a unique pop to the flavor. 

Since the soda wasn’t around all that long, the history is another challenging story, but we were able to find some details. From what we could find, Hubba Bubba Soda first came to US store shelves around 1988. Steve Roeder is the individual who was credited for creating the soda. Rumor has it that the flavor came from using snow cone syrup that was bubblegum flavored. 

The soda started out primarily in Chicago and throughout the Midwest but quickly took off and spread out throughout the United States. It was available for a very short timeframe, but we’re not 100% certain when production was stopped. It was around for less than 5 years total from start to stop of distribution. 

The original bubble gum flavor was the big offering, but they also created a Diet Hubba Bubba soda for fewer calories and sugar when it was wanted. The soda was mostly sold in cans, where most novelty sodas are sold in bottles. However, the cans were popular. If you find a can now, just know that it wasn’t recently made. 

The Hubba Bubba Soda cans were very fun and looked like what you would probably expect them to. They were pink cans with small pink bubbles all over them. Of course, Hubba Bubba was inscribed on the can in their infamous yellow bubble letters, much like the gum packs are. It looked like Hubba Bubba gum, but on a drinking can! 

While this was a novelty beverage based off of Wrigley Hubba Bubba gum, it was actually initially created outside of the company. Steve Roeder used that bubblegum sno-cone syrup and paired it with club soda to begin his flavorful idea. Once he got the formula just right, he worked with a canning company for production and distribution. He also had to go to Wrigley to get a license to use the Hubba Bubba rights. 

Mr. Roeder paired up with Larry Wilson and the AJ Canfield Company after he obtained the rights to use the Hubba Bubba Name. He handled most of creating, development, promotion, and legal needs, while Larry handled things like marketing and distribution details. 

The most common place that Hubba Bubba soda was found in stores was Toys R Us, although it was sold around the world and in plenty of other locations too. 

About Hubba Bubba

Since this soda was created based on Hubba Bubba, let’s talk just shortly about the bubblegum! Hubba Bubba gum was created in 1979 and is still around today. It’s produced by Wrigley Company and owned under the umbrella of Mars, Inc. 

According to the original stories of the bubblegum, the name came from a twist of the common phrase “hubba hubba” that was coined during World War II as an expression of approval about something. 

Hubba Bubba gum was designed to be great for blowing bubbles, with lasting flavor. It was also formulated to be less sticky than most bubble gum on the market at the time. The original and most popular flavor was always the pink “original” that we all know bubblegum to be. 

However, over the years they’ve created a lot of other flavors too. The original still remains, as do some other flavors. They create seasonal flavors as well. The soda was crafted after the original bubblegum flavor. 

When Was Hubba Bubba Soda Created? 

Hubba Bubba soda was first made sometime around 1988. Since it was a specialty beverage, it was never meant to be a long-term product. While it was popular for a couple of years and some fans still try to demand it be brought back, it didn’t last long. 

You can still occasionally find some cans or even unopened sodas that show up online from time to time. However, the novelty of the soda was the limited-time production and availability. 

Who Owns Hubba Bubba Soda? 

Hubba Bubba Soda was not owned by Wrigley like the bubblegum. However, the gentleman that created it did have to go through Wrigley to get license to use the title for his soda creation. 

The soda was created by one Steve Roeder, Steve did all of the work to create, gather the licensing from Wrigley, and find a bottling/canning company to help mass produce the soda. 

Eventually, Steve also partnered up with a good friend, known as Larry Wilson. The soda was owned by these two partners. They operated under the title of “Novelty Beverage” in order to create and produce the drink. They also partnered with another company for the packaging and distribution part of the process. 

Unfortunately, Hubba Bubba Bubble Gum Soda is no more. 

How Did Hubba Bubba Soda Get its Name? 

When you consider the name of this drink, you assume that it was simply fashioned after Hubba Bubba bubble gum. While that’s partially true, that’s not really the story behind it, as we’ve found here in the above history. 

The creator did have to work out a licensing agreement to use the name. However, when he created it, it wasn’t necessarily specifically to taste just like this bubble gum. He experimented with bubblegum syrup and club soda until the flavors were just right. 

The flavors reminded him of Hubba Bubba, which then inspired the name and the drive to turn it into a beverage for his novelty soda drink. 

Logo

Flavors

Hubba Bubba soda wasn’t on the market for all that long. It lasted only a few years, although you can still find some old cans out there. It’s no longer in production. However, they did have more than one flavor. 

The Hubba Bubba flavor original was designed to taste like original bubble gum. But the producers also added a Diet Hubba Bubba soda as an alternative option. The diet version contained less sugar and was more calorie-friendly for those who wanted it. 

Ingredients

• Carbonated Water
• Sugar
• Citric Acid
• Atabiliser: Acacia gum (E414)
• Stabilizer: glycerol (E422)
• Flavor
• Colour: Ponceau 4R (E124)
• Preservative: Sodium Benzoate (E211)

Nutrition

Serving Size:	Per 100 milliliters	% Daily Value*
Amount Per Serving
Calories	47.6
Carbohydrates	11.9 g
Fat	0g	0%
Protein	0g	0%

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Commercials

Conclusion

Hubba Bubba soda was a drink that was certainly worth tasting. There are a lot of other specialty drinks out there and many of them are tasty. This one only lasted a short while, but it was certainly great while it lasted. If you can find a can now, consider yourself a lucky winner of another tasty treat gone far too soon.