Big League Chew is a brand of bubble gum that is shredded and packaged in an aluminum foil pouch. It was created by Portland Mavericks left-handed pitcher Rob Nelson, and pitched to the Wrigley Company (longtime owners of the Chicago Cubs) by former New York Yankee All-Star Jim Bouton, a Maverick teammate of Nelson's, as a fun alternative to the unhealthy tobacco-chewing habit common among ballplayers in the 1970s. Over 500 million pouches of Big League Chew have been sold since 1980.
Big League Chew was introduced in May 1980, in the traditional pink color already seen in established brands of bubble gum. The cartoony packaging, originally designed by artist Bill Mayer, comes in flashy colors such as neon green and bright purple. LeBron James was reportedly a devoted fan of Big League Chew before signing an endorsement deal with Bubblicious.
Currently, it is manufactured in the USA by Ford Gum & Machine Company in Akron, NY, after taking over distribution rights from Wrigley and moving production from Mexico at the end of 2010.
The original advertising slogan throughout the 1980s, which is still featured today, stated, "You're in the big leagues when you're into Big League Chew!"
Read more about Big League Chew: Flavors
Famous quotes containing the words big, league and/or chew:
“Maybe in the ‘90s or possibly in the next century people will look upon the ‘80s as the age of masturbation, when it was taken to the limit; that might be all that’s going on right now in a big way.”
—Bob Dylan [Robert Allen Zimmerman] (b. 1941)
“He will deliver you from six troubles; in seven no harm shall touch you. In famine he will redeem you from death, and in war from the power of the sword. You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, and shall not fear destruction when it comes. At destruction and famine you shall laugh, and shall not fear the wild animals of the earth. For you shall be in league with the stones of the field, and the wild animals shall be at peace with you.”
—Bible: Hebrew, Job 5:19-23.
“At the dinner table, if you can’t think of anything to say, sit quietly. Don’t throw rolls, or chew on your napkin.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)