Did you know that December of last year marked Bazooka Joe's 50th birthday? You'd never tell it by his flaxen locks, pristine eye patch and bright blue baseball cap (with nary a decade of fading, wear or tear to be seen), but it's true. The king of bubble gum wrapper platitudes made his first appearance in 1953. Here's a bit of history on how he rose to prominence:

1. As is often the case, the product (pink bubblegum) predates the mascot here. Topps first issued Bazooka bubblegum during World War II. Its wrapper reflected the patriotism of the times by using red, white and blue as its trademark colors.

2. Despite reports to the contrary, Topps asserts that its bubblegum borrowed its name from the musical instrument popularized twenty years earlier, not from the fighting guns used in WWII combat.

3. Though Joe's eye patch has been cause for concern and curiosity over the years (many fans have inquired after its origin... and what ailment, if any, necessitates the "accessory"), Bazooka Joe historian Jeff Shepherd insists that no formal diagnosis or reasoning has ever been attached to the patch. It was added as a marketing angle. However, if you don't buy that theory, feel free to send us your own optometric diagnoses.

4. Bazooka Joe bubble gum began its prize catalogue campaign in 1956. If a fan collected a large number of Bazooka comics, they could trade them in for premiums like microphones, microscopes, cowboy boot rings and bikes. The campaign endures even today, offering such prizes as baseballs, bobble heads and mouse pads.