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After a conversation between ex-Yankee
Jim Bouton, and career minor league
pitcher Rob Nelson in 1977, the idea
for Big League Chew was born. The two
Portland Maverick teammates formed a
business partnership that would
eventually bring Big League Chew to
market in 1980. The plan was to replace
chewing tobacco with shredded bubble
gum that came in a pouch, emulating the
tobacco spitting players of the past.
The exaggerated chin, bubble gum cheek chewing character illustrated on
the package was created by iconic
Atlanta artist, Bill Mayer. The Gum In
cheek, tobacco chewing like
illustrations of the 1980s and '90s, were removed from the
characters depicted on the pouch in the
later years.
In 1982 the "Big League Chew Scratch & Sniff Stickers" hit the market.
Scratch-and-sniff stickers became
popular in the late 1970s, and remained
so through to the mid-1980s. The
stickers, mounted on paperboard, were
treated with a fragrant coating. When
scratched, the coating releases an odor
related to the flavor of the gum. The
fragrant flavors included included
Original Bubble Gum, Grape, and
Strawberry.
In 1990 Jim Bouton introduced
Good Humor Big League Ice Cream Bars.
The stick in the Good Humor
chocolate-covered ice cream bar, was
shaped like a baseball bat with the
autograph of one player from each of
the 26 major-league teams.
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