Pour one out for Bazooka Joe. The comic strips starring the one-eyed kid, used to wrap Bazooka's cheap pink bubble gum, are getting replaced with activities and puzzles as part of an overall effort to energize the 65-year old brand. This reminds me of the time Cracker Jack swapped their physical toys out for temp tattoos and "fun facts" printed on tiny sheets of paper. It was a change no one was really demanding.
Ken Carbone, one of the marketing gurus behind the change, told the New York Times that the new brand "takes visual cues from comic books and skateboard culture and graffiti." I'm still not sure how taking a visual cue from comic books includes actually removing the comics, but there ya go. Look, I'm all for Bazooka being able to compete with Hubba Bubba, and if a new corporate identity does the trick, then that's great. However, I am against losing yet another place where kids are exposed comics, no matter how small.
Thanks to @shawnlevy for bringing this to my attention.