Bazooka Candy Brands

Bazooka Candy Brands is a leading confectionery manufacturer and marketer with a storied history dating back to 1938, when it was originally founded as Topps Chewing Gum Company in Brooklyn, New York. The company produces and markets an iconic portfolio of interactive candy brands designed for consumers of all ages, with a core philosophy centered on what it calls 'Edible Entertainment' — the idea that candy should be as fun to interact with as it is to eat. Its flagship brands include Bazooka Bubble Gum, Ring Pop, Push Pop, Baby Bottle Pop, and Juicy Drop, each featuring distinctive interactive packaging and formats that have made them household names in the confectionery category. Bazooka Bubble Gum and its beloved comic strip character Bazooka Joe launched in the late 1940s and became cultural touchstones in American candy history. Ring Pop, introduced in 1977 as a wearable lollipop, was the company's first foray into novelty candy formats and remains one of its most recognizable products. Push Pop followed in 1986, and Baby Bottle Pop was added to the portfolio in 1998. The Juicy Drop line, launched in 2003, extended the brand into sour candy formats and has since expanded to include gummies and Dip N' Stix varieties. The company continues to innovate with newer product launches such as Push Pop Gummy Pop-Its in 2023 and Baby Bottle Pop Twisters in 2025, demonstrating its ongoing commitment to novelty and interactive formats within the candy segment. In October 2023, funds advised by Apax Partners LLP acquired Bazooka Brands, marking a new chapter for the company's global growth strategy. The brand has also entered the pop culture collaboration space through 'The Bazookaverse,' a branded content initiative that features partnerships with major entertainment properties, including DC Comics characters such as Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. This approach reflects the company's strategy of blending confectionery with entertainment and licensing to deepen consumer engagement. Bazooka Candy Brands operates across lollipops, bubble gum, gummy candies, sour candies, and novelty candy formats, serving retail channels broadly across the Americas and internationally. The company's product development is guided by a dedicated VP of Innovation and Partnerships, with global quality assurance and R&D also represented at the VP level, underscoring its investment in product integrity and new format development.