In 1959, Topps released its annual baseball card set featuring players from that season. These cards were unlike any other released before – they came packed in small wax wrappers alongside gum, launching the era of ” Bazooka ” baseball cards.
The idea to package cards with gum came from Topps co-founder Sy Berger. Seeing how popular bubble gum was with kids, he realized including a stick with each pack would make the cards even more enticing. This was a breakthrough marketing tactic that took the hobby from just a card collecting fad to widespread popularity among children.
With the gum addition, Topps released its 1959 set in small blue wax wrappers branded with the iconic “Bazooka” name. Each pack contained 2 or 3 baseball cards and a square of Bazooka bubble gum. While the regular cards were the standard size and design baseball fans had come to expect, these new packs turned the cards into a type of coveted candy or treat for kids. They became the highlight of many childhood summers.
Inside each wrapper was a chance to possibly land stars of the day like Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax or a hometown hero. The cards featured colorful player photography on the front with stats and a write-up on the back. Topps employed some of the era’s top sports photographers like Hy Peskin to capture the players in action shots.
Because they were randomly inserted in gum packs, the 1959 Bazooka cards developed a mystique surrounding the hunt to complete a full or near-full set. Kids would swap, trade and share duplicates fervently on the playground. This communal aspect of building a collection further increased the cards’ popularity as a universally beloved childhood pastime.
Beyond the allure of gum and stars, Topps infused the 1959 issue with several innovative variants to add collecting intrigue. Among these were “red back” parallel versions of certain cards with a color change to the standard gray back. Other oddball inserts included manager cards, team checklists and even promotion cards for the Bazooka Joe comic strip featured on the gum wrappers.
For years, the standard 1959 Topps baseball design was the last released without player names on the front. Only the team logo and uniform number identified who was pictured. For kids, this led to hours spent poring over books to match faces with stats and properly attribute their cards. It made attaining that level of expertise in identifying every player extremely rewarding.
The famous “Airplane” Card featuring Willie Mays leaping for an over-the-shoulder catch is considered one of the most iconic baseball images of all time. Even casual collectors recognize the graceful silhouette depicted on card number 130 in the set. Beyond Mays’ athleticism, what made the shot so striking was its aerial viewpoint, something innovative for sports photography of the era.
As influential as any individual cards, the 1959 Topps set established firm traditions that carried forward yearly issues for decades. From the team-colored borders, to the focus on action photography, to the indelible player likenesses, these formative cards laid the groundwork for the long-standing hobby. They marked baseball cards’ transition from promotional novelties to beloved collectibles.
Over the subsequent years, Topps never abandoned the Bazooka branding or gum inclusion that proved so popular. As the 1960s progressed, changing tastes saw the cards move to larger, more traditional sizes separate from confections. Still, for a generation of Americans, the Bazooka name will forever conjure memories of summer afternoons chasing sets and trading on the playground with friends.
It’s hard to overstate the importance and impact of the 1959 Topps baseball set. As the first to be sold sealed inside Bazooka bubble gum packs, these innovative cards spread the hobby nationwide among children. They perfected a formula of on-card photography, variations, and collectibility that defined the golden age. Even today, over 60 years later, examples from the issue command premium prices due to their widespread popularity and status as pioneers in the field. The Bazooka era of Topps cards truly launched modern baseball collecting.
