Gums, tums and bums

When I was a boy, during the 1960s, my favourite sweets were Rowntrees Fruit Gums. They came in two types – the small, pill-shaped ones in a roll, aimed firmly at the pocket money market, and the larger box, presumably aimed at families and courting couples.

The gums inside the box were shaped to look like the fruit whose juice they contained, and to my mind were also a lot tastier than the pocket money roll – which might have been true, maybe containing more actual juice than the cheaper, everyday pack aimed at undiscerning, small children. Whatever, I much preferred the boxed version of the gums, but these were a rare treat, to be shared out on car trips or visits to the cinema.

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