Thrills Gum on the Bottom of My Shoe


Thrills Gum on the Bottom of My Shoe

Walking to the post yesterday I step on something with that all too familiar “scrunch.”
Eww gum.
But.. not just any ordinary gum, Thrills gum.
Tastes like soap.  I would’ve spit it out if I were that person too.
So in light of my ”adventure” and upcoming Canada day I thought I’d share one of Canada’s prides Thrills Gum.

Have any of you ever tried to explain this gum to someone not from Canada?
My dearest friend Katie from Texas and I once had this conversation.

”Ever tried thrills gum when you visited Canada?”

”Nope, why?”

“It tastes like soap”

“Get real, soap? No gum tastes like soap.”

“Thrills gum does!”

Thrills gum is available in Canada and has been since the 70’s, although on sites like www.canadianfavourites.com and www.canadaonly.ca anyone can order it and have it shipped to them. I’d save the shipping and just take a bite  out of a soap bar if I were them hehhehe. It’s also available at dollar stores for around 2 for $1.00 for those few from Canada that haven’t experienced soap gum.

So do you love or hate Canada’s own soap gum?

Other  ”Canadian’isms” to be continued in the near future…..


70 responses to “Thrills Gum on the Bottom of My Shoe”

  1. Cynthia says:

    Love it!!

  2. spoony says:

    my mom gave it to me once… told me it was grape.
    not even close. thanks mom.

  3. I remember when I first tried it.. out of a li’l candy dispenser at a bowling alley. It was awful! So soapy! But eventually I wanted more, and while I haven’t had any for years now, I could really go for some.

  4. NadiaL says:

    I think it tastes more like deodorant than soap (not that I know what deodorant tastes like). But I agree that it definitely is addictive!!

  5. Mona says:

    Love it but not my boy friend!!!

    • Paul says:

      “Love it but not my boy friend!!!”
      …Poor boy friend. Loved less than Thrills gum!

  6. DF says:

    Love it!

  7. dunebuggy8 says:

    I remember getting that in my treat bag on Halloween and when I tried some I thought it was a cruel joke!

    Although, now I sit here with a slight craving to try it again just to see if it was as bad as I remember…

  8. mememe says:

    never heard of it!?

  9. ILMK says:

    I LOVE IT!!

    Ya I know… I’m sick. LOL

  10. kathyo says:

    I always have a pack in the car. Can’t stop at 1 or 2, need to eat the whole pack all at once. My son loves it too, but my daughter gets grossed out!

  11. amanda says:

    I had never heard of this until my husband told me about it. And I could not believe that they actually made gum that tastes like soap. Or rather, I couldn’t understand why they made gum that tastes like soap! I did love to nibble on soap as a child, but the urge has long passed and now I find soap tastes…well, gross. And soap gum tastes just as gross lol I guess it is an acquired taste.

  12. Meg1112 says:

    yum:)

  13. tattoodprincess says:

    I hated this stuff when I was a kid, but it was the only gum in the vending machine at the grocery store by our house where the quarter does to Muscular Dystrophy foundation so of course I learned to live with it. Tasted like a funky chunk of soap and you spit it out not too long after you put it in your mouth, but you always hoped that the next time you had it, the taste would be better. Sadly, it never was…*sigh*…I cant believe they still sell it to be honest lolz

  14. willowsprite says:

    Ick…I haven’t tried it since I was a kid but I remember not liking it! You can get it at the bulk barn, too.

  15. peggy says:

    Wow! I cannot believe there are people who like this gum. I remember getting it for hallowe’en, popping it excitedly into my mouth thinking it was going to be an awesome grape flavour and to my shock… it wasn’t any grape I had ever tasted. Gross!

  16. mememe says:

    I love how amanda says that soap tastes gross NOW …
    LOL … who would know?

  17. Tee says:

    Not a big fan, but my brother (who is now 23) still loves it!

  18. andrea says:

    I with the “Love it” camp…can’t describe quite why, but it’s definately addictive :o)

  19. roseofblack25 says:

    OMG! I love this stuff…havent had it in forever though
    great now I’m craving it thanks guys LOL
    guess I will have to see if the bulk barn has it here!

  20. Gauldar says:

    Damn you! I had almost forgoten about this stuff, now I need to get my fix!

  21. Sally says:

    I’m surprised by the amount of people that like soap gum 🙂

  22. Chey says:

    Im from California so when i moved here i had to try it, yup tastes like soap but yet that taste is so addictive go figure lol

  23. roseofblack25 says:

    does anyone know where I can find this stuff anymore
    went to the store where we used to buy it and they didn’t even know what I was talking about 🙁

  24. Sally says:

    Dollarama, or local mom and pop shop, at least thats in my area where u can find it 🙂

  25. roseofblack25 says:

    they have this stuff at the bulk barn!
    The one person I asked looked at me like I was from mars…yes she worked there and had no idea it was right beside her on the counter with the other candy (I didn’t notice it sitting there at this point) so I left then went back later to get blackballs when we were done eating supper and it was sitting like a foot from where the girl was standing yippie! at least I know where to get it from now on!

  26. Ryk says:

    Actually, The flavor of Thrills is … Not Rosewater, as stated in Wikipedia, nor Shave cream, or soap.

    I would love to tell you, but let’s make this interesting….

    It is the flavor of a natural root indigenous to Canada. If anyone can correctly identify this root, I will mail you a pack of Thrills anywhere on this planet.

    I will limit my offer to the first 10 replies.

    e-mail me at [email protected]

    • doug says:

      wow – the good ol days of 16 pieces to the pack! The package I have in front of me has 10, sealed pieces.

      I live in Canada and DON’T have much experience chewing on roots! a personal email with our without the gum would be appreciated! 🙂

      Doug

  27. Ryk says:

    For those expats, and others having a hard time finding Thrills, it can be found on-line at Canadaonly.ca The shipping will kill you, but it is worth the price..

    BTW, Thrills is made in Canada by Concord Confections in Concord Ontario, they are owned by Dubble Bubble, who is owned by Tootsie Industries… Not one of these sites even mentions thrills.

    Clearly, they are trying to avert a mad rush from the rest of the gum chewing public, who I am certain that once they taste Thrills, will stampede like charging rhinos to their closest retailer demanding their fix of Thrills. Ultimately the pandemonium will result in a such a run on Thrills that it would take months of the Thrills production facilities to catch up with the ever growing demand.

    …. o.k. maybe there are other reasons Thrills are treated like the black sheep of the family…. But I can’t think of any!!!

  28. Lorena says:

    WHERE CAN I FIND THRILLS GUM ????? IVE BEEN LOOKING EVERYWHERE IN VANCOUVER WHICH DOLLAR STORE HAS IT????????I need it thanks

  29. Rox says:

    What a fun post. I LOVE Thrills!! Yum.

  30. Sue says:

    I haven’t tasted this stuff in years. Decades, even. Now I must have some.

  31. melikegum says:

    OMG THRILLS WAS SO GROSS @ YEARS AGO NOW I LOVE IT

  32. Nancy says:

    Ummm. lol I’ve never even heard of it, and I’ve lived in Newfoundland and Ontario. I’m not “that” young, I’m nearly 29!

    • doug says:

      You need nearly twice your age to remember this gum.
      I do, and I do recall it fondly. I was at the dollar store yesterday, here in Southern Ontario and bought a couple packages. The trouble, each package lasts about 5 minutes!

  33. Paul says:

    My wife put a package in our anniverary card. Said it would be the only thrill I’d be getting this year … I ate the whole package.

  34. meee says:

    I havent had that gum in probably close to 30yrs, but I still havent forgot exactly how it tastes. Another gum that Im not missing is the gum that came from the trading card packages. Bleck!!!Im surprised how many people actually liked the Thrills!

  35. Sally says:

    Omg PauL! I laughed so hard!

  36. Smart Ass Canuk says:

    I always thought it tasted like Brylcream.

    Don’t ask me how I know that … but a little dab will do ya.

    SAC

  37. djbout says:

    I found some of this stuff a couple months ago ( Kelowna), bought 2 packs and crammed one whole pack in my mouth at once, mmmmmmmm, memories!

  38. runningmom23 says:

    love love love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  39. LYNN KREJBERG says:

    The taste is great! However the flavour does not last & the gum turns into a wad of cement in about 10 seconds. Too bad! It does taste good for a very short time. It needs improving in the flavour lasting & consistency.

    • doug says:

      I wonder if they couldn’t develop another confection with the same flavor. The gum is unique in that the flavor lasts a very short period of time before the gum turns into “the commonly referred to piece of soap” 🙂

  40. Shiloh says:

    Dollarama usually has it.

  41. Dave says:

    This is probably the most worst tasting gum I have ever tasted and I love it and I was addicted.I recently ordered a couple of boxes of 24’s after not having it for 4 years and lo and behold when I had some it was definately worse thasn ever.It appears that they have altered the recipe somewhat like they added more grape or change the sugar,don’t know what they did,but it is definately not the same.I gave some to other people who used to love it and their response was the same ! What have they done to destroy the most loved hated gum ever made ! Nobody likes it any more.Besides that,the manufactures have gotten cheap buy down sizing it at least 2/3 and packaged it differently and thus upping the price alot.Bring back the old soap gum we all hated with love.

  42. Adam says:

    This list is too funny! I too used to get this for Halloween. I loved the ‘grape’ look so was always tempted to chew it, but like tattoodprincess said, you hope the taste gets better but it doesn’t!

    Ryk, has anyone answered your question yet? If so, can you let us all know what the ‘secret flavour’ is??

  43. Darny Flappleshytes says:

    Thrills is one of the few gums left without aspartame. Artificial sweetener is poison. I would eat real soap instead of the aspartame.
    Enjoy!

  44. Jonnie says:

    Wow this is great,a blog about thrills gum. I’m addicted to them big time now. Didn’t eat them much when i was young, but i saw them at a dollar store about a year ago and decided to get a pack and I’ve been hooked ever since. I have a big problem though I just,moved to Vancouver from out of province, and I can’t find them anywhere. I’ve tried a bunch of dollar stores with no luck, does anyone have any idea where to get in the north Vancouver area?

  45. Jonnie says:

    Wow this is great,a blog about thrills gum. I’m addicted to them big time now. Didn’t eat them much when i was young, but i saw them at a dollar store about a year ago and decided to get a pack and I’ve been hooked ever since. I have a big problem though I just,moved to Vancouver from out of province, and I can’t find them anywhere. I’ve tried a bunch of dollar stores with no luck, does anyone have any idea where to get in the north Vancouver area?

    P.S. Nancy from Newfoundland your really cute! 🙂

  46. Litesandsirens911 says:

    OMG, I LOVE Thrills gum…and yes it tastes like soap, but I still love it..hard to find though.

  47. mcminsen says:

    Lorena… if you’re till there. I think I saw some Thrills gum at Dutch Girl Chocolates on Commercial Drive in Vancouver. Give them a call. They also have Sen Sen. 🙂

  48. C says:

    I was told as a child that the actual flavouring is betel oil.

  49. stan m says:

    Thrills came up in a conversation over what we have lost
    Good to see it back here, no gum is better…

  50. Elsa says:

    Truth is, it doesn’t actually taste like soap (have you ever had your mouth washed out with soap?). It tastes like the SMELL of soap! That is because it contains rosewater which was commonly used to scent soap back in the day. At least according to this wikipedia entry.

    Oh and Thrills gum has been around since at least the 1950’s, because that is when I first ate it as a kid.

  51. john says:

    taste is from the tapioca

  52. 7mountains says:

    Paul….what a hilarious comment. I too laughed a lot. MY 3oth wedding anniversary is in June, I MUST include a package of it in the card for DH. I apologize forehand but I will be borrowing your wife’s line. It is easy to see why the 2 of you are still together…humor. It gets us all through so much in life. By the way I got married at 5 LOL!!

    I love Thrills gum, it is the gum you love to hate and hate to love. My hubby is from Norway and had never tasted Thrills. I still remember the look on his face when I introduced it to him. He spit it out in his hand as fast as he first put his teeth into it and stated how awful that was.

  53. Julie says:

    I love reading these stories about Thrills gum. I too was a victim of this product at Halloween. I remember being thrilled about getting gum in my trick or treat bag and also thought it was grape but all too quickly discovered its true taste! Would anyone believe that my best friend has never tasted it and she grew up in Canada? I have no idea how that happened but I plan to rectify the problem shortly.

    I also have to wonder about Cdn products, why does Buckley’s taste so bad too? Do we really have that few options for flavourings in this country?! I suspect our parents enjoyed torturing us. 😉

  54. Tanis says:

    Loved reading the stories about this gum,,,,used to buy it all the time when I was a youngster…I did not know that you can still buy it. Thanks for letting us know that it is still around and available at the Dollar Store.

  55. Lauren P. says:

    LOVE LOVE LOVE THRILLS!!!! best gum!!! i can eat a whole pack in like 5 minutes haha. another really good one not many people like is Black Cat bubble gum, black licorice flavoured. i love them both so so so so much!!

  56. Buffywannabe says:

    I don’t understand why Thrills gum was popular since it tastes like soap. Maybe it’s because of memories of getting soap on your tongue from your parents. Maybe it’s because if you chewed the gum then the soap from your parents wouldn’t be as much of a punishment.

  57. Wendy says:

    I LIVE IN THE U.S.A. NOW AN I MISS THRILL’S GUM SO MUCH..WISH I KNEW SOMEONE THAT COULD SHIP IT TO ME..ALSO SPRUCE BEER SODA AND HUMPTY DUMPTY SALT AN VINEGAR CHIPS…YUM YUM

  58. Distant Son says:

    I was waiting for someone to mention Black Cat bubble gum, because as I sit in Afghanistan reading these posts it reminded me of that gum but I couldn’t remember the name. And… I’m chewing a whole pack of Thrills my brother sent me as I type this! Its so good its worth the 2 week delivery to Afghanistan! 😀

    Also, I will now be looking for Black Cat Bubble Gum when I get back to Canada. Oh the memories!

  59. Darcy says:

    Hey….its not great but its not bad either. It is also not poison….aspartame free it is!

  60. Tremor says:

    I was just talking to someone about the flavour in a restaurant tonight. He made Honey Lavender Ice Cream one evening and I told it reminded me of the flavour of Thrills gum. So my vote is for Lavender. It is impossible to describe the flavour of Thrills because it is not like anything you have ever had before. It is not fruity or minty like most gums. And yes, it does remind you of soap too, especially as an aftertaste. Definitely something you remember because it is so unusual and addictive.

  61. Wingett says:

    The flavour is Rosewater!

  62. Wingett says:

    The flavour is Rosewater! It is the best gum ever – I buy in it in bulk all the time and introduce it to my European friends constantly!

  63. Dave says:

    Thrills gum only tastes similar to the SMELL of soap due to the content of rosewater, not soap itself. People used to enjoy the gum while half-heartedly remarking that it tasted like soap and the description took hold and stuck with it as a term of endearment. It’s really good gum if you have never hear about the soap comparison.

    There are other references in this thread about “Black Bart” gum, but it was erroneously referred to as “Black Cat” gum. Perhaps there were TWO types of black licorice gum of black colour, but I am unaware of anything other than Black Bart.

    From back in those days there were some very interesting products that were touted as “Dutch licorice”, in that it was SALTED Licorice. The idea is horrible, but it was an addictive product called “ZOOT DROPS” and there was a double-strength version called “DUBLE ZOOT” (sp?). Interestingly, another product that was much more famous called Sen Sen, which I cannot find anymore, and I believe it was also a salted licorice product.

    I miss those days of my youth and all that candy so cheap. A quarter would buy a bagful of assorted bits that would last a couple of days if you nursed them. Black balls, Wacky Wafers, KooKoo, Lik M Aid, Fizz, Now and Laters, Ton O Gum, Pop Rocks, Lola, Gob Stoppers, Sherbet Fountains, – – Those were the days!!

  64. Paul Higginbottom says:

    This flavour of confection is very popular in Australia. There in comes in all shapes, sizes and textures. To Aussies it is Musk flavour candy.

  65. joshua says:

    where can I buy this in Vancouver

  66. PJ says:

    To me, Thrills has always smelled and tasted like certain varieties of geranium, which might also explain why many people think it has hints of rosewater / coriander seed. Maybe Ryk is thinking of soapwort but I think that is unlikely since soapwort is mildly toxic. Then again, maybe he is right since it seems to make a lot of people nauseous 😛


















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