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Don't ever underestimate the value of being able to fold dollar bills and gum wrappers into neat little items like mouse-sized shirts and pants. Once your family and friends find out how talented you are they'll be begging you to show them how too!

Here I'll show you how to fold the comic wrappers from Bazooka® bubble gum into a shirt and pants set. You can apply the same folds to other rectangular-shaped paper such as money / dollar bills to create larger models and fun-themed shirts.

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Materials Needed:

• Two comic wrappers from Bazooka® bubble gum or two $1 dollar bills

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Fold the Shirt:

1. Start with one comic gum wrapper.
Flatten out the comic so it's smooth and has no turned corners. Don't use the comic if it's torn.

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2. Turn the white side up.
Turn the comic over so the blank side is up.

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3. Fold lengthwise.
Fold the comic in half lengthwise, unfold, and then fold in the two outer sides to meet in the middle.

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4. Fold the collar.
Turn the comic over. Fold the top down about 1/8" for the collar.

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5. Fold the collar tabs.
Turn comic over to front. Fold the collar tabs at an angle inward to meet in center.

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6. Double-fold the bottom up.
First fold comic to about half the length of the whole shirt, and then fold again to slightly overlap the collar.

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7. Undo what you just did.
First unfold the double fold. Then carefully open the bottom of the shirt (leave the collar intact) and fold on the first crease from the double fold.

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8. Turn the shirt around and fold sleeves.
The sleeves are a bit tricky, so don't worry if it takes you a few tries to get them right. Fold one sleeve at a time: Pinch the edge of the comic and push inward to create the sleeve. It tucks in naturally on the previous folds, but needs encouragement. Study the picture closely if you are having difficulty. You'll eventually get it, I promise!

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9. Final tucking
Once the sleeves are done, redo the double fold and tuck the edge up under the collar tabs. This is what the shirt looks like finished.

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Fold the Pants:

1. Steal from the shirt
To make the pants, start with the #3 fold from the shirt.

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2. Fold wrapper in half lengthwise.

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3. Fold wrapper in half at the angle shown.

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4. Turn the wrapper over
and fold down the top about 1/8" to secure. Optional: cuff the pants.

Congratulations! You've completed folding your origami shirt and pants set. Now go find a mouse and fit him with it.

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Hats Off to Bazooka Joe!

A Creative, Comical Marketing Gimmick

Bazooka® Bubble Gum is wrapped in a comic featuring Bazooka Joe's corny humor and funny fortunes. This is a clever creative packaging concept which marketing engages you with their product while enjoying plain square pink bubble gum!

Have you ever noticed the various forms pink bubble gum has taken over the years?

Besides the traditional square and barrel shapes, it's been cut into sticks for baseball cards, shredded into mock "chew" for big leaguers, gelified for squeezing out of tubes, and even rolled up and dispensed as "tape." And I have my suspicions that gum balls are made out of the same stuff, sans the pink color. I should write a book titled, "101 Ways to Slice, Dice, and Package Pink Bubble Gum." Would anyone chews to buy it?

Speaking of packaging, are you familiar with Bazooka bubble gum? If not, it's a rectangular piece of gum wrapped inside of a comic. Despite the cornosity of the comic humor, I think the marketing genius who added it to the gum "to add more interest" should get the world's largest bright idea award. What a creative concept! It's the best part of the gum and the one thing that makes it stand apart from the rest of pink bubble gum family.

You might think that Bazooka gum's appeal is only to little children who aren't grown up enough to recognize awful humor. Actually, you'd be surprised to know how many adults like the gum and collect the comics. A quick search for "Bazooka Gum Comics" on eBay will show you what I mean.

So, if you've never experienced this gum, or if it's been a long time since you've unwrapped and chewed any, I implore you to pick some up on your next shopping trip. Believe me, unwrapping and chewing the pink sugary confection while chuckling over the comic will add a momentary element of fun into your life. And that alone makes it all worth it.

© Chris Dunmire 2001-2023. All rights reserved.

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