BBH Singapore creates the country’s first legal chewing gum for more than 30 years

Singapore – Creative agency BBH Singapore has developed Unthinkables, a hyper-chewy flavoured candy designed to mimic gum but made without a gum base to bypass Singapore’s decades-old chewing gum ban.

The ban, implemented in 1992 to curb public vandalism, remains one of the city-state’s most famous regulations. Since 2004, only therapeutic gum under medical supervision has been permitted. Unthinkables sidesteps the rules with a fully water-soluble formula which was developed with sugarcrafter Irene Chan after testing more than 60 combinations for the perfect chew.

Each piece includes a QR code linking to the agency’s most inventive campaigns, from Heinekicks – beer-filled sneakers for Heineken – to Trapped, a horror film promoting travel insurance. The product marks Singapore’s 60th birthday with a statement on the value of ‘unthinkable’ ideas that challenge limits.

‘It’s unthinkable to launch a chewing gum in Singapore,’ said BBH Singapore’s chief creative officer Sascha Kuntze. 'But that’s the point. Creativity lets us solve problems by making the impossible possible.’

The product is not currently available for sale – instead people can try contacting BBH Singapore for a sample.

Similarly, our Mischief Marketing report analyses how bold brands are bending the rules to cut through the noise.