{{Short description|American confectioner (1860–1921)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2021}} {{Infobox person | name = Frank Henry Fleer | image = | caption = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1860|7|9|mf=y}} | birth_place = Germany | death_date = {{death date and age|1921|11|1|1860|7|9|mf=y}} | death_place = Thomasville, North Carolina, U.S. | resting_place = West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, U.S. | occupation = Confectioner, chewing gum manufacturer }} '''Frank Henry Fleer''' (July 9, 1860 - November 1, 1921) was a German-born American confectioner and businessman who, along with his brother Robert, co-founded the Fleer Corporation in 1885 and co-invented Chiclets candy covered chewing gum. He patented the first bubble gum, Blibber-Blubber in 1906, but it was never sold in market as it was too sticky and brittle. After his death, his formulation of bubble gum was modified by Walter Diemer and became the successful Dubble Bubble brand.

==Early life== Fleer was born in Germany and emigrated to the United States in the 1880s.<ref name=Wolfman-Arent/>

==Career== Frank and his brother Robert founded the Fleer Corporation in 1885 and invented one of their early successes, Chiclets, candy coated chewing gum. They sold their invention to the American Chicle Company in 1914.<ref name=Matthews>{{cite book |last1=Matthews |first1=Jennifer P. |last2=Schultz |first2=Gillian P. |title=Chicle: The Chewing Gum of the Americas, from the Ancient Maya to William Wrigley |date=2009 |publisher=University of Arizona Press |location=Tucson |isbn=978-0-8165-2624-6 |page=49 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C-mb5wUcFVEC |access-date=15 January 2026}}</ref>

In 1906, Fleer patented an original formulation of bubble gum, called Blibber-Blubber, but it never reached the market<ref>{{cite book |last1=Batchelor |first1=Bob |title=American Pop |date=2008 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=9780313364112 |page=311 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/American_Pop/HxfOEAAAQBAJ |access-date=15 January 2026}}</ref> as it was too sticky and brittle.<ref name=Matthews/> Fleer registered trademarks for several other brands of gum including Blimp, Fruit Hearts, Vi-lets, and Whiz Bangs, although all turned out to be failures.<ref>{{cite book |last1=van Dulken |first1=Stephen |title=American Inventions A History of Curious, Extraordinary, and Just Plain Useful Patents |date=2004 |publisher=New York University Press |location=New York |isbn=9780814788134 |page=105 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/American_Inventions/ZbpU6LI89nIC |access-date=15 January 2026}}</ref>

Fleer died on October 31, 1921, of a stroke at his country estate in Thomasville, North Carolina.<ref name=SodaFountain>{{cite book |title=The Soda Fountain Volume 20 |date=1921 |publisher=D.O. Haynes & Co. |location=New York |page=87 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Soda_Fountain/SfPNAAAAMAAJ |access-date=15 January 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/freep/access/1790176262.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Nov+01%2C+1921&author=&pub=Detroit+Free+Press+(1858-1922)&desc=LATEST+WIRE+FLASHES&pqatl=google |title=Latest Wire Flashes |access-date=July 6, 2017 |archive-date=November 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107102658/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/freep/access/1790176262.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Nov+01,+1921&author=&pub=Detroit+Free+Press+(1858-1922)&desc=LATEST+WIRE+FLASHES&pqatl=google |url-status=dead }}</ref> He was interred at West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.<ref>{{cite web |title=Frank H. Fleer |url=https://remembermyjourney.com/memorials/frank-h-fleer?id=oa1yyW2a |website=remembermyjourney.com |publisher=webCemeteries |access-date=15 January 2026}}</ref>

In 1928, Walter Diemer, an accountant in Fleer's company, refined the formulation of Blibber-Blubber and it was marketed by Fleer's company as Dubble Bubble.<ref name=Wolfman-Arent>{{cite web |last1=Wolfman-Arent |first1=Avi |title=Bubble gum was invented in Philadelphia by a 23-year-old candy accountant |url=https://billypenn.com/2023/08/12/bubble-gum-invention-philadelphia-history-fleer/ |website=billypenn.com |publisher=Billy Penn at WHYY |access-date=15 January 2026}}</ref>

Fleer's company also went on to be innovators in the baseball card business, adding trading cards in 1923.<ref name="phillybiz">Stasff report (July 15, 2005). [http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/stories/2005/07/11/daily55.html Fleer auction nets $6.1M.] ''Philadelphia Business Journal''</ref>

==Personal life== Fleer was married twice. His second wife was Willie Jenkins. He was survived by two daughters.<ref name=SodaFountain/>

==References== {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleer, Frank H}} Category:1860 births Category:1921 deaths Category:19th-century American businesspeople Category:20th-century American businesspeople Category:Burials at West Laurel Hill Cemetery Category:Businesspeople from Philadelphia Category:Confectioners Category:German emigrants to the United States Category:People from Thomasville, North Carolina {{US-business-bio-1860s-stub}}