The Gum Wall

Part landmark, part homage to the undersides of seats inside a local cinema house, the Gum Wall is about 750 square feet of—yes, you guessed it—used chewing gum.

Sometime in the early '90s, patrons waiting for admission to local improve comedy group Theatresports’ performances at the Market Theater in Post Alley began sticking their used chewing gum to the wall. Although workers tried several times to clean the wall and discourage more gum, the tradition was started, and the wall grew in size and depth (the gum is now several inches thick).

By 1999, love it or hate it, the Pike Place Market adopted it as an actual attraction. Deemed the “second germiest attraction in the world” (second only to the Blarney Stone) by TripAdvisor, the gum wall now attracts visitors who come to add their own piece of fruit flavored history. It's even been highlighted in a motion picture starring Jennifer Aniston, Love Happens, which was released by Universal Pictures in September 2009.

The wall is actually quite beautiful, if you don’t think too much about it. There are coins and trinkets stuck into the gum and many people have used their gum to “paint” small pictures or spell out words.  The colors and textures form a pointillist backdrop which has become popular for photo ops—locals even come to take wedding or senior portraits in front of the wall.  Just don’t stand too close—the gum has a tendency to grab onto stray hair and hems—ewww!

- by Caren Gussoff Sumption, Seattle Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Caren Gussoff Sumption

Caren Gussoff Sumption is a freelance writer and editor from Seattle, WA. She's written for USA Today, the Seattle Times/NW Source, MSN and AOL, and her fiction has been published worldwide. She received her MFA in writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.