It’s Our 13th Birthday!

We’re officially a teenager.

Thirteen years ago, Bubblegum Stuff was barely more than an idea.

A slightly chaotic one, granted. But still – just an idea. Small, fragile, exciting, and full of the sort of blind optimism usually reserved for people auditioning for The X Factor in a fedora.

Now? We’re officially 13 years old.

A teenager.

And honestly, that feels weirdly accurate.

Because building a business is a lot like raising a child. Except instead of nappies and Baby Shark, it’s shipping delays, product samples, late-night ideas, and the occasional existential crisis over whether anyone really needs a novelty plant waterer. (Spoiler: they absolutely do.)

Back in April 2013, I moved to Hong Kong to bring Bubblegum Stuff into the world. That was the moment it stopped being a nice little thought and started becoming something real. Like any newborn, it immediately demanded everything: time, energy, attention, money, sleep, sanity – the lot.

In the early days, survival was the main event.

Those first few years were about building the foundations: working out who we were, what we stood for, and where we fit in a world already full of stuff. Some products landed. Some didn’t. Some ideas looked much better in our heads. But every win and wobble helped shape what came next.

As the business grew, our personality sharpened. We realised pretty quickly that we weren’t here to do beige. We wanted to make gifts and games that made people laugh, raised eyebrows, and occasionally got a proper “What the hell is that?” – ideally in a good way.

That meant leaning into trend-led design, novelty, and products with actual personality (Weird Crushes anyone?!). Not just things that sat there looking nice, but things that entertained.

2017 was a big turning point. Our range of small card games really took off, and suddenly we weren’t just experimenting, we were becoming known for something. That gave us (me!) some confidence. 

We started to understand not just what people liked, but what they liked from us: pop-culture-led, slightly ridiculous products that didn’t take themselves too seriously. Games like Top Drags that reflect our love of drag culture, and Name That Bumhole that reflect, well… you get the picture.

Then came 2020, which changed everything for everyone. For us, it was the year our plant range exploded. Not the most obvious plot twist, but a welcome one. It was a reminder that growth isn’t always linear, and that sometimes your next big thing comes from a direction you didn’t see coming.

More recently, our squishy toy range has had a bit of a moment too. Which feels very Bubblegum Stuff: playful, tactile, slightly addictive, and just weird enough to make people smile.

That’s really been the thread running through all of it. Underneath the silliness, the whole point has always been to make things people connect with. A game that gets everyone crying with laughter. A gift that gets an actual “wtf” when it’s opened. A stupid little thing that makes someone’s day better.

That stuff matters.

Now, 13 years in, we’re based in London with a team of seven brilliant people helping shape what Bubblegum Stuff becomes next. And that’s probably the biggest change of all. What started as one person’s idea has grown into something shared, powered by a lot more brains, energy and creativity than it began with.

That’s made the business stronger, sharper, and much more fun to build. Something that's demonstrated perfectly by our brand new gift range, the Desktop Daddies.

There’s still loads to figure out. New ideas to chase (including an upcoming collab that kids and grown-ups will love 😉). Bigger swings to take. Probably a few more growing pains along the way. But that’s part of it. And, like Dolly Parton said: “If you want the rainbow, you’ve gotta put up with the rain.”

If the first 13 years have taught us anything, it’s that growth isn’t about getting everything right. It’s about staying curious, learning as you go, and making things people genuinely care about.

Bubblegum Stuff might be 13 now.

But it still feels like we’re just getting started.