BBH Singapore breaks the chewing gum ban to celebrate SG60

Chewing gum has been famously banned in Singapore since 1992, a move aimed at curbing vandalism in public spaces. But as Singapore marks its 60th birthday, BBH Singapore is introducing what could be the country’s first legal chewing gum, without technically being gum.

Called "Unthinkables!", the product mimics the look, taste and chew of traditional gum but contains no gum base, making it water-soluble and legally permissible under Singapore’s strict regulations.

The chew was developed in collaboration with Irene Chan, founder of Oni Cupcakes, and BBH’s Innovation Lab. The team tested over 60 flavour and texture combinations before finalising a hyper-chewy, flavoured candy that offers the full gum experience without breaching the law.

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"Unthinkables!" is more than just a novelty product. It’s a clever marketing statement that embodies BBH’s appetite for “impossible ideas.”

Each piece contains a QR code linking to some of the agency’s most ambitious campaigns, such as "Heinekicks", a viral initiative that turned sneakers into beer-filled art, and Trapped, a horror film created to launch a travel insurance product.

“It’s unthinkable to launch a chewing gum in Singapore. Just like it was unthinkable to design a puffer jacket for the tropics to launch an extra-refreshing beer. But that’s the point. Creativity lets us solve problems by making the impossible possible," said Sascha Kuntze, chief creative officer at BBH Singapore.

Currently not available in stores, "Unthinkables!" can be requested directly from BBH Singapore, who invite brands and marketers to reach out for their own unthinkable ideas.

BBH Singapore has built a reputation for conceptual products and campaigns that tap deeply into cultural moments and industry truths. Prior to "Unthinkables!", the agency launched “Rinse & Repeat”, a conceptual soap bar blending personal catharsis with a satirical tribute to the creative grind.

Styled as an actual soap made from organic ingredients and cheeky elements such as “lightly-salted tears” and “empathetic nods,” Rinse & Repeat metaphorically explores the emotional toll of agency life. The project was born from the lived experiences of BBH’s own creative team and accompanied by a poetic manifesto — an inner monologue of the creative journey’s cycle of ideation, rejection, and breakthrough.

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