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Yosan bubblegum's missing letter ‘N’ found, busting decades-long myth
Popular among children, the chewing gum was also known for its collect-and-win game.
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Yosan is a local bubblegum brand. (Shutterstock/Francesco83)
T
hose who grew up in Indonesia in the 90s may remember Yosan, a local bubblegum brand. Popular among children, the chewing gum was also known for its collect-and-win game.
Offering interesting prizes, the game was simple, as one only needed to collect five different candy wrappers that each bore the letters Y-O-S-A-N.
For decades, many tried their luck, unwrapping the paper covers and trying to collect all the letters. However, finding the letter “N” was like looking for a needle in a haystack, leading people to believe that the company had never actually printed the letter “N” and that it was only a marketing tactic.
Until this happened.
Kompas.com reported that Dendi Ivanda, a resident of Lenteng Agung in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta, managed to find all the letters in March and received a prize from Yosan.
Read also: Chewing gum sneakers are now a thing in Amsterdam
Dendi purchased two boxes of Yosan, each containing 60 candies, from an e-commerce seller.
He initially did not intend to collect all the letters, as he also believed the myth of the non-existent letter “N”. That was until he unwrapped one candy and discovered the rare letter printed inside.
Curious, he collected all the letters and sent it via post to PT Mustika Manis Utama, the brand’s owner.
As he did not receive any response, he tried to contact Yosan’s social media accounts and emailed the company.
“I was curious if the [contest was still running],” he said, saying that he was contacted by phone after sending the email.
On April 28, Mustika Manis Utama’s management came to Dendi’s house and gave him a children’s bike.
The management said that Dendi was only the fourth person to ever win the game. (jes/kes)
