Walter Diemer accountant by trade, Diemer liked to experiment with gum recipes in his spare time. In doing so, he accidentally stumbled upon a unique recipe. The gum was pink because it was the only food coloring in the factory, which is the reason most bubble gum today is pink. Compared to standard chewing gum, the gum was less sticky, would not stick to the face, and yet stretched more easily. Diemer saw the possibilities, and using a salt water taffy wrapping machine, wrapped one hundred pieces of his creation to test market in a local mom-and-pop candy store. Priced at one
The Pink Phink Short Film, it marked the first time that a studio won an Academy Award with its very first animated short. A laugh track was added to the theatrical Pink Panther cartoons when they were broadcast as part of the "Pink Panther Show" aired on NBC, and this laugh track still appears on when the show is aired on the Spanish language Boomerang TV channel, and the France Channel Gulli. Most American broadcasts currently air minus the laugh track. "The Pink Phink" can be viewed in its original form with full titles and sans laugh track on The Official Pink Panther