A gum wrapper chain is a paper chain of any length that is made of discarded wrappers from sticks of chewing gum. Each wrapper can be used to make two chain links. This method will create thin links that can easily slide over one another. It is possible to use an intact wrapper, but this creates a bulkier link.
Gary Duschl earned a Guinness World Record for the longest gum wrapper chain, officially measured at 95,506 feet (2,292,857 gum wrappers, 4,585,714 links), on March 10, 2017. In Duschl's step-by-step instructions on how to make a gum wrapper chain, he states that it is possible to make a chain, of the same size as that of a gum wrapper, out of a Starburst wrapper.
It is unknown when this fad began or when it reached the height of popularity in the United States. According to Duschl, the fad reached Canada in the 1960s. On his site, Duschl posts the lyrics to the song Chewing Gum Wrapper by Jonathan Richman. The song describes the joy of finding discarded chewing gum wrappers and taking them home. The song seems to suggest that those who have made a hobby out of collecting gum wrappers, for whatever purpose, have a gift of finding enjoyment and beauty in something that most other people would find useless.