[2] Chappies was developed by Arthur Ginsberg, head of marketing at Johannesburg-based confectionery manufacturer, Chapelat Sweet Factory, from which the brand derived its name.

[2] By the late 1970s the brand had spread to Zambia, the Congo area, and Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), and held a local market share of 90%.

The brand name became synonymous with the word bubblegum in part because shopkeepers used it in lieu of coins to give change to patrons,[2] and because of the inclusion of "Did You Know?"

facts were sourced from the "Three Wise Men" on Springbok Radio's "Test The Team", a popular quiz programme featuring Eric Rosenthal, Arthur Blexley and Dennis Glauber.

After a validation process, 170 facts, and accompanying illustrations by Jaco Hassbroek, were selected to be printed on millions of wrappers.