Baking Powder Submarines

A trip down memory lane. Do you remember coonskin caps, yo-yos, Lincoln Logs, erector sets, Howdy Doody, or how about the very popular Baking powder submarines. I did some looking and these subs are selling on E-Bay right now for anywhere from $3.50 to $10.00 a piece!

They were called baking powder submarines, as well as baking soda submarines. However, loading baking soda into one of them would cause it to sink straight to the bottom and await rescue. No, it was baking POWDER that the minuscule watercraft required for propulsion.

Baking powder, you see, is a combination of sodium bicarbonate (a base, chemistry fans) and cream of tartar (an acid). You kids who had a Gilbert chemistry set (which will be my next article) know what happens when you mix an acid and a base. Fizz! The fizz causes the submarine to rise. As the bubbles break at the surface, the heavier-than-water sub sinks back down, only to have more bubbles form on the bottom, causing the cool process to repeat.

The first baking powder submarines were introduced in 1954. The nation was buzzing about the first nuclear powered submarine, the timing was immaculate. They cost a quarter, and required a cereal boxtop to be mailed in. Within a couple of weeks, the miniaturized vessel would arrive in the mail, to the relief of the child who had been checking the mail box for thirteen days.

In short order, a sink would be filled with water, mom's baking powder would be "borrowed," and the submarine would begin one of hundreds of voyages.

Inevitably, the baking powder would run out and baking SODA would be tried. Within minutes, mom would be notified of the need for more Clabber Girl.

The subs were a huge sensation. The sub's manufacturer, Hirsch labs, went from a cosmetics maker to a toy maker. They created a smaller version intended to be a giveaway, cut a deal with Kellogg's, and started cranking them out by the millions. Other Hirsch creations would include diving frogmen, magic moon gardens, and more neat toys. Kellogg's sold several tons of cereal thanks to those little submarines. Eventually, models were sold that ran on tablets, actually compressed baking powder.

The invention of the diving sub by Hirsch resulted in nice profits for themselves, Kellogg's, and Clabber Girl. It also resulted in cherished memories for the founding members of the Baby Boomer generation.

You can make your own baking powered sub using a carrot, toothpicks and Baking powder. Take a small carrot like the little peeled baby carrots you get in the veggie isle at the super market. Cut it in half long ways. You only need the one half. Cut a small hole in the middle of the flat side of your cut carrot. Pack in baking powder in to this hole. Turn it over and add two toothpicks at either end of the carrot like flag poles/balances to help keep the carrot from turning over in the water. Place the carrot into a small amount of water about 4 inches deep and watch the reaction!

This is what your carrot will look like from the underneath side.

This is a great adventure to do with your grand kids and brings back memories of your childhood.