For the first time since it was introduced to penny candy customers in 1953, Bazooka bubblegum will have its packaging overhauled to do away with the familiar red, white and blue color scheme.

Instead, the new design will feature "saturated hues like fuchsia and yellow," which Carbone Smolan Agency founder Ken Carbone tells The New York Times "takes visual cues from comic books and skateboard culture and graffiti."

Ironically, the most major aspect of Bazooka's "youthful" rebranding is the replacement of its iconic comic strip with brainteasers and puzzles.

Indeed, the wrap-around comic that has been synonymous with Bazooka will give way to "funtivities" and digital codes that can be used to unlock online content "like videos and video games."

Bazooka Joe and his gang won't be going away altogether, but after a recent poll found that only 7 percent of kids age 6 to 12 knew who he was, the company decided to minimize the merry pranksters' role to "occasional illustrations."

Oh, and no more cheesy jokes either. "Instead of a cheesy joke," Bazooka Candy Brands VP of Marketing Anthony Trani told the Times, "we wanted to have a fun, engaging activity for kids."

One thing's for sure: This better not impact the development of Michael Eisner's Bazooka Joe movie.

[comic via Walls360]