Dear Cecil: I have asked many people, but nobody knows. How did Bazooka Joe lose his right eye? Loren St. Clair, Chicago

Cecil replies:

Dear Loren:

The folks at Topps, the makers of Bazooka gum, assure me that Bazooka Joe has 20/20 vision in both eyes and was merely equipped with a patch to give him a distinctive look. Yeah, like a mohawk or a tattoo was too rad, so let’s sacrifice binocular vision. Then again, I guess it worked for Brenda Starr’s paramour Basil St. John.

Cecil Adams

Send questions to Cecil via cecil@straightdope.com.