The History of Tootsie Roll Pops

The Tootsie Roll Pop has been a popular candy treat in the U.S. and throughout the world for many years. It's a simple and affordable candy that has managed to pass into pop culture, with Tootsie Roll Pop T-shirts and accessories available in many clothing and department stores. Invented during the Great Depression, the Tootsie Roll Pop has brought smiles to people of all ages for many decades.

History of the Tootsie Roll Company

In 1896, an Austrian immigrant named Leo Hirshfield opened a tiny candy store in New York City. He created a variety of sweet treats to sell in his shop, and eventually developed a small chewy chocolate candy that would be one of his best sellers. He named this product the "Tootsie Roll" in honor of his young daughter, who was nicknamed Tootsie. As his candy business grew, Hirshfield called his company "The Sweets Company of America." The name was changed to Tootsie Roll Industries in 1966.

The Tootsie Pop is Invented

In 1931, an employee of Sweets Industry of America named Luke Weisgram was experimenting with new products. He tried putting the company's famous Tootsie Rolls into hard candy. The result was the Tootsie Pop, which quickly became one of the best selling lollipops in the world. Originally, the Tootsie Pop was sold only in one flavor, chocolate. Since the 1930s, the company has expanded the line to include cherry, orange, grape, watermelon, blue raspberry, and half a dozen other flavors. By the start of the 21st century, the company was producing over twenty million Tootsie Pops a day.

How Many Licks?

The Tootsie Pop is perhaps best known for a famous commercial that ran in the 1970s. In the commercial, a young boy approaches various animals, most famously Mr. Owl, and asks them, "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop?" They give various answers, and the commercial ends with the line "The World May Never Know." This ad has been run in various forms since the 1970s, and a modernized version featuring a dragon and a robot was introduced in the 1990s.

Rumors and Culture

The Tootsie Roll Company claims to receive over 20,000 letters a year from children who have tested the number of licks to reach the chewy chocolate center of the Tootsie Pop. The average number ranges from 600 to 800, and the company sends a "Clean Stick" Certificate to each child who performs this task. Since the Tootsie Pop's invention, rumors have floated throughout popular culture regarding lucky or winning wrappers. Once rumor says that a wrapper with three complete logo circles will win the recipient a free Tootsie Pop, which others say that wrappers featuring a bow and arrow will bring good luck. Some smaller merchants may honor the three circle wrapper, but there has never been an official promotion of this kind in place.

Expanded Product Lines

Throughout the 1990s, Tootsie Roll Industries expanded the Tootsie Pop line to include a range of similar products. The first was the Tootsie Tropical Storm, which features several swirled tropical flavors in one lollipop. During this time, they also introduced Tootsie Pop Miniatures, which are about one third the size of the regular product. Finally, they introduced Tootsie Pop Drops. These are basically mini hard candies with a small Tootsie Roll center.

References

• Tootsie Pop Industries