Tootsie Pops (History, FAQ, Pictures & Commercials)

Tootsie Pops are often called the world’s most popular lollipops. And it’s for good reason, too; they taste great! Tootsie Pops have been around for decades and they are still going strong. They are a lot like normal lollipops, but they have a thick shell that surrounds an extremely chewy chocolate Tootsie Roll in the center.

The idea of the Tootsie roll pop was first thought up when someone who was licking a lollipop at the same time they were chewing on a Tootsie Roll, from there on what we know today as the Tootsie Pop was born. This candy has become a classic that almost all kids and adults have enjoyed once, and they come in a wide variety of flavors to please most audiences. 

History

Tootsie Pops are a lollipop candy, with a thick shell of various flavors, and it has a chocolate Tootsie Roll in the center. Tootsie Pops were invented by a man named Luke Weisgram in the year 1931. He was an employee of a candy company and was asked to think of a new candy idea during a company meeting.

Shortly before that meeting, he had a lick of his daughter’s lollipop at the same time that he was chewing a Tootsie Roll. He found that the two together was a tasty pleasure. The board of his company really liked the idea and they agreed to produce it. There were some adjustments made to the final product, and then Tootsie Roll Pops were released to the public.

The first flavor of the Tootsie Pop to be produced was chocolate. The flavor went well with the Tootsie Roll concealed inside. Soon after, other flavors were introduced such as strawberry and watermelon. To this day, new flavors of Tootsie Pop are released occasionally; some are seasonal, such as the candy cane flavored Tootsie Pop, while others are permanent.

Eventually, some variants of Tootsie Pop were introduced such as Tootsie Pop Miniatures and Tootsie Pop Drops. The miniature version is often sold as a bag of multiple flavors of a smaller version of Tootsie Pops. The Tootsie Pop Drops are a clever invention. They are basically small Tootsie Pops without the sticks which you can pop into your mouth and enjoy.

In the following decades after its release, the Tootsie Roll Pop has remained one of the best-selling lollipop brands in history. Millions of Tootsie Pops are still produced daily in factories and they still seem to be selling strong. Tootsie Pops can be bought both online and in stores. Both have advantages and disadvantages. In stores, you can often get Tootsie Pops in small amounts cheaply and faster. However, buying Tootsie Pops online offers better bulk deals and more variety.

How Many Licks to the Center of a Tootsie Pop

The famous commercial for the 30s candy, Tootsie Pop where the owl was asked how many licks it took to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop sparked a real scientific interest. While the Owl got to the center in three licks and a crunch, there was interest in the scientific community about how many licks it really would take to get to the middle of the famous lollipop.

Purdue University created a licking machine that was modeled after a human tongue and a group of students running the study reported that it took an average of 364 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. Human volunteers also tried it out and they averaged 252 licks to the center.

The University of Michigan also did their own study when an engineering student made his own licking machine which was able to get to the center of the treat in 411 licks. Students at Bellarmine University did a controlled study with 130 participants and even split their recordings by gender and time taken between licks. This Bellarmine study was very detailed and their average result was 175 licks.

Swarthmore Junior High decided to get in the action as well and provided their own student efforts to do their own study. Their study showed that it took about 144 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop.

The variety in the findings of these studies shows that the commercial might have been right when it said that the world may never know just how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop. Since we aren’t given the crunching power of the owl from the ads, we will have to be content to lick our Tootsie Rolls to get to the center of the famous treat.

What Year Were Tootsie Pops Invented?

The Tootsie Pop was invented in the year 1931, just after the Great Depression started. Tootsie Pops seems to have come out at just the right time. The fact that Tootsie Pops were cheap made them a great snack for people looking for an inexpensive treat.

Who makes Tootsie Pops?

The company that makes Tootsie Roll Pops are called Tootsie Roll Industries. Tootsie Roll Industries is famous for making many famous snacks such as Caramel Apple Pops.

The Man Who invented Tootsie Pops

The man who invented the Tootsie Pop is Luke Weisgram. His idea for Tootsie Pops came when he had a lick of his daughter’s lollipop at the same time that he was chewing on a traditional Tootsie Roll. He found the combination to taste good and suggested it at his next company snack idea meeting. The rest is Tootsie Pops history.

Logo

Mascot

The Tootsie Roll mascot is Mr. Owl, popularized by a commercial where he is asked, “How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop?” This question has become extremely popular and many tests and theories have been put forward to answer the question.

The Commercial That Launched Tootsie Roll Pops To Popularity.

In the now immortalized commercial that made both Tootsie Roll Pops and its mascot, Mr. Owl, so popular, a boy went to various animals to ask, “How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop?” Every animal he asked would only take one lick and then bite the Tootsie Pop. Exasperated, the boy sought out “Mr. Owl,” and then posed the question to him.

Mr. Owl said to the boy, “Let’s see.” The owl licked the Tootsie Pop three times, counting as he did, “One, two, three,” and on the third lick, he bit the Tootsie Roll Pop and ate it. Mr. Owl then answered the boy’s question, saying “Three.” The boy, again irritated, received the now bare stick with the candy portion being already eaten by Mr. Owl.

It is believed that this commercial was meant to signify how great tasting the Tootsie Roll Pop is. The commercial seemed to be suggesting that the Tootsie Roll Pop is so good that you can’t help eating it whole.

How Many Tootsie Pops Are Made In A Day?

Tootsie Pops are so popular they are literality are cranked out by the millions daily. In 2010, it was reported that 20 million Tootsie Pops are produced every day on average!

Buying Tootsie Roll Pops

Regardless of if you are buying Tootsie Roll Pops in stores or online, you can find many flavors to choose from. Buying Tootsie Pops in stores lets you buy small amounts quickly and easily, and often at a good price. Many big chain stores like Wal-Mart exist where you can find Tootsie Pops for sale. One of the downsides of buying Tootsie Pops from stores is that you sometimes can’t find as wide a variety of interesting flavors. Buying Tootsie Roll Pops online is often a better way to find a wider set of options on flavors.

Another advantage to buying them online would be the ability to get good deals on bulk orders, this may help you save money on larger orders. Also buying Tootsie Pops in bulk allows you to stock up on them if you don’t live in areas that have stores that sell them. You can check out the rest of this page for more details on what stores sell Tootsie Roll Pops, as well as good offers to buy them online through respectable retailers.

Stores That Sell

Here is a list of some stores that sell Tootsie Pops. (May depend on location)

• BJ S WHOLESALE CLUB
• CUMBERLAND FARMS
• BIG Y SUPERMARKET
• DE MOULAS SUPER MARKETS
• BARGAIN WHOLESALE
• JUST A BUCK

Flavor List

Here is a list of the different flavors of Tootsie Pops!

• Blue Raspberry flavor
• Cherry flavor
• Candy Cane flavor tootsie pops (a seasonal variety)
• Orange flavor tootsie pops
• Green Apple flavor
• Banana flavor
• Caramel flavor tootsie pops
• Grape flavor tootsie pops
• Blueberry flavor
• Lemon flavor
• Pomegranate flavor
• Strawberry flavor
• Raspberry flavor
• Watermelon flavor
• Chocolate flavored tootsie pops (the original flavor tootsie pop) 
• Strawberry-Watermelon flavor

Tropical Stormz Tootsie Pop Flavors

Here is a list of the different flavors of the Tropical Stormz Tootie Roll Pops

• Berry Punch – (Tropical Stormz flavor)
• Citrus Punch Flavor (Tropical Stormz flavor)
• Lemon-Lime Flavor (Tropical Stormz flavor)
• Strawberry-Banana Flavor (Tropical Stormz flavor)
• Coconut Apple Flavor (Tropical Stormz flavor)
• Orange-Pineapple Flavor (Tropical Stormz flavor)

Wild Berry Tootsie Pop Flavors

Here is a list of the types of flavors of the Wild Berry Tootsie Pops version

• Wild Black Cherry flavor
• Wild Mango Berry flavor
• Wild Apple Berry flavor
• Wild Blueberry flavor
• Wild Berry Asian flavor
• Wild Cherry Berry flavor

Tootsie Bunch Pops

Tootsie Bunch Pops are a bunch of Tootsie Pops that are sold in a batch bundled in the shape of a large lollipop-like bag. They tend to sell single or special edition Tootsie Pops, though variety packs of the more standard flavors are sold as well. One interesting product that came from this spinoff was the Tootsie Christmas Bunch Pops. The Christmas candy edition featured a mixture of 2 flavors, cheery and sour apple. This was to create a festive red and green color for the Christmas holiday.

Another interesting batch of flavors and colors came from the Tootsie Tropical Easter Bunch Pops edition. Tootsie Tropical Easter Bunch Pops were advertised to Easter fans as a fun Easter candy egg color theme with a tropical flavor lineup. The flavors included in the Tropical Easter edition were Purple Punch,  Lemon Lime, Pineapple, Tangerine and Watermelon.

A Childhood Memory Of Tootsie Roll Pops

When I was a child I had many different lollipops, but only one or two really stands out from the crowd in a memorable way. The only 2 lollipops that I can still recall, or even care to remember, would be Tootsie Roll Pops and Unicorn Pops. Tootsie pops were something special, just like the Unicorn Pop they stood out to me, but Tootsie pops seemed a bit more normal to my sensibility’s. Tootsie Pops were easy to carry and find in stores, and they looked cool, and yet still like a normal lollipop in many ways.

I always remember noticing how much larger they were than the more standard varieties you often see in stores. The large size and the amazing color of the shell after you unwrapped the tootsie pop always memorized me. I loved how long they lasted, and the tootsie roll in the center was always a pleasant surprise. Tootsie roll pops will always be my got to choose, with their color, their luster, and the wide amount of flavors, I keep coming back to them.

A Story About Tootsie Pops

Tootsie Pops captured my imagination the first time I ever saw them. They looked so much different from normal lollipops that tended to be much more common in many stores. They always made me wonder why they had that long shape to them when most lollipops had a more round circle shape. I always thought they were cool, and the first time I tried was I was surprised at what I thought was gum inside, but it was a tootsie roll of some sort. 

I was always pleasantly surprised at “getting to the center of the Tootsie Roll Pop” as a child because I always forgot it contained the Tootsie roll inside. I always just kept forgetting they were not like a normal lollipop, thus its larger shape always tricked me into thinking there was a lot more lollipop left. then I was always surprised anew finding it to contain the tootsie. I still enjoy the Tootsie pop, I of course remember the tootsie inside of it now, and I love trying the new flavors that I see pop up from time to time.

Do Tootsie Roll Pops Contain Gluten?

Tootsie Roll Pops are Gluten Free. This means that Tootsie Roll Pop does not contain the kind of Gluten that normally is avoided, however it does contain corn and soy.

Do Tootsie Roll Pops Have Nuts In Them?

Tootsie products such as the Tootsie Roll Pop have been confirmed to be free of any nuts. This has been displayed on Tootsie Roll Industry’s website. You should always double-check the ingredients if you have any allergies.

Is Tootsie Roll Pop Vegan?

Sorry to our vegan snackers, but Tootsie Roll Pops are not vegan. Tootsie Roll Pops contains skim milk and other dairy products that are not acceptable to most vegans. However, they may be okay for some vegetarians as they don’t seem to have any meats in them. 

Is The Center Of Tootsie Pops Gum?

Some people often believe the center of Tootsie Pop is made of gum. This would be due to finding this extremely chewy chocolate thing in the center of the Tootsie Pop, and the closest thing most people can relate it to is gum. However it is not gum at the center of the Tootsie Pop, it is a Tootsie Roll, and those can be very chewy. That’s how the idea for Tootsie Pops was first thought up of, from the inventor trying his daughter’s lollipop at the same time he was chewing on a Tootsie Roll. 

Red Tootsie Roll Pops

Red Tootsie Roll Pops are the cherry flavor Tootsie Pops. The packaging is deeply red and they have a noticeably different look than the pinker strawberry variety. Strawberry Tootsie Pops are often confused with cherry Tootsie Pops. Just remember that the red wrapper is cherry; pink is strawberry. The cherry Tootsie Pops has a deep cherry taste and, like all Tootsie Pops, they last a long time before you get down to the chocolate chewy Tootsie in the center

A Review Of Tootsie Roll Pops

Would this page be complete without an actual review of Tootsie Roll Pops? We decided to go with the Blue Raspberry flavored Tootsie pop for our taste test. The flavor of the Blue Raspberry Tootsie pop was strong, and almost electric, and had a strong kick at first taste. It tasted just a pinch of a slightly bitter or even sour flavor, added to a much more sweet sugary flavor. The color of Blue Raspberry Tootsies was a deep but speckled ocean blue, much darker than most other blue lollipops you tend to see on shelves.

The Tootsie pop lasted a long time, and it makes you see how Mr. owl’s mascot is always asking how many licks it takes to get to the center because it takes quite a while. I didn’t manage to keep count of how many licks I had of this Tootsie Pop, but I did enjoy it. The actual tootsie roll that inside helps give you something to chew on when that urge to bite down on the lollipop as it gets smaller gets too strong to resist. Overall the Blue Raspberry Tootsie is a fantastic flavor, strong, sharp, but satisfying.

The Tootsie Roll Pop really is worth the bang for the buck, and it gives you a long-lasting flavor to enjoy for a good amount of time. They are rather large compared to most lollipops out there, but that does give them some uniqueness as well. Overall I would say the Tootsie Roll Pops is a really great lollipop, and it is easy to see why it has become so popular and done so well with consumers.

Win A Free Tootsie Pop If The Wrapper Has a Shooting Star?

Sometimes when buying a Tootsie Pop you may find a rare wrapper with a shooting star. Tootsie Roll Industries state that roughly 20% of the wrappers have this shooting star on them. The relative rarity of Tootsie Pops with these markings has led to all sorts of rumors about the wrapper. One of the most famous candy myths is that if you find a Tootsie Pop wrapper with a shooting star, you can win a free Tootsie Pop.

Unfortunately, the idea that you can win a free Tootsie Pop if you get a wrapper with a shooting star is just that, a myth. Tootsie Roll Industries has confirmed that they do not provide a free Tootsie Pop if you manage to get one, however the rare store has been known to give you the prize anyways, to encourage sales and customers. Nobody knows how the myth that you can get a free Tootsie Pop from this method started, but for the most part, it is just a myth and won’t be honored by most stores or the company that makes Tootsie Roll Pops.

Where The Idea For Shooting Stars On Tootsie Pops Came From

The idea of adding shooting stars on the wrapper of Tootsie Roll Pops was to inspire good luck to consumers. Tootsie Roll Industries invented a bit of a fictional story to explain how this idea came to fruition. They state that the Tootsie Pop mascot, Mr. Owl, came up with the idea. Mr. Owl felt that consumers would need extra luck to help guide them in the quest to find out how many licks it would take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop.

Upon seeing a shooting star in the sky one night, Mr. Owl felt adding a shooting star to the wrappers of Tootsie Roll Pops would be a great way to give snack fans the extra luck they needed to answer the big question.

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients for the Tootsie Roll Pop. (Based on 2016 information) Always check the label of the product you are eating to be sure of its ingredients.

• Sugar
• Corn Syrup
• Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil
• Citric Acid (May Contain Malic Acid)
• Condensed Skim Milk
• Cocoa
• Whey
• Artificial and Natural Flavors
• Soya Lecithin
• Artificial Colors ( This Is Including Fd&C Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1)
• Strawberry Powder

Nutrition

Serving Size:	1 lollipop (17g)	% Daily Value*
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat	0.3
Calories	67
Total Fat	0g	0%
Saturated Fat	0g	0%
Cholesterol	0mg	0%
Sodium	6.5mg	0%
Potassium	0.8mg	0%
Total Carbohydrates	17g	6%
Dietary Fiber	0g	0%
Sugars	11g
Protein	0g
Vitamin A		0%
Vitamin C		0%
Calcium		0%
Iron		0%

• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

The Packaging

The packaging on a Tootsie Pops can be as simple as a single layer of the wrapper, or if you have a large amount it could come in a cardboard box. In general, the packaging for Tootsie Pops tends to come in three forms, wrapper paper, cardboard boxes, and large plastic bags. Even if you buy them in their larger containers, you will still find they are always individually wrapped in a wrapper.

The wrapper paper around each individual Tootsie Pop will usually say Tootsie Pop on it and are color-coded to the flavor one would expect to go with the color. Red colors would tend to mean cherry or strawberry, purple would be grape, blue could be blue raspberry flavored, etc. You use the color of the wrapper as a fast and easy way to tell what type of Tootsie Pop it is, such as orange for orange, flavor, but some boxes and packages of the lollipop often will have its flavors printed on it also.

What Makes Tootsie Roll Pops So Popular?

Tootsie Roll Pops have been around since 1931, so what keeps them so popular? Unlike other candy that tends to become obscure over time, Tootsie Roll Pops continue to fly off the shelves and are produced by the millions all year long. You can still find Tootsie Pops placed in easy-to-see locations in many grocery stores and corner shops. There are likely severe factors that allow Tootsie Pops to remain popular. One aspect is the advertising, the Tootsie Roll Pop brand has great commercials and advertising keeping people interested in the product.

The how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop challenge has kept people fascinated and buying. The Mr. Owl mascot for Tootsie Pops was charming when it went together with the Tootsie Pops, the kids in the ads helping children relate to the commercial. Then the taste and appeal of the product its self-help keep it in demand. Tootsie Pops feature a wide array of flavors to keep people’s cravings satisfied and its method of having a Tootsie Roll inside the lollipop help give this product uniqueness.

FAQ

Pictures of Tootsie Pop

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