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Candy News, Candy Reviews, Lollipops

How Many Licks Does it REALLY Take to Get to the Center of a Tootsie Pop?

February 23, 2018 by

tootsie popHow many licks does it REALLY take to get to the center of a tootsie pop? The world may never know. Right? Who remembers seeing that commercial, the one with the little boy and Mr. Owl? I know I do.

Did you know that the commercial is actually a lot longer than the one we know and love today? The original commercial has the little boy first talking to a cow, then a fox, a turtle, and finally Mr. Owl.

After this campaign came out, different groups of people decided to test how many licks it really took. Purdue University, University of Michigan, and Swarthmore Junior High School all did experiments of their own. Purdue found that it took 364 licks for a licking machine that they had built, but 252 licks from some of their volunteers.

On the other hand, Michigan’s licking machine took 411 licks to reach the center. Swarthmore did everything with human tongues, reaching an average of 144 licks. So after reading about all of these fascinating experiments, I decided that I wanted to get in on the fun. I gathered my people, gave them all lollipops, and we were on our way. I expected us to reach an average of about 500 licks per pop, but the results proved otherwise.

tootsie popI enlisted 10 people, myself included, between the ages of 14 and 24, to help me discover how many licks it took to get to the center of the tootsie pop.

To advance the experiment, I gave out regular Tootsie Pops, chocolate Tootsie Pops, candy cane Tootsie Pops, and Charms Blow Pops. I gave each person two pops and had them record the number of licks it took to reach the center of each one, while only licking one side of it. Although it may seem fun, the lollipops took a toll on everyone rather quickly.  

My oldest sibling said their headache started around 560 licks on the candy cane Tootsie Pop. They had fun anyway though, saying that they “love that last part getting the remains off the stick, like the last meat from a chicken wing.” The general consensus was that everyone’s tongues hurt and that they all desperately needed water. No one was happy at the end. I got statements from my friends like “it was totally bland”, “the orange became worse at the end”, and “my tongue went numb!” All in all, the experiment was very hard to get through, but I’m glad we did it.

tootsie popTootsie Pops were invented in 1931 by the Tootsie company, which had been producing Tootsie Rolls for many years already. There are a bajillion flavors of Tootsie Pops, including cherry, grape, orange, chocolate, raspberry, blue raspberry, strawberry watermelon, lemon, pomegranate, caramel, wild cherry berry, wild apple berry, wild blueberry, wild blackberry, and wild mango berry. Even the Tootsie Pop wrappers have a large variety of things going on them.

There are kids playing tennis, baseball, swimming, and running, but the most special wrappers are the ones with the Native American shooting a star. Although there is nothing actually important about the slightly rare wrappers, it is still fun to make a wish on each shooting star.

tootsie popsSo when the experiment was done, the results were not at all what I expected. The average number of licks it took to get to the center of the regular Tootsie Pop was 678. It took 881 to reach the center of the chocolate Tootsie Pop. To reach the center of the candy cane one, it took about 617 licks. The Charms Blow Pops took 638 licks to reach the center. What makes the chocolate ones take so many more licks? Why were all the others in the 600-700 lick range? Why did anyone even agree to help with this experiment in the first place? So many questions surround Tootsie Pops.

The truth is that each Tootsie Pop and Blow Pop is made differently, so there will never be a definitive answer about how many licks it takes to get to the Tootsie Roll center of the Tootsie Pop. So the world really may never know.

If you feel the need to test this yourself or are just craving some sugar on a stick, you can always shop our amazing assortment of Tootsie Pops, and over 3000 other candies,  right here on CandyFavorites.com. 

Make sure to comment on your favorite flavors down below. I hope you have a licktastic day!

Candy Memories, Candy News

But There Is a Sweet Candy Cure for the Summertime Blues

June 27, 2017 by

“Cause a little bit of summer is what the whole year is about.”   –John Mayer

“I’m melting, melting, melting . . .” No it’s not the bad witch from the Wizard of Oz. It’s we chocolate bars! Come summer everyone is ready to ditch us because we melt in the heat. Hey, we get it! We do get gooey, lose our shape, stick to your fingers and aren’t too much fun when you find us flattened in your pocket or squished at the bottom of your purse.

We’re not happily packed in your beach bag, included on your summer picnic table, or thrown in your kid’s bat bag for a sweet tasty treat. No, we’re long forgotten. Or maybe if we’re really lucky, just chilled in your refrigerator. But it’s all good because we’re here to offer you some other alternative sweet treats for the Summertime Blues.

So let’s roll out “Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer” and enjoy candies like SweeTarts, which were created by Joseph Fish Smith, owner of Sunline Inc. in 1963 in response to parents wanting a less messy version of the well-liked Pixy Stix and Lik-M-Aid treats for their kids. The sweet and sour flavors were cherry, grape, lemon, lime and orange.

charms blow popsIf you’re hooked on some “Hot Fun in the Summertime” without the chocolate mess, try packing Smarties Lollies, or Charms Blow Pops as a treat for your kids. My dad always had a huge plastic container of Smarties Lollies on top of the meat counter at our neighborhood store. Kids came in after school and bought them for a nickel a piece.     (I’d bet a lot of lunch money went toward those purchases!) The Charms Blow Pops were made popular by The Charms Company and were the company’s best-selling product of all time. This first bubble gum filled lollipop was developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s by Ross Cameron, Walter Reid, and Vince Ciccone.

LemonHeadsWe’re into summer now so if you’re “Walkin on Sunshine” and looking for another melt-less confection, try sunny yellow, sweet and sour Lemonhead candy. Mmmmmm . . . I’d always buy a box of them at the matinee show at the Manos Theater when I was growing up. They were first introduced in 1962 by the Ferrara Candy Company.  Salvatore Ferrara’s grandson was a forceps baby and he thought his grandson’s head looked lemon-shaped. Hence his inspiration for their candy name. Whenever I see a yellow and blue box I remember how they made my mouth pucker with their delicious bursts of flavor.

atomic fireballsIf you want to put a hot blast in those “Summer Nights,” have the courage to try some Atomic FireBalls, another candy produced by the Ferrara Candy Company back in 1954. In 1963 the following quote from a grocer appeared in a newspaper article:  “They’re somewhat like jawbreakers . . . only hotter than &-$%!!”  The heat comes from the capsaicin (a chili pepper extract) added to the candy, not the cinnamon.

So what are you waiting for? “Summer’s here and the time is right for Dancin’ in the Street.”

All we need is candy  . . . sweet candy . . .

(Did you know the artists of the summertime songs throughout my article?)

Here they are:

“Summertime Blues,” 1958 by Eddie Cochran, then in 1967 by The Who.

“Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy, Days of Summer,” 1963 by Nat King Cole.

“Hot Fun in the Summertime,” 1969 by Sly and the Family Stone.

“Walkin on Sunshine,” 1985 by Katrina and the Waves.

“Summer Nights,” from Grease 1978 by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.

“Dancin’ in the Street,” 1964 by Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, then David Bowie and Mick Jagger in 1985.

ROCK (Candy Swizzle Sticks) ON!