Tootsie Pops

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Tootsie Roll Pops

Tootsie Pops ^[1] are hard candy lollipops filled with chocolate-flavored chewy Tootsie Roll. They were invented in 1931 by Luke Weisgram, an employee of The Sweets Company of America. The company changed its name to Tootsie Roll Industries in 1966.

In addition to chocolate (the original flavor), Tootsie Pops come in cherry, orange, grape, raspberry, strawberry, watermelon, blue raspberry, pomegranate, and now banana flavors. Another release of Tootsie Roll Pops, named Tropical Stormz, features six swirl-textured flavors: orange pineapple, lemon lime, strawberry banana, citrus punch, and berry berry punch.

In 2003, sixty million Tootsie Rolls and twenty million Tootsie Pops were produced every day. .^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Commercials

In 1970, Tootsie Roll Industries aired an animated television commercial featuring a boy asking various animals how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. A shortened version of this commercial still airs on television today, making it one of the longest running commercials of all time.^{[citation needed]}

In the original ad, a boy poses this question to a cow, a fox and a turtle. Each one tells the boy to ask someone else, explaining that they'd bite a Tootsie Pop every time they lick one. Eventually, he asks an owl, who starts licking it, but eventually bites into the lollipop, much to the chagrin of the boy. ^[2]

While the original commercial is 60 seconds long, an edited 30-second version and 15 second version of this commercial are the ones that have aired innumerable times over the years. The dialogue to the 60-second version is as follows:

Boy (voiced by Buddy Foster): Mr. Cow...

Mr. Cow (Frank Nelson): Yeeeeesss?

Boy: How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?

Mr. Cow: I don't know, I always end up biting. Ask Mr. Fox, for he's much clever than I.

Boy: Mr. Fox, how many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?

Mr. Fox (Paul Frees): Why don't you ask Mr. Turtle, for he's been around a lot longer than I? Me, heheh, I bite.

Boy: Mr. Turtle, how many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?

Mr. Turtle (Ralph James): I've never even made it without biting. Ask Mr. Owl, for he is the wisest of us all.

Boy: Mr. Owl, how many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?

Mr. Owl (Paul Winchell): A good question. Let's find out. A One... A.two-HOO...A three..

(crunch sound effect)

Mr. Owl: A Three!

Boy: If there's anything I can't stand, it's a smart owl.

Narrator (Herschel Bernardi): How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?

(crunch sound effect)

Narrator: The world may never know.

The 30-second commercial dialogue:

Boy: Mr. Turtle, how many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?

Mr. Turtle (Ralph James): I've never even made it without biting. Ask Mr. Owl.

Boy: Mr. Owl, how many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?

Mr. Owl (Paul Winchell): Let's find out. A One... A.two-HOO...A three..

(crunch sound effect)

Mr. Owl: A Three!

Narrator (Herschel Bernardi): How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?

(crunch sound effect)

Narrator: The world may never know.

The over 15-second commercial only shows the boy and Mr. Owl, and a different narrator speaks the same above line, but without the scene showing the Tootsie Roll pops slowly disappearing, and with a different tune playing in the background. The question still stands unanswered.

After the commercial, Mr. Owl became the mascot for Tootsie Roll Pops, appearing in marketing campaigns and on the packaging.

In the 1990s, a new commercial was made featuring a boy asking a robot and a dragon how many licks it takes to get to the center ^[3].

[edit] Wrappers

• Blue Raspberry (light blue)
• Caramel (light brown)
• Chocolate (brown)
• Cherry (red)
• Grape (blue)
• Lemon Lime (green)
• Orange (orange)
• Pineapple (yellow with green text)
• Pomegranate (orange with maroon text)
• Purple Punch (purple)
• Raspberry (royal fuchsia)
• Strawberry (pink)
• Tangerine (orange)
• Vanilla (white and blue)
• Watermelon (pink with green text)
• Banana (yellow with brown text)

[edit] Urban legend

A raspberry flavored Tootsie Roll Pop wrapper with a Native American aiming a bow and arrow at a star

At some point, a rumor began that the lollipop wrappers which bore three unbroken circles were redeemable for free candy or even free items like shirts and other items. The rumor was untrue, but some shops have honored the wrapper offer over the years, allowing people to "win" a free pop.

A similar rumor has been floating around since the 1930s, that wrappers with the "Indian star" (a Native American aiming a bow and arrow with a star in front) were redeemable for free candy. Also, another legend is that the Native American aiming a bow and arrow with a star in front is that it gives you good luck for the rest of the day.^[4]

[edit] References