Tootsie Roll Pops

Tootsie Roll Pops, sometimes known as Tootsie Pops, are hard candy lollipops filled with chewy chocolate-flavored Tootsie Rolls. They were invented in 1931 by Tom Medric, which changed its name to Tootsie Roll Industries in 1966.

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

In 1996, Tootsie Roll Industries celebrated its 100th anniversary. In 2003, sixty-million Tootsie Rolls and twenty-million Tootsie Roll Pops were produced every day. The question about said product has been asked for many years: "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?"

Commercials

In 1970, Tootsie Roll Industries aired its famous 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.Fact|date=September 2008

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. [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2xMGI-QpZw Watch the original commercial] ]

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: Mr. Cow...:Mr. Cow (voiced by 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: 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: 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.

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 [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDdf9MIIt2c Watch the sequel commercial] ] .

Wrappers

* Chocolate (brown)
* Cherry (red)
* Orange (orange)
* Grape (blue)
* Raspberry (purple)
* Strawberry (pink)
* Lemon Lime (green)
* Blue Raspberry (light blue)
* Pomegranate (orange with maroon text)
* Watermelon (pink with green text)

Research

According to the official Tootsie Roll website, over 50,000 children have written in since the launching of the commercial in 1970, claiming they know how many licks it takes. Their responses have ranged from 100 to 5,800.

Three independent research studies have been carried out to determine the answer. Engineering students at Purdue University devised a "licking machine" that showed an average of 364 licks are needed to get to the center. Using 20 human volunteers, the figure was 252. A doctoral student at the University of Michigan created another licking machine and came up with an average of 411 licks.

Urban legend

At some point, a rumor began that the lollipop wrappers which bore an Indian aiming his arrow at a star 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.

Notable Consumers

New York Mets color commentator Keith Hernandez often discusses his love for Tootsie Pops, especially orange ones, on the air during Mets games. Cut shots of the booth often show a Tootsie Pop in his mouth, and he has been known to shower the fans at Shea Stadium with Tootsie Pops. [ [http://ketchuponyouricecream.blogspot.com/2007/04/its-not-blowout-until-keith-hernandez.html Ketchup On Your Ice Cream: It's Not A Blowout Until Keith Hernandez Insults A Baby ] ]

References