One of my favorite childhood commercials in the 1970s was the Tootsie Roll Pop. I liked the one where the little boy asked both Mr. Turtle and Mr. Owl, “How many licks does it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?”
As far as I can tell, these catchy Tootsie Roll Pop commercials date back to the 1950s. For those of you interested in watching one of these commercials, try searching for them on Google or you can find them on YouTube. My children got quite a kick out of watching them.
Leo Hirschfield is the founder of what is now known as Tootsie Roll Industries. The company was originally named The Sweets Company of America, and began as a small candy store in New York City in 1896. Their first big hit in the candy industry came in the form of the Tootsie Roll. This candy was fondly named after Leo’s daughter Clara’s nickname “Tootsie.” The Tootsie Roll Pop would not make its debut to the public till several years later. In 1931, Luke Weisgram, an employee of the Sweets Company of America, invented the Tootsie Roll Pop.
I tend to pick the brown flavor. My favorite strategy of eating this delectable creation is to dip it in water and then lick it. I learned how to do this by watching my mother eat them this way. Dipping the lollipop in water only adds to the flavor. I love the sweet liquid running down my throat! I often find myself trying to get to the center of the lollipop as a stress reliever. However, I almost never lick my way completely to the center of the lollipop. It usually ends in a crunch before this point.
So tell me, I’d like to know… Do you have a favorite flavor? Do you have a favorite commercial? How many licks does it take you to get to the center? Do you never make it and end up crunching like me? Or, much to my chagrin, do you not even like them or have you never had one before?
Come and take a tour down memory lane with me! Please share your answers, thoughts, and fond memories about the Tootsie Roll Pop by leaving a comment below.
I love the chocolate flavor the best and I am a 1, 2, 3 BITE kinda gal 🙂 Now I think I need to go to the store and get me some tootsie pops 🙂
Yes Daneale, go get some , the kids will love it!
0 – 1!!!! I have no self-control!!! I just crunch straight to the chewy center!
Hard not to crunch!
Funny! Meka used a buck to get 4 of them @ UDF on our walk from her school to the office about 20 minutes ago. For the record, she picked 3 chocolate, 1 grape. (Free hot chocolate and coffee @ UDFs on Mondays when you bring your own mug, btw.)
That is funny Meka just picked those for a treat. Tell her , great minds run the same candy channel! 🙂 did not know about UDF, thanks for the tip!
Ilike the brown ones also interesting I did not know the story of the tootsie roll pop before thanks
I think I get liking the brown ones from you!!
For me it has to be the Red cherry flavored pops. The hard candy coating must be slowly enjoyed until it is all dissolved at which time you’ve got a tootsie roll on a stick. Double treat !
You are right Mary, a double treat!
During a long car ride when i was 7 or 8 years old, I counted how many licks it took to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop. It took me 850 licks 🙂 Typically I bite into them quickly, though. I like the red ones best.
Wow, 850 licks!
Oh yeah- my tongue was nearly raw after licking it 850 times!
Never counted. Just imitated the owl a few times. By far, the cherry is my favorite. I still buy a bag of pops every Christmas.
Oh you should grab a bag at Valentine’ Day! They make all cherry bags
Totally 100% awesome!
I just discovered that I like year-old any-flavor Tootsie Pops that are soft and chewy and can be eaten in three bites.
Now that is my kind of Tootsie Roll Pop lover!
I am not that patient and “one lick” is more lick one hop-it-in-your- mouth kind of lick. I think I have only succeeded with this once. I don’t even remember now how many it was, but I did feel a sense of accomplishment when I made it to the center! 🙂
🙂
My favorite flavors begin with ‘ch’. I like to dip, lick, and suck until the tootsie roll is exposed,
then chomp.
Exactly how I like to eat them Gail. During Valentine’s Day season they make complete bags of ch, ch, cherry!!!
I like to still dip them in water like my mother taught me too. The best ones are the chocolate or grape.