Popsicles – Summer on a Stick

The popsicle/Popsicle was invented in 1905 by an 11-year-old named Frank Epperson in Oakland, California. Epperson had prepared a drink for himself by stirring powdered soda mix together with water using a wooden stick and accidentally left it on the back porch overnight. The following morning, after an unusually cold night, he discovered the drink had frozen in the glass with the stirring stick stuck in the ice. Easily removing the frozen drink from the glass, he was able to eat it off the stick. Some accounts claim that Epperson soon started selling his invention to his friends and others in the neighborhood, other writers say he didn’t do much with it in the beginning. What is clear is that by the early 1920s, the “Epsicle” (a portmanteau of his name and “icicle”) had become a crowd-pleaser on Neptune Beach, a large amusement park near Alameda, California. (Incidentally, snow cones also made their debut on Neptune Beach.)

In order to protect his product from imitators, Epperson filed a patent application in 1923. On August 19, 1924, he was issued a patent for a “Frozen Confectionary”. Originally called the “Epsicle Ice Pop”, Epperson changed it to “Popsicle” when he was persuaded by his children to call it what they themselves did, i.e., “Pop’s ‘Sicles”. On the other hand, it might have been derived from “soda pop”, which is what I always thought. Nevertheless, regardless of the moniker’s actual derivation, “Popsicle”, unlike “Epsicle”, pops. “Popsicle” is a registered trademark of Unilever, the company that now owns it. To avoid violating company rights, similar frozen products can be called “ice pops” or “frozen confections”, but never the “P” word!

It should be noted that at the end of an online article, The Cold Hard Truth about Popsicles, there is a reader’s comment claiming that contrary to the Epperson narrative, the popsicle was invented in 1920 by an Albert Schneider in Ouray, Colorado. Mr. Schneider owned a drug store and sold his own frozen treats on a stick from the store’s soda fountain. Since Mr. Schneider was known by his nickname, “Pop”, his frozen treats were known as “Popsicles”. However, unlike Epperson, Schneider didn’t have his product patented.

Billed as “a drink on a stick”, Epperson’s early popsicles looked quite different from the ones we’re familiar with, resembling test tubes on a stick. This was due to the way the molds producing them were constructed. The texture of the popsicles was also different, with a hard, snowy consistency unlike the creamier consistency of popsicles today. According to Popsicle’s patent, discussed on the website Patently Interesting, the snowy consistency permitted the Popsicle to "be consumed by sucking thereon in which operation, the chilled more or less concentrated flavoring constituent will be drawn into the mouth as a refreshing drink derived from the solid on the stick, leaving a white and colorless mass of ice or snow....." It’s apparent from this description that Popsicles have improved considerably since then. The first Popsicles were available in seven flavors, thought to have been root beer, orange, lemon, cherry, grape, banana and watermelon.

The two-stick double popsicle was introduced during the Great Depression. At a time when a nickel was still worth something, people didn’t want to squander it on superfluous confections. On the other hand, buying a tasty treat that could be shared by two people made sense. (No pun intended.)

During the 1930’s, the popular radio series, Buck Rogers and the 25th Century, was sponsored by Popsicle. In 1939 the company introduced “Popsicle Pete”, a “typical American boy” as its mascot and spokesman. Depicted as a red-headed boy by the same cartoonist who created Bazooka Joe, Pete’s image appeared on Popsicle/Fudgsicle/Creamsicle wrappers, in newspaper ads, comics and prize catalogs, encouraging kids to send in their wrappers and win prizes. In the 1980’s, Pete appeared in animated television advertisements as a boy whose body was a double popsicle with popsicle sticks for legs, and who rode around on a hoverboard.

In 1965 the U.S. Patent Office issued a patent for a “Breaking Device for Frozen Confectionary” i.e., a Popsicle splitter which made it easier, safer and less messy to divide popsicles. Apparently it was used in some stores that sold Popsicles, but I haven’t been able to find out much about them. In any case, this device didn’t catch on and in 1986 the double Popsicles were discontinued because they were too messy and difficult to eat.

Double Pops Make a Comeback!


Over thirty years later, in May 2019, Justin Bieber tweeted his discovery that double stick popsicles were nowhere to be found. “This is crazy!” Popsicle we need those back!”, he wrote. Popsicle tweeted back promising that if Bieber’s tweet received 100,000 retweets, they would bring the Double Pop back. The retweet goal was reached in less than a week, and by 2020 Double Pops reappeared in grocery store freezers.  I learned of the Bieber tweet via an email sent to me by Unilever’s Popsicle Consumer Services, explaining why they decided to revive the product. 
    
“We were especially excited to see all of the Double Pop love from Popsicle fans that followed [Justin Bieber’s] original tweet; and that got us thinking about bringing them back to the masses.
Ultimately, we wanted to leave the decision up to Popsicle fans, so we released a Twitter poll asking followers for 100k retweets if they’d like to see the Double Pop return. Not only were we thrilled to see the 100k retweets, we were moved by the nostalgic memories the Double Pop brought back for tens of thousands of people.” The Double Pops were developed with our twitter fans in mind, & is full of banana, orange, & cherry double pop fun as requested!

Despite increasing competition from other ice pop manufacturers and a growing number of artisan ice pop businesses, trademark Popsicles are still hugely popular with over two billion of them sold each year. Finally, I can’t not mention that there are four National Popsicle Days and one National Popsicle Week. (Incidentally, the most popular flavor is cherry with orange a possible second.)

National Grape Popsicle Day - May 27 

National Creamsicle Day - August 14 

National Cherry Popsicle Day - August 26 

National Blueberry Popsicle Day - September 2 

National Orange Popsicle Week is dedicated to raising awareness of strokes in young people. It was founded by Amy Wooddell, who suffered a major stroke when she was only 24. While still in the hospital and just starting to be able to speak again, she asked for an orange popsicle. Her ability to once again eat them after being on a liquids-only diet symbolized her recovery. 

“How Twitter Got Popsicle to Bring Back the Double”                        https://marketing.twitter.com/en/success-stories/how-popsicles-bringbackthedouble-campaign-turned-a-celebrity-tweet-into-a-viral-sensation

Popsicle’s Official Website 

Popsicle on Twitter 
https://twitter.com/popsicle 

Books about Popsicles and Ice Pops


Sarah Bond. For the Love of Popsicles: Naturally Delicious Icy Sweet Summer Treats from A-Z 

Taking readers on a journey through the world of healthy popsicles, these approachable and inviting recipes highlight ease and simplicity with natural ingredients and uncomplicated preparations. Bright, colorful photos of every recipe and a minimalist, trendy design will entice readers to try out both the classic and modern pops, from Orange Creamsicles to Pineapple Upside Down!

Unlike other popsicle books whose recipes are high in sugar, or use "shortcuts" like store bought ice cream, Sarah Bond keeps your health a top priority. Written by a degreed nutritionist with a master's in sensory science, For the Love of Popsicles exhilarates the senses without compromising on flavor! Nutrition information of every recipe with helpful substitution and preparation tips ensure readers find recipes that suit their diet type.

Chill out! You can indulge in deliciously sweet and juicy ice pops without consuming refined sugar and fake sweeteners. What could be better than a sticky-sweet frozen treat to cool you down on a hot summer day? How about a heavenly, fresh and wholesome ice pop that you can feel good about enjoying and giving to your kids? Using fresh, seasonal fruits; sweet, nutritious vegetables; protein-packed whole food bases; and a multitude of other exquisite ingredients, Ice Pop Joy offers recipes for scrumptious treats any time. A wide variety of pops for every taste, Ice Pop Joy offers chapters featuring pure fruit pops, veggie pops, yogurt pops, tofu pops, herbal tea pops, chocolate pops, and specialty pops.

Dazzle your friends and family with these 60 delicious frozen treats...alcoholic and nonalcoholic options included!

Friends and family will be popping with delight when you serve them these tasty frozen treats. Party Pops!  includes 40 recipes for frozen cocktails and 20 additional nonalcoholic options--ranging from fruity blends to layered parfaits to sweet dessert concoctions. With just a few ingredients and a freezer tray, you'll be able to add a creative and delicious twist to your next get-together. 

A flavour-packed collection of 65 recipes from the trio behind the premier pops stand in the country, People's Pops.

In 2008, three old friends had a hunch that the world deserved a better ice pop. Every summer since, New York City's been taken by storm with out-of-the-box flavours like Raspberries & Basil, Peach & Bourbon, and Cantaloupe & Tarragon from People's Pops. Now, the People behind the phenomenon share their DIY ethos in a breezy cookbook that teaches how to pair ingredients, balance sweetness, and explore fruits (and vegetables and herbs!)--in simple recipes that work with standard ice pop molds or improvised ones. With a chapter devoted to shave ice plus recipes for grownup boozy pops sprinkled throughout, People's Pops proves itself top of the pops.

- Elka Frankel West Windsor Branch

Comments

Post a Comment