Everything You Ever Needed to Know About Popsicles

It really should come as no surprise that the Popsicle was invented by an 11 year old. One evening in 1905, Frank Epperson left his soda pop on the porch with a stir stick in it. As temperatures in California dropped to record lows that night, the Popsicle was born. The next morning when young Frank discovered his soda pop frozen to its stirring stick he christened the new ice treat the "Epsicle".

The following summer Frank made the frozen treats in his family's icebox and sold them in the neighborhood for five cents each.

It was 18 years before Frank shared his treat with the public. He was operating a lemonade stand at an amusement park in Oakland, CA when it dawned on him that there could be a huge commercial market for his frozen pop. In 1923 he applied for a patent for "frozen ice on a stick", which he was still calling the "Epsicle", but because his children were frequently requesting "pop's 'sicle', he renamed the frozen goodie the Popsicle. The original Popsicle was available in eleven flavors. On August 19, 1924, the patent for frozen ice on a stick was issued. Although the frozen juice bar had been available since the 19^th century, Popsicles represented the first form of the product to be mass marketed.

The original wrapper for the Popsicle referred to it as "a quiescently frozen confection." So, what does it mean to be "quiescently frozen"? It simply means that unlike many ice cream treats, which are stirred and agitated during production, the Popsicle is not. Quiescent literally means "in a restful state'. The Popsicle mixture is stirred up and then frozen without any further agitation.

In 1925, Frank Epperson sold the rights to the name Popsicle to the Joe Lowe Company of New York. (It is now marketed under the Good Humor label owned by Unilever.) Mr. Epperson had earned royalties on more than 60 million Popsicle ice pops by 1928. During the Great Depression the Twin Pop (two Popsicles together) was invented.

After World War II, when families began moving to the suburbs and were able to afford what had previously been considered luxury items, like freezers, Popsicle began to market the multi-pack in grocery stores, and supermarkets.

Today the Popsicle is as much a part of America as baseball and apple pie. They have evolved through the years and the line of frozen treats now includes sugar free Popsicles, Scribblers, which look like multi-colored crayons, the Life Saver Pop, and milk based products such as the Fudgsicle, Creamsicle, and Jell-O Pudding Pops. They have also partnered with famous faces such as Snoopy, Spiderman, and The Incredible Hulk to create special treats that kids love.

There are many reasons to eat a Popsicle. They are a cool treat on a hot day. They have terrific flavors, and, of course, there are all those neat crafts you can make with the sticks!