Somewhere between a lollipop and a chocolate, the Tootsie Pop has spent nearly a century getting American kids to ask the same unanswerable question: how many licks does it actually take?
A Tootsie Roll wrapped in a hard shell
The Tootsie Pop was introduced in 1931 by Tootsie Roll Industries, the Chicago-based company founded decades earlier by Leo Hirschfield, an Austrian immigrant who opened a small candy shop in New York in 1896. Hirschfield named his chewy chocolate candy the Tootsie Roll after his daughter Clara's nickname, "Tootsie." The Tootsie Pop took that same chewy chocolate centre and encased it in a hard candy shell on a stick, creating a two-stage sweet: crunch through the shell, then chew the middle.
Mr Owl and the ad campaign that never really answered the question
In 1970, Tootsie Roll Industries ran a television commercial that became one of the longest-running ad campaigns in American history. A boy asks a series of animals how many licks it takes to reach the centre of a Tootsie Pop, before reaching a wise old owl. Mr Owl takes the lollipop, licks it three times, then bites straight through it and declares "three." The tagline that followed, "the world may never know," turned an unanswerable question into the brand's whole identity.
The science (sort of) behind the number
- 1970, Purdue University — engineering students built a mechanical licking machine and calculated 364 licks to reach the centre.
- 2000, Swarthmore College — a chemistry student rebuilt the experiment with an improved machine and got 411 licks.
- Human trials — later studies using student volunteers rather than machines found averages closer to 252 licks, since real tongues apply more pressure and saliva than a mechanical rig.
None of the numbers agree, which is exactly why the campaign has outlived most of its 1970s contemporaries.
An American classic on UK shelves
Tootsie Pops are one of the steady imports in our American candy and snacks collection, alongside other long-running US brands that rarely get UK supermarket distribution.
Frequently asked questions
How many licks does it take to get to the centre of a Tootsie Pop?
There's no single answer. Purdue University engineering students built a licking machine in 1970 and calculated 364 licks, a Swarthmore College student using a similar machine reached 411, and a later study using human volunteers found an average of just 252 licks. Nobody has ever agreed on a definitive number, which is exactly the point of the original advertising joke.
Who makes Tootsie Pops?
Tootsie Pops are made by Tootsie Roll Industries, the same Chicago-based company that has produced the original Tootsie Roll since 1896. Tootsie Roll Industries has owned and manufactured the Tootsie Pop since its introduction in 1931.
What flavours does a Tootsie Pop come in?
Standard bags contain five flavours: cherry, grape, orange, raspberry and chocolate. The outer shell is a hard candy shell in the stated flavour, and the centre is always the same chewy chocolate Tootsie Roll regardless of the outer flavour.