Popsicle
Popsicle logo
Product typeIce pops
OwnerGood Humor-Breyers
CountryOakland, California, U.S.
Introduced1922 (1922)
Related brandsFudgsicle
Creamsicle
Yosicle
MarketsU.S. and Canada
Previous ownersJoe Lowe Corporation;Sara Lee Corporation;Empire of Carolina;AmBrit;
Gold Bond Ice Cream
Registered as a trademark inU.S. and Canada
Websitepopsicle.com

Popsicle is a Good Humor-Breyers brand of ice pop consisting of flavored, colored ice on a stick.

History

In 1905 in Oakland, California, 11-year-old Francis William "Frank" Epperson was mixing a powdered flavoring for soft drinks with water. He accidentally left it on the back porch overnight, with a stirring stick still in it. That night, the temperature dropped below freezing, and the next morning, Epperson discovered the drink had frozen to the stick, inspiring the idea of a fruit-flavored "popsicle".[1][2]

In 1922, he introduced the creation at a fireman's ball, where according to reports it was "a sensation".[2] In 1923, Epperson began selling the frozen pops to the public at Neptune Beach, an amusement park in Alameda, California.[3][4] By 1924 Epperson had received a patent for his "frozen confectionery" which he called "the Epsicle ice pop".[2] He renamed it to Popsicle, allegedly at the insistence of his children.[1] Popsicles were originally sold in fruity flavors and marketed as a "frozen drink on a stick."[5][3]

Lawsuit and sale

Six months after receiving a patent for the Popsicle, Good Humor sued Popsicle Corporation. By October 1925, the parties settled out of court. Popsicle agreed to pay Good Humor a license fee to manufacture what was called frozen suckers from ice and sherbet products. Good Humor reserved the right to manufacture these products from ice cream, frozen custard, and the like.[6]

In 1925, Epperson sold the rights to the Popsicle to the Joe Lowe Company of New York, who setup a subsidiary called Popsicle Industries to sell the product. "I was flat and had to liquidate all my assets," he recalled years later. "I haven't been the same since."[7][3]

Ownership Changes

In 1965, Popsicle Industries was sold to Consolidated Foods Corporation (later renamed ‘Sara Lee’). By 1986, Sara Lee was struggling to bring Popsicle to profitability, so they opted to sell the U.S. operations of Popsicle Industries to the Gold Bond Ice Cream Company in Green Bay, Wis.[8]

In 1987, Sara Lee sold the Canadian operations of Popsicle Industries to AmBrit Inc.

In 1989, Good Humor, now a subsidiary of Unilever, bought the U.S. rights to the Popsicle from Gold Bond Ice Cream Company, and folded the U.S. operations of Popsicle Industries into their Good Humor-Breyers division.[7]

In 1990, Empire of Carolina bought the Canadian operations of Popsicle Industries from Ambrit Inc.[9]

In 1993, Unilever bought corporate assets of Isaley Klondike from Empire of Carolina, which included the Klondike bar brand, as well as the Canadian operations of Popsicle Industries. They thus re-united the Popsicle brand both for the Canadian and U.S. markets under their Good Humor-Breyers division.[10]

Popsicle Pete

In April 1939, a company mascot called Popsicle Pete was introduced on the radio program Buck Rogers in the 25th Century as having won the "Typical American Boy Contest."[11][12] The character told listeners that they could win presents by sending wrappers from Popsicle products to the manufacturer. Pete continued to appear in the company's U.S. advertising campaigns until the 1989 acquisition by Good Humor.[13] During the 1940s, Popsicle Pete ads were created by Woody Gelman and his partner Ben Solomon, and appeared on Popsicle brand packages for decades.[14]

The mascot was then reintroduced in Canada in 1988, and would feature in television commercials,[15] promotions,[16] and print advertisements[17] up until 1996.

Products

Fudgicle advertisement from 1938. Popsicle brands sponsored the Popeye radio show in 1938–1939.

The Popsicle brand began expanding from its original flavors after being purchased by Good Humor-Breyers in 1989. Under the Popsicle brand, Good Humor-Breyers holds the trademark for both Creamsicle and Fudgsicle.[18] Creamsicle's center is vanilla ice cream, covered by a layer of flavored ice. Fudgsicle, originally sold as Fudgicle, is a flat, frozen dessert that comes on a stick and is chocolate-flavored with a texture somewhat similar to ice cream.[19]

Firecrackers are a brand of Popsicles that come in a shape resembling a firecracker (the top being red (cherry), the middle white (white lemon), and the bottom blue (blue raspberry)).[20] These have a similar appearance to Wells Dairy's Blue Bunny's Bomb Pop.[19] Slow Melt Pops include a small amount of gelatin that helps them stay frozen longer than traditional ice pops. Slow Melt Pops are available in several varieties.[21]

Yosicles are a brand of Popsicle that contain yogurt.[22][23] Revello Bars are chocolate covered ice cream on a stick.[24]

Fruit Twisters are a brand of Popsicle that have fruit juice, milk and cane sugar.[25]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 Stephanie Butler (August 16, 2013). "Frozen History: The Story of the Popsicle". the History Channel. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "Frank Epperson, 89, Inventor of Popsicle, Dies in California". The New York Times. Associated Press. October 27, 1983.
  3. 1 2 3 "How An 11-Year-Old Boy Invented The Popsicle". NPR.org. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  4. ↑ eikeme (2018-05-17). "Neptune Beach Brought Back to Life". Alameda Sun. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  5. ↑ "Brain-Numbingly Cool Popsicles". WIRED. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  6. ↑ Moak, Jefferson M. (2005). The Frozen Sucker War: Good Humor v. Popsicle. U.S. National Archives & Records Administration.
  7. 1 2 Jordi, Nathalie (9 July 2010). "Don't Use the P Word: A Popsicle Showdown". the Atlantic. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  8. ↑ "Sara Lee Corp. to Sell U.S. Popsicle Business to Maker of Eskimo Pie". latimes.com. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  9. ↑ "Popsicle Under New Ownership". newspapers.com. Burlington Spectator Newspaper. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  10. ↑ "Hanover Klondike now under Univelever auspices". newspapers.com. The Evening Sun Newspaper. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  11. ↑ Buck Rogers radio program; Episode #1, Apr 5 1939, Generic Radio Workshop Script Library, Accessed November 1, 2010.
  12. ↑ Buck Rogers radio files, Internet Archive, Accessed November 1, 2010.
  13. ↑ "Sweet mistake: How a pre-teen invented popsicles". Washington Examiner. 2018-07-29. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
  14. ↑ Friedman, Drew (2014-09-10). Heroes of the Comics: Portraits Of The Pioneering Legends Of Comic Books. Fantagraphics Books. ISBN 9781606997314.
  15. ↑ "Popsicle Commercial - Popsicle Pete (1993)". youtube.com. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  16. ↑ "Popsicle Pete Contests leaves a for 10,000 canadian kids". newspapers.com. Hamilton Spectator Newspaper. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  17. ↑ "Popsicle Pete Advertisement". newspapers.com. Ottawa Citizen Newspaper. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  18. ↑ "Popsicle giant threatens B.C. ice pop maker | CBC News". CBC. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  19. 1 2 Rao, Tejal (22 May 2018). "The 7 Greatest Packaged Frozen Treats, Ranked". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  20. ↑ "Firecracker Popsicles". Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  21. ↑ "Slow Melt Popsicles - FamilyEducation". FamilyEducation. Retrieved 2018-11-12.
  22. ↑ "Four Types of Advertising Are Emerging in Social Games, EA Says". AllThingsD. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  23. ↑ "Seattle Pops Will Bring Its Semi-Drippy Ice Pops to a Permanent Home in Wallingford". The Stranger. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  24. ↑ "Revello® Ice Cream Bars". Archived from the original on 2018-05-14. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
  25. ↑ "Popsicle Fruit Twisters are the refreshing treat for the whole family". Fansided.com. 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2022.

References

  • Jones, Charlotte Foltz (1991). Mistakes That Worked. Ashley. ISBN 0-385-26246-9.
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