National Lollipop Day: 10 Fun Facts About Everyone’s Favorite Candy
Get ready to unwrap something sweet because National Lollipop Day is coming up on July 20!
Lollipops are one of those classic candies that never seem to go out of style. They are colorful, portable, available in nearly every flavor imaginable, and just as popular at birthday parties and candy buffets as they are in banks, doctors’ offices, and Halloween treat bags.
Whether you call them lollipops, suckers, pops, or candy on a stick, there is a lot more to these sweet treats than meets the tongue. In honor of National Lollipop Day, here are 10 fun facts about lollipops that you can enjoy while working your way toward the center.
1. National Lollipop Day Is Celebrated Every July 20
Mark your candy calendar! National Lollipop Day is celebrated each year on July 20, giving candy lovers the perfect excuse to unwrap an old favorite or try a completely new flavor.
Of course, we would argue that every day is a perfectly good day for a lollipop, but July 20 makes it official.
2. Candy on a Stick Is Older Than You Might Think
The modern lollipop may be relatively new, but people have enjoyed sweet foods on sticks for centuries. Before individually wrapped candy filled store shelves, people used sticks to collect and enjoy honey and other naturally sweet treats.
It turns out that putting something delicious on a stick has always been a pretty great idea.
3. The Word “Lollipop” Has a Mysterious History
There are several stories about how the word “lollipop” came to be. One popular account credits candy maker George Smith with using the name for his candy-on-a-stick creations in the early 1900s.
Smith reportedly named the candy after a racehorse called Lolly Pop and later registered the lollipop name as a trademark. Like many candy origin stories, some of the details have been debated over the years, but the name certainly stuck.
4. Dum-Dums Have Been Making Life Sweeter Since 1924
Dum-Dums were first created by the Akron Candy Company in Bellevue, Ohio, in 1924. The name was chosen because company officials believed “Dum-Dums” would be easy for children to say and remember.
When Spangler Candy purchased the brand in 1953, Dum-Dums were being made in seven flavors: lemon, lime, orange, coconut-pineapple, cherry, grape, and butterscotch.
Today, Dum-Dums remain one of the most recognizable lollipops around. Their small size makes them great for offices, classrooms, parades, parties, Halloween handouts, and candy bowls that somehow always need refilled.
5. The Dum-Dums Mystery Flavor Really Is a Mystery
Have you ever unwrapped a Dum-Dums Mystery Flavor and tried to guess what you were tasting?
The flavor changes because it is created during the transition from one candy flavor to another. The end of one flavor batch meets the beginning of the next, creating a combination that can be different each time. Dum-Dums officially confirms that the Mystery Flavor continuously changes and is not limited to the brand’s current flavor lineup.
In other words, that Mystery Flavor wrapper is not hiding one secret recipe. It could be hiding all kinds of flavor combinations.
6. Scientists Have Studied How Many Licks It Takes
“One, two, three... crunch!”
The famous Tootsie Pop commercial left generations of candy lovers wondering how many licks it really takes to reach the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop.
Researchers and students have actually studied the question, using everything from human volunteers to licking machines. Tootsie Roll reports that a Purdue University licking machine averaged 364 licks, while other experiments have produced very different results.
The real answer depends on the person, the lollipop, the licking technique, and whether you can resist biting into it. Mr. Owl clearly could not.
7. One Famous Lollipop Logo Was Designed by Salvador Dalí
Candy and fine art do not cross paths every day, but they did with Chupa Chups.
The famous flower-shaped Chupa Chups logo was designed by legendary surrealist artist Salvador Dalí in 1969. Dalí also suggested placing the logo on top of the wrapper so it would remain visible and be less likely to become distorted around the round candy.
That means one of the world’s most familiar lollipop wrappers is also a tiny piece of art history.
8. The World’s Largest Lollipop Weighed More Than 7,000 Pounds
Imagine trying to fit this one into a candy jar.
According to Guinness World Records, the world’s largest lollipop was created by See’s Candies in Burlingame, California, in 2012. The chocolate-flavored creation weighed an incredible 7,003 pounds and stood nearly six feet tall, not including its almost 12-foot stick.
Guinness estimated that the giant treat was equivalent to approximately 145,000 regular See’s Candies lollipops.
Now that is what we call buying candy in bulk.
9. Lollipops Come in Almost Every Flavor Imaginable
Cherry, grape, watermelon, blue raspberry, and root beer may be familiar favorites, but the lollipop world goes far beyond traditional fruit flavors.
Depending on where you shop, you may find lollipops flavored like cotton candy, birthday cake, bacon, pizza, maple syrup, hot peppers, pickles, and even insects. There are also chocolate lollipops, caramel pops, gum-filled pops, chewy-centered pops, and swirl pops large enough to make Willy Wonka jealous.
With so many choices, National Lollipop Day is a great opportunity to step outside your usual flavor comfort zone.
10. Lollipops Are One of the Most Versatile Candies
Lollipops are not just for eating one at a time. They can be used to fill candy jars, decorate cakes, create colorful party favors, build candy bouquets, stock prize counters, hand out at parades, or add a splash of color to dessert tables.
They are individually wrapped, easy to distribute, and available in sizes ranging from tiny Dum-Dums to enormous rainbow swirl pops. That makes them a popular choice for businesses, schools, restaurants, healthcare offices, birthday parties, weddings, carnivals, and community events.
Celebrate National Lollipop Day with Blair Candy
There is no wrong way to celebrate National Lollipop Day. Pick an old-school favorite, sample a flavor you have never tried before, fill the office candy bowl, or surprise friends and family with a colorful assortment of pops.
At Blair Candy, you will find lollipops in all kinds of flavors, shapes, sizes, and styles, including classic brands, novelty pops, bulk candy, and individually wrapped treats perfect for parties, businesses, and everyday snacking.
Just remember the most important rule of National Lollipop Day: enjoy every lick, and try not to crunch too soon!