Otter Pops facts for kids
Otter Pops are a brand of freeze pops sold in the United States. The product consists of a clear plastic tube filled with a fruit-flavored liquid and is one of the earliest brands of this dessert.
Some varieties claim to contain 100% fruit juice, mostly apple juice. This variety was white, as it also removed any artificial colors. Otter Pops are a frozen treat, but stores generally sell them at room temperature for the consumer to later freeze at home.
Background
National Pax introduced Otter Pops in 1970, in competition with Jel Sert's similar product, Fla-Vor-Ice. In 1996, Jel Sert acquired the rights to Otter Pops as well. During the 2000s, Jel Sert modified the Otter Pops recipe to add more fruit juice. The company's manufacturing facilities are in West Chicago, Illinois. Otter Pops come in 1-, 1 5-, 2- and 5.5-ounce serving sizes. They also come in 6 flavors, each named after a different character:
- Blue (blue raspberry): Louie-Bloo Raspberry
- Red (strawberry): Strawberry Short Kook
- Pink (fruit punch): Poncho Punch
- Yellow (lemon): Rip Van Lemon (discontinued in the late 1970s)
- Green (lime): Sir Isaac Lime
- Purple (grape): Alexander the Grape
- Orange (orange): Little Orphan Orange
- Gold (mango) Major Mango
- Yellow (pineapple) DJ Tropicool
- White (coconut) Cosmic Coconut
- Cyan (tropical punch) Anita Fruit Punch
- Red (cherry) Scarlet 'O Cherry (discontinued in the mid 1990s)
Sir Isaac Lime protest
In 1995, National Pax had planned to replace the "Sir Isaac Lime" flavor with "Scarlett O'Cherry", and to remove it permanently until a group of Orange County, California fourth-graders created a petition in opposition and picketed the company's headquarters in early 1996. The crusade also included an e-mail campaign, in which a Stanford University professor reportedly accused the company of "Otter-cide". After meeting with the children, company executives relented and retained the Sir Isaac Lime flavor with "Scarlet O'Cherry" once during 1983 to 1995 but then being forever put on hold.
Other uses
Over the generations, other uses of Otter Pops have been devised and shared in the US. They can be used as a colorful substitute for ice in a punch bowl or to flavor mixed drinks.
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