Popsicle (brand) facts for kids
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| Type | Ice pops |
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| Owner | Good Humor-Breyers |
| Country | Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Introduced | 1922 |
| Related brands | Fudgsicle Creamsicle Yosicle |
| Markets | U.S. and Canada |
| Previous owners | Joe Lowe Corporation; Sara Lee Corporation; Empire of Carolina; AmBrit; Gold Bond Ice Cream |
| Registered as a trademark in | U.S. and Canada |
Popsicle is a super popular brand of yummy frozen treats! You probably know them as ice pops – those colorful, flavored ice snacks on a stick. The Popsicle brand is owned by a company called Good Humor-Breyers. These treats are perfect for a hot day!
Contents
The Cool Story of Popsicles
Have you ever wondered where Popsicles came from? It's a pretty neat story!
How a Happy Accident Created the First Popsicle
It all started way back in 1905 in Oakland, California. An 11-year-old boy named Francis William "Frank" Epperson was making a sweet drink. He mixed a flavored powder with water. But then, he accidentally left his drink outside on the porch all night. He even left the stirring stick in it!
That night, it got super cold, and the drink froze solid around the stick. The next morning, Frank found his frozen drink. This cool mistake gave him the idea for a fruit-flavored frozen treat on a stick!
A few years later, in 1922, Frank showed his invention at a party for firefighters. People loved it! In 1923, Frank started selling his frozen pops at Neptune Beach. This was a fun amusement park in Alameda, California. By 1924, Frank got a special paper called a patent for his "frozen confectionery." This meant no one else could copy his idea.
He first called his treat the "Epsicle ice pop." But his kids thought "Popsicle" sounded better. So, he changed the name. The first Popsicles came in fruity flavors. They were called a "frozen drink on a stick."
About six months after getting his patent, another company called Good Humor had a problem. They thought the Popsicle name was too similar to their products. The two companies sorted things out. Popsicle agreed to pay Good Humor some money. This allowed them to keep making their frozen treats from ice and sherbet. Good Humor kept the right to make similar treats from ice cream.
Popsicle Gets New Owners Over Time
In 1925, Frank Epperson sold his rights to the Popsicle. This meant he sold the idea and the name to the Joe Lowe Company in New York. This company created a special branch. It was called Popsicle Industries. Frank later said he had to sell because he needed money.
Many years later, in 1965, Popsicle Industries was sold again. This time, a company called Consolidated Foods Corporation bought it. This company later changed its name to Sara Lee. It's common for popular brands to be bought and sold by different companies over time.
By 1986, Sara Lee sold the U.S. part of Popsicle Industries. It went to the Gold Bond Ice Cream Company. Then, in 1987, Sara Lee sold the Canadian part of Popsicle Industries. It went to a company called AmBrit Inc. So, for a while, Popsicle was owned by different companies in the U.S. and Canada.
Popsicle Today: Part of Unilever
In 1989, the Good Humor company bought the U.S. rights to Popsicle. Good Humor was already part of a big company called Unilever. They made Popsicle part of their Good Humor-Breyers team.
Then, in 1993, Unilever also bought the Canadian part of Popsicle Industries. This brought the Popsicle brand back together for both Canada and the U.S. It was all under Good Humor-Breyers. And that's who still owns Popsicle today! Unilever is a large company that owns many different brands you might know.
Meet Popsicle Pete: The Fun Mascot
Back in April 1939, Popsicle introduced a friendly mascot named Popsicle Pete! He first appeared on a popular radio show. It was called Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. On the show, they said Popsicle Pete had won a "Typical American Boy Contest."
Popsicle Pete told kids listening to the radio that they could win cool prizes. All they had to do was send in wrappers from Popsicle treats. Pete was a big star in Popsicle ads in the U.S. for many years. He was popular right up until 1989. In the 1940s, artists Woody Gelman and Ben Solomon created the drawings for Popsicle Pete ads. You could even see him on Popsicle packages for a long, long time!
Popsicle Pete also became popular in Canada starting in 1988. He was in TV commercials, special offers, and ads in magazines and newspapers there until 1996. Mascots like Popsicle Pete help make brands memorable and fun for kids.
So Many Types of Popsicles!
After Good Humor-Breyers bought Popsicle in 1989, they started making even more flavors and types of treats. Besides the classic fruity Popsicles, they also make other famous frozen snacks. Here are some of them:
- Creamsicle: These are super yummy! They have a creamy vanilla ice cream center. That creamy center is covered with a layer of flavored ice, like orange. It's like two treats in one!
- Fudgsicle: If you love chocolate, you'll love Fudgsicles! They used to be called "Fudgicle." It's a flat, chocolate-flavored frozen dessert on a stick. It has a smooth texture, a bit like ice cream.
- Firecrackers: These Popsicles look just like a firecracker! They have three cool colors and flavors. The top is red (cherry), the middle is white (white lemon), and the bottom is blue (blue raspberry). They look a bit like another treat called a Bomb Pop.
- Slow Melt Pops: Ever wish your Popsicle wouldn't melt so fast on a hot day? Slow Melt Pops are made with a tiny bit of gelatin. This helps them stay frozen for longer. So, you can enjoy them even more! They come in different flavors too.
- Yosicles: These are Popsicles that have yogurt in them. This makes them creamy and tasty.
- Revello Bars: These are delicious bars of ice cream covered in a layer of chocolate. They are all on a stick.
- Fruit Twisters: These Popsicles are made with real fruit juice, milk, and cane sugar. They are a sweet and fruity treat.
See also
