How did the invention of the popsicle start?
In 1905, 11-year-old Frank Epperson accidentally invented the popsicle. Living in San Francisco then, Frank mixed a sugar soda powder with water and accidentally left it out overnight. The mixture became frozen when he woke up the following day due to the cold temperature. Frank called it an Eppsicle, a combination of his name and the word icicle and ate it by licking it off the wooden stirrer. He then decided to sell the treat to people in his neighborhood.
What happened next?
In 1923, Frank began selling at a nearby amusement park, Neptune Beach, where people loved to spend their days. Neptune Beach had roller coasters, a baseball field, and a swimming pool. People would also buy popsicles and snow cones. Eppsicles eventually came in seven flavors, and Frank changed the name to Popsicle based on his success. He later sold his idea to a company that adapted his recipe and sold the double stick popsicle for 5 cents. A competing company that sold chocolate-covered ice cream on a stick sued the company, stating that they could only sell water-based popsicles, not ice cream pops.
What is happening today?
Popsicles remain a favorite treat, with over two billion sold each year.
Did you know?
- The most popular popsicle flavor is cherry.
- Chocolate popsicles were introduced in 1986 and were a huge hit!
