The Tootsie Pop lollipop is a staple candy of plastic Trick-or-Treat jack-o-lantern bins, and has been for decades. They’re a part of the jumbo-size candy variety packs. School teachers keep them on hand to pass out to students in class for special occasions. You can even find them in the little sweets dish on display at the reception desk in the doctor’s office. There’s something different about this particular candy and no matter the love or hated for the dual-layered sweet, just about everyone can conjure up some sort of memory surrounding the Tootsie Pop.

A Tootsie Pop lollipop (or “sucker” depending on when and where you grew up) is a Tootsie Roll ball of chocolate-flavored chew, covered by a fruit flavored hard shell. While the Tootsie Roll candy was invented in 1896, the Tootsie Pop was invented in 1931. An employee of The Sweets Company of America, later known as Tootsie Roll Industries, came up with the idea while simply licking a lollipop while chewing on a Tootsie Roll.

One of the most iconic commercials to date has to be the Tootsie Pop commercial featuring Mr. Owl. The advertisement’s debut was in 1969 and aired for over 20 years! Successfully I might add. And a new version came out this year, looks and sounds just like the old, but better quality. How remakes should be.

To its success, the commercial sparked many debates and challenges to see just how many licks it really did take. I can say from personal experience, and lack of patience about halfway though, the world may never know. But it doesn’t go without saying there were plenty of those who made it though and came up with some number. Even several colleges and universities ran studies, also coming up with various numbers based on the method of testing (i.e. licking style).

Another childhood memory was the rumor that when you found the Native American aiming a bow and arrow at a star, you won a prize.

Now, technically, this isn’t just a rumor. Private convenience store owners were known to “redeem” the wrappers for more candy or other small prizes. But the question I always had was, “say you put a few wrappers into an envelope to send off. Where do we send it? We never had an address to send it to! So how would this work? And what do we ‘win’?” So many unanswered questions. Bring out the tinfoil hat!

Tootsie Pops are still to this day a guaranteed candy found in every plastic jack-o-lantern bucket. And now with more flavors! The traditional flavors being orange, grape, raspberry, cherry, and chocolate. According to the Tootsie Pop product store, you can find a sixth flavor that alternates between pomegranate, strawberry-watermelon, and lemon. And for this Halloween? Even more “spooky” flavors such as Ghoulish Green Apple, Scary Berry, and Orange Scream.

My favorite has always been the traditional orange flavor. I always felt it best complemented the chocolatey taste of the Tootsie Roll. What’s your favorite flavor? And while we’re at it, how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? Be sure to chime in on the comments, and let’s get this question answered once and for all.

Happy Trick-or-Treating!