Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Today is National Lollipop Day

by Diane Forrest

The history of the lollipop is unclear, however they are relatively new in existence. The invention of the modern lollipop is still something of a mystery but a number of American companies in the early 20th century have laid claim to it.  One story claims that they were invented by George Smith of New Haven, Connecticut, who started making large boiled sweets mounted on sticks in 1908. He named them after a racehorse of the time, Lolly Pop.  Some say they were around during the Civil War, while still others say they were around before that, during the early 1800's. 

No matter when they first came into being, Lollipops are a sugary delicious treat, mounted on a stick, and made for licking, getting your hands and face all sticky in the process!  They come in all shapes and sizes, some are filled with gum or candy, even toys!  Some drug companies are even using them to disguise medication for children.  When I go to the bank, they usually give me a small lollipop, and I get amusingly offended when I read the words dum dum on it!

My husband used to love sucking on cherry tootsie roll lollipops, they would help keep his mouth moist, and tasted good too!  I like the cherry blow pops that give you a piece of gum to chew on long after the lollipop is gone.

Lollipops go by many names, lolllipop, pop, sucker, sticky pop, or lolly.  When I think of a lollipop, I imagine the big round multicolored ones like the one pictured here.   Since I only had one of these ever, I remember when and where I got it.  Of course my grandmother bought it for me, my mother would never buy me something like that to rot my teeth and get me hyped up on sugar!  That's a grandmother's job!  I had never seen anything so big and delicious looking and I’m sure my eyes were as big as the lollipop!  I couldn't eat it all at one time, so I would lick on it a while, wrap it back up in the plastic bag, and save it in the fridge for later.

On National Lollipop day, stop by your bank for a dum dum, or find a larger one, and think of your favorite childhood memories as you lick away.


Lollipop lollipop
Oh lolli lolli lolli
Lollipop lollipop.....*POP*

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