In 1905, 11-year-old Frank Epperson mixed together a fruit drink (believed to be orange-flavored) from powder and water and inadvertently left it on the porch. It was an unseasonably cold night in the San Francisco suburbs and when Frank found his drink the next morning, it was frozen. He eased it out of the glass and holding it by the stirrer, ate it. While Frank may have enjoyed his frozen fruit drink over the years, the public story doesn’t continue until 1923. A 29-year-old husband and father working in the real estate industry, Frank made what he called Epsicles for a fireman’s ball. They were a sensation and Frank obtained a patent for ”a handled, frozen confection or ice lollipop.” His kids called the treat a Popsicle, after their Pop. So Frank created Popsicle Corporation and collaborated with the Loew Movie Company for the nationwide marketing and sales of the product in movie theaters. By 1928, Epperson had earned royalties on more than 60 million Popsicles. But his happy days ended with the Great Depression. In 1929, flat broke, Frank had to liquidate his assets and sold the patent to, and his rights in, Popsicle Corporation, which is now part of Unilever’s Good Humor Division. Today, hundreds of millions of Popsicles are sold each year in the U.S., in more than thirty flavors. The most popular flavor over the years continues to be the classic orange. While the record isn’t clear, Frank may also have invented the twin Popsicle, with two sticks so it could be shared by two children. Over the years, the Popsicle Corporation continued to create frozen treats on a stick: the Fudgsicle, the Creamsicle and the Dreamsicle. Another great creation! ~ Chef ~Monday, August 15, 2011
~ Goodness on a Stick ~
In 1905, 11-year-old Frank Epperson mixed together a fruit drink (believed to be orange-flavored) from powder and water and inadvertently left it on the porch. It was an unseasonably cold night in the San Francisco suburbs and when Frank found his drink the next morning, it was frozen. He eased it out of the glass and holding it by the stirrer, ate it. While Frank may have enjoyed his frozen fruit drink over the years, the public story doesn’t continue until 1923. A 29-year-old husband and father working in the real estate industry, Frank made what he called Epsicles for a fireman’s ball. They were a sensation and Frank obtained a patent for ”a handled, frozen confection or ice lollipop.” His kids called the treat a Popsicle, after their Pop. So Frank created Popsicle Corporation and collaborated with the Loew Movie Company for the nationwide marketing and sales of the product in movie theaters. By 1928, Epperson had earned royalties on more than 60 million Popsicles. But his happy days ended with the Great Depression. In 1929, flat broke, Frank had to liquidate his assets and sold the patent to, and his rights in, Popsicle Corporation, which is now part of Unilever’s Good Humor Division. Today, hundreds of millions of Popsicles are sold each year in the U.S., in more than thirty flavors. The most popular flavor over the years continues to be the classic orange. While the record isn’t clear, Frank may also have invented the twin Popsicle, with two sticks so it could be shared by two children. Over the years, the Popsicle Corporation continued to create frozen treats on a stick: the Fudgsicle, the Creamsicle and the Dreamsicle. Another great creation! ~ Chef ~
