Without a doubt, National Lollipop Day on July 20 is a day that children of all ages can celebrate. We’re looking at you, grandparents — relive some childhood memories! People in the Midwest call lollipops suckers but they go by other names as well — lolly, or sticky pop. They come in many flavors but mostly fruit flavors for licking or biting. Lollipops are made of flavored sucrose, water, and corn syrup that are hardened on a stick.
Lollipops have been around in some form or another since forever. In prehistoric times, cavemen would collect honey from beehives using a stick. The sweet nectar was licked off the stick, becoming the world’s first lollipops (in theory, at least). Ancient Chinese, Egyptians, and Arabs also ‘candied’ fruit and nuts by glazing them with honey and inserting sticks into the confection for easier eating.
With the surplus of sugar in the 17th century, the English started the trend of preparing boiled sugar candy and, of course, they too inserted sticks into the treats. In Northern England, the word for ‘tongue’ is ‘lolly’ and pop means ‘slap’ — so ‘lolly pop’ means ‘tongue slap.’ The term probably got popularized by street vendors in London.
In the 18th century, it seems like there was almost a clamor to create refined versions of the modern lollipop. In 1905, the McAviney Candy Company was producing boiled hard candies, the mixture of which was stirred using a stick. By the end of the day, the owner would take home sticks covered with hardened candy for his children to enjoy. Later on, in 1908, he marketed these ‘candy sticks.’ But it is George Smith, owner of the confectionery company Bradley Smith Company, who is credited for creating the modern lollipop that we all enjoy today. He started making them in 1908 and trademarked the word ‘lollipop’ in 1931. Lollipops were also referred to as ‘dum dum suckers’ to appeal to kids.
The first automated production of lollipops also started in 1908 in Wisconsin, U.S.A. The Racine Confectioners Machinery Company built a machine that attached hard candy on the end of sticks at 2,400 sticks per hour. Russian immigrant Samuel Born also invented a machine that did the same thing, in 1916. His machine was called the ‘Born Sucker Machine’ and was so well-received that San Francisco awarded Born the ‘key to the city’ that year. There are over 100 varieties of lollipops available today in all shapes and sizes.
