How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?

One of lives greatest unanswered questions, "How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?'

"The world may never know."

I grew up watching the infamous commercial about the little boy asking the turtle and the owl, "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?" It was one of my favorite commercials during Saturday morning cartoons.  It wasn't 3-D or High Def, just a simple ad; a line drawing with minimal color, that packed a big message that has stayed with those in my generation all these years.  The voice of that owl, and the disappointed look of the boy after he ate his sucker, I remember feeling so bad for him! Every Tootsie Pop I've ever eaten since then I think about that owl.

I bought a bag of Tootsie Pops to share with my kids, but first we watched the classic 70's commercial.

Then, we opened up the package and got to work.  I don't remember there being a Banana flavored sucker, I ended up choosing Cherry.  #1 also chose Cherry, #2 picked Raspberry, and #3 &4 decided on Chocolate. Yum.

We started out counting licks. #2 guessed that it would take 1000 licks to get to the Tootsie Roll. #4 said it would take 10 miles. I totally agree!  Clearly this experiment would take us all afternoon. The girls decided to just set the timer.

2 1/2 minutes passed. Nothing. At least they were all sitting still, happy with their treats.

#4 was the first to break.  

"I'm going to bite it now, Mama."

"Not yet, silly girl!"

Crunch.

In no time she was biting into the sucker. This girl must have strong teeth!

Oh my. The urge to bite through the candy was just too great. #3 bit hers in half as well. The older girls had a bit more self control...(I bit mine after 10 minutes!) They made it to the center after around 25 minutes. They say it was the equivalent to 2,300 licks.

"How many licks?"

"This many!!!"

We found out that a group of engineering students from Purdue University reported that its licking machine, took an average of 364 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. Not to be outdone by a Big Ten rival, a chemical engineering doctorate student from the University of Michigan recorded that his customized licking machine required 411 licks to reach the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop. Their guess was a bit high, but it was still fun! A few more interesting Tootsie Pop facts:  

*They are the worlds #1 selling candy-filled lollipop, the Tootsie Roll has been made with the same recipe since 1896. In fact, they're the only major candy company who can say that their candy is peanut, tree nut, egg, and gluten free!  

*Each Tootsie Pop has only 60 calories.

*The original five-flavor mix was Chocolate, Cherry, Orange, Grape and Raspberry. They have also expanded to include Pomegranate, Banana and Green Apple.

*Tootsie's also supports the US Military soldiers and their families. Since World War II, Tootsie Rolls have been an integral part of U.S. military rations. I love this!

If you want to have a little fun with your kids, pick up a bag of Tootsie Pops and enter the "How Many Licks?" video contest they have going on. You can win prizes by submitting a video which answers the question, "How Many Licks Does it Take to Get to the Center of a Tootsie Pop?"

CONTEST PERIOD:

The Contest begins October 1, 2012 at 2:00 a.m. PT and ends on October 25, 2012 at 11:30 p.m. PT .

HOW TO ENTER:

Access the Tootsie Roll or Tootsie Pop Facebook pages, ìLikeî the Fan Page, click the ìHow Many Licksî Contest tab, and click ìSubmit Entry.î  Then, follow the instructions to enter by uploading your ìHow Many Licksî video.

What is your favorite flavor of Tootsie Pop?