Ice pop

"Popsicle" redirects here. For the brand owned by Unilever, see Popsicle (brand). For other uses, see Popsicle (disambiguation).

"Icy pole" redirects here. Not to be confused with Ice pole.

Ice pop

A green ice pop
Origin
Alternative name(s)	Freezer pop, ice pop, ice lolly, lolly ice, ice lollipop, ice block, icy pole, chihiro
Place of origin	United States
Creator(s)	Frank Epperson
Details
Type	Frozen dessert
Main ingredient(s)	Water, flavoring (such as fruit juices)
Approximate calories per serving	200

An ice pop is a water-based frozen snack. It is also referred to as a popsicle (Canada, U.S.), freeze pop (Ireland, U.S.), ice lolly (United Kingdom, Ireland), ice block, icy pole (parts of Australia and New Zealand), or chihiro (Cayman Islands). It is made by freezing flavored liquid (such as fruit juice) around a stick, generally resembling a tongue depressor. Often, the juice is colored artificially. Once the liquid freezes solid, the stick can be used as a handle to hold the ice pop. When an ice pop does not have a stick, it is called, among other names, a freezie.

History

Frank Epperson of Oakland, California, popularized ice pops after patenting the concept of "frozen ice on a stick" in 1923. He initially called it the Epsicle. A couple of years later, Epperson sold the rights to the invention and the Popsicle brand to the Joe Lowe Company in New York City.

Epperson claimed to have first created an ice pop in 1905 at the age of 11 when he accidentally left a glass of powdered soda and water with a mixing stick in it on his porch during a cold night, a story printed on the back panel of Popscicle brand treat boxes in the 80's and 90's. However, the evidence for this is scant.

Terminology

Popsicle Stick Castle made with 296,000 popsicle sticks

In the United States and Canada frozen ice on a stick is generically referred to as a popsicle due to the early popularity of the Popsicle brand, and the word has become a genericized trademark to mean any ice pop or freezer pop, regardless of brand or format. (The word is a portmanteau of pop and icicle.) They are also called an ice pop or freezer pop in the United States. In the Caicos Islands it is referred to as an ice saver. In the United Kingdom and Ireland the terms ice lolly and ice pop are used. Chihiro is used as a slang term in the Cayman Islands, partially derived from chill. Ice block or icy pole are used in parts of Australia and New Zealand.

Homemade ice pops

An alternative to the store-bought ice pops is making them at home using fruit juice, drink mix, or any freezable beverage. A classic method involves using ice cube trays and toothpicks, although various ice pop freezer molds are also available.

World record ice pop

On June 22, 2005, Snapple tried to beat the existing Guinness Book of World Records entry of a 1997 Dutch 21-foot (6.4 m) ice pop by attempting to erect a 25-foot (7.6 m) ice pop in New York City. The 17.5 short tons (15.9 t) of frozen juice that had been brought from Edison, New Jersey in a freezer truck melted faster than expected, dashing hopes of a new record. Spectators fled to higher ground as firefighters hosed away the kiwi-strawberry-flavored mess.

See also

• Ice cream
• Paleta – a Latin American ice pop usually made from fresh fruit
• Sorbet