Footnotes: Tootsie Roll How Many Licks Commercial
Tootsie Roll’s Tootsie Pop can lay claim to one of the most iconic candy commercials ever. Even if you’re not a fan of Tootsie Pops (no bubblegum center? Come on!), you can certainly appreciate the nostalgia of this ad. Let’s break it down.
Is That You, Charlie Brown?
I never realized this before, but the child starring in this Tootsie Pop owl commercial sounds a LOT like Charlie Brown of Peanuts fame. Do you think our dear ol’ Chuck has another identity we don’t know about? It would be like him to obsess over something as trivial as how many licks it takes to finish a lollipop. He also claims “if there’s anything I can’t stand, it’s a smart owl.” Why is that even on anyone’s list of irritants? Perhaps there’s something deeper worth unpacking here.
Can I Just Get Some Sleep?
Our Charlie Brown-soundalike also puts on quite the inconsiderate display of noise. Sure, everyone is telling him to go ask other animals to find out the answer to his silly question. But he wakes up at least Mr. Turtle and Mr. Owl from what appeared to be a very blissful slumber. Mr. Fox may also have been asleep, but he’s wearing sunglasses, no doubt because he’s up to some shady activities.
Only Mr. Cow is awake when C.B. approaches. And he is GIDDY. I can just picture him trying his hardest to actually lick a Tootsie Pop, but just look at that mouth. Even when it’s barely open it’s a good nine times the size of any lollipop. There’s just no way he can pull that off, logistically. Poor guy.
So, How Many Licks Does It Take to Get to the Center of a Tootsie Pop?
As these Tootsie Pop commercials suggest, the world may never know. I do remember actually counting as a child – one of my dumber endeavors, for sure – and getting somewhere in the 270s, if I recall correctly. But does flavor have an effect? Does mouth size? Tongue dexterity? So many factors come into play that it’s probably not worth ever counting. Besides, the final 40 or 50 licks are going to have a ton of stick flavor in them, and nobody wins when that happens. Just take the lead from all the animals here and bite the final bit off, whether you’re a Tootsie Pops owl or a Tootsie Pops human.
