National Lollipop Day |
July 20 is known as National Lollipop Day – a fun holiday founded by the National Confectioners Association.
What is a Lollipop?
Lollipop Shop - Pixabay |
Definition: Lol-li-pop – a flat rounded candy on the end of a stick.
Lollipops are a type of sugar candy – usually hard candy – mounted on a stick. You eat it by sucking or licking. Lollipops are also called a lolly, a sucker, or a sticky-pop, depending on where you live.
Lollipops are available in many flavors and can be found in several shapes, as well as the usual round shape. They range in size from small candies often purchased by the bagful, to giant lollipops made by specialty candy shops.
Banks, barbershops, some stores and vendors at parades often give away this sweet treat to customers.
Little Boy Lost – a Personal Lollipop Story
When our youngest son was four years old, we went to visit the grandparents in a small Kansas town. Grandpa was a doctor and kept a large glass jar filled with lollipops in his office. Naturally we stopped by his office one day and our son, Greg, got to choose a Lollipop from the jar. The office was located one block over and two blocks up from grandpa's house.
The next morning, we were in the kitchen with Grandma, having coffee. Greg was outside on the front porch with his older brother & sister and cousin. Several workmen were laying a new sidewalk right in front and the children were all watching. We figured 3 older children could watch one 4-year-old, but we didn't figure on the adventurous little boy our youngest was. We learned later that Greg had gotten bored with watching the workman and decided, all on his own, to go over to Grandpa's office to get another lollipop. But ….. instead of walking one block over and 2 blocks up, he went 2 blocks over and started walking trying to find the doctor's office.
About 30 minutes later the other children came inside and we (naturally) asked “Where's Greg?”. They had no idea – never having seen him leave and figuring he'd gone inside the house. Now we've got panicked parents, an aunt and grandma all going in different directions looking for Greg and calling his name. About the time we figured we should call the police for help, we spotted a police car coming around the corner with a small boy standing up in the back seat. We flagged them down and re-claimed our child. Turned out they had found him standing on a corner on a downtown street – over a mile from where he started. He'd gotten lost and was crying and a kind lady had found him and called the police.
We never even had to punish him. He'd scared himself so much, we figured that was punishment enough! And he never even got his LOLLIPOP! :)
Lollipops in Pop Culture
Image Source: Pixabay |
In the TV series Kojak (1973-1979), Telli Savalis played a lollipop-loving detective known as Lieutenant Theo Kojak.
In The Wizard of Oz (1939), Dorothy is welcomed to the Land of Oz by The Lollipop Guild armed with a giant spiral sucker.
In 1934 – In the movie Bright Eyes, Shirley Temple sang the song “On the Good Ship Lollipop”
Summary
So - on July 20 - or any day - enjoy this candy-on-a-stick!
Lollipop Day - July 20
More Candy Stories:
- River Street Sweets, a Savannah, Georgia Candy Store
- Cowboy Candy (Candied Jalapenos) Recipes
- National Gumdrop Day
- Halloween Candy
- Reese's Peanut Butter Christmas Trees
- The Many Flavors of M&M's
- Easy No-Bake Bliss Balls
- Sugar Coated Pecans recipe for National Pecan Day
- The Good Chocolate - organic no-sugar chocolate bars
- National Candy Month
- National Taffy Day
- National Fudge Day
Lollipop Day reviewed by Wednesday Elf
Oh, I can imagine how frantic you all were when Greg went on his little adventure! Bless his heart. How sad that he never got his lollipop. I know he is grown now, but it still makes me want to send him a bag of lollipops! If only I had a time machine :)
ReplyDeleteLollipops have long been associated with soothing & comfort. They should have a national day of celebration and I'm really glad they do. Time for a lollipop!
LOL, Mouse. It wasn't to be the last time we 'lost' Greg. He grew up having 'adventures'. HE always knew where he was, so it never occurred to him that WE didn't know and were worried.
DeleteGlad you enjoyed my lollipop story. :)
I did not know there was a Lollipop day! Wow its years since I had a lollipop. You have reminded me about the lollipop loving Kojak as well! What an adventure your little Greg went on all to get his lollipop! I can imagine how frantic you all were until he was found!Thank you for letting us know about Lollipop day!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your visit, Jasmine. Hope you can find a lollipop to enjoy today in celebration of Lollipop Day.
DeleteSounds like your youngest has always had love of adventure. What a delightfully enterprising and independent little boy Greg must have been, although I'm guessing this wasn't the only time his wonderful self-confidence and adventurous, independent spirit caused the rest of the family to fear for his safety. A love of lollipops (especially when combined with boredom) can be a powerful motivation, lol! In my youth, I was a huge fan of Tootsie Pops, with their fudgy Tootsie Roll center. Happy Lollipop Day!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Margaret. You are right in assuming that 4-year-old adventure was not the only time. Greg always had "places to go... things to do". He just usually forgot to tell anyone where he was going or where he wanted to go. And if you told him 'no', he was too little or too young to do the 'something' he wanted to do, he'd not only DO it, but do it twice as well just to prove a point, I'm sure. The only other 'scary' adventure was losing him at the edge of the ocean for 30 minutes just as it was getting dark. I swear he wasn't out of our sight 2 minutes when he absolutely disappeared! A story for another time.... LOL. Believe it or not, today he is married and the father of 4 boys -- and, yes, there have been times when HIS sons give him the same gray hairs he gave us! :)
DeleteWhat a day to celebrate lollipops and a reminder of the scare you had with Greg. You think the police would have given him a lollipop LOL. I'm with Margaret and just loving those Tootsie Roll Pops. I always kept a bag of them in my office. I guess that's why so many of my co-workers stopped by.
ReplyDeleteThe only 'lollipops' I like are those Tootsie Roll Pops like you, Sam. Something about that 'chocolately' center. Yum.
DeleteLollipop Day? Who knew? I certainly didn't, but I can get myself to love this kind of a holiday! I'm with Sam and Margaret, those Tootsie Pops were the best lollipops ever made! I can imagine remembering all the antics that little ones can get into and how that is now a "sweet" memory but not at the time. Greg should be rewarded with Lollipops at every possible chance! Glad it all worked out!
ReplyDeleteI'll have to tell Greg that everyone thinks he deserves lollipops. LOL. Now that he's raising 4 boys, I have no doubt he understands why we were upset when he 'disappeared'.
DeleteI think Greg and I share the same adventure genes. What a kid and what a story! I still pick out a lollipop when I do my personal banking. We never outgrow this kind of treat, but, hopefully, we grow out of scaring our parents with childhood disappearing acts.
ReplyDeleteLOL. Love your term "adventure genes". He must have got them from his dad - who had quite a few 'adventures' of his own growing up! :)
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