Otter Pops
Otter Pops are a brand of freeze pops sold in the United States. The product consists of a clear plastic tube filled with a fruit-flavored liquid and is one of the earliest brands of this dessert.[1]
Some varieties claim to contain 100% fruit juice, mostly apple juice. This variety was white, as it also removed any artificial colors. Otter Pops are a frozen treat, but stores generally sell them at room temperature for the consumer to later freeze at home.
Background[edit]
National Pax introduced Otter Pops in 1970, in competition with Jel Sert's similar product, Fla-Vor-Ice.[2] As of 1990, the product was manufactured by Merrytime Products Inc. of Marshall, Texas.[3]
In 1996, Jel Sert acquired the rights to Otter Pops as well.[2] During the 2000s, Jel Sert modified the Otter Pops recipe to add more fruit juice.[4] The company's manufacturing facilities are in West Chicago, Illinois.[5] Otter Pops come in 1-, 1.5-, 2- and 5.5-ounce serving sizes. They also come in 6 flavors, each named after a different character:[6]
- Blue (blue raspberry): Louie-Bloo Raspberry
- Red (strawberry): Strawberry Short Kook
- Pink (fruit punch): Poncho Punch
- Yellow (lemon): Rip Van Lemon (discontinued in the late 1970s)
- Green (lime): Sir Isaac Lime
- Purple (grape): Alexander the Grape
- Orange (orange (fruit)): Little Orphan Orange
- Gold (mango): Major Mango
- Yellow (pineapple) DJ Tropicool
- White (coconut) Cosmic Coconut
- Cyan (tropical punch) Anita Fruit Punch
- Red (cherry) Scarlett O'Cherry (discontinued in the mid 1990s)
Sir Isaac Lime protest[edit]
In 1995, National Pax had planned to replace the "Sir Isaac Lime" flavor with "Scarlett O'Cherry". A fourth-grade student in Costa Mesa, California learned of the change on the company's World Wide Web site, and organized a petition and picket with his cousins against it; a Stanford professor wrote in support, calling it "Otter-cide". Told the change was final, the protest continued as planned, in the rain. The CEO relented, keeping it, despite it being the least popular flavour.[7] The fourth-grader soon appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.[8] An Internet fan site claims that National Pax packaged the cherry mix as strawberry.[9]
Other uses[edit]
Over the generations, other uses of Otter Pops have been devised and shared in the US. They can be used as a colorful substitute for ice in a punch bowl or to flavor mixed drinks.[10]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Jolene Thym (16 June 2021), "Taste-Off: The tastiest frozen ice pops on the market", The Mercury News, archived from the original on 16 June 2021, retrieved 18 March 2022
- ^ a b Sert, Jel. "Jel Sert Our History". jelsert.com. Jel Sert. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
- ^ Kelly, Lee (16 September 1990). "Merrytime's sweet treats distributed nationwide" (Newspapers.com). The Marshall News Messenger. Marshall TX. p. 1D. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ "The Past, Present, and Future of Freeze Pops". eater.com. Vox Media. 21 August 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
- ^ "Jel Sert Business Manufacturing". Jelsert.com. Archived from the original on 2010-10-30. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
- ^ "Otter*Popstars". Archived from the original on 2010-03-18. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
- ^ Tawa, Renee (27 January 1996). "Cool-Headed Kid Keeps Sir Isaac in the Limelight" (Newspapers.com). The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles CA. pp. B1, B4. Retrieved 11 July 2023.. Second page.
- ^ Tawa, Renee (6 February 1996). "He Kept His Cool: After Saving an Otter Pops Icon, Boy's a Hit With Leno" (Newspapers.com). The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles CA. pp. B1, B8. Retrieved 11 July 2023.. Second page.
- ^ Brad. "Otter Pops Gossip -- Tainted Short Kooks". The Unofficial Otter Pops Home Page (Home of the Six Zippy Flavors). Washington University. Archived from the original on 22 October 1999. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ Heidi von Tagen (2010-08-02). "gorgeous bits: Otter Pops for Grownups". Gorgeousbits.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2017-05-01.