How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? That question — and the candy behind it — sent correspondent Nancy Giles traveling the country to try to unwrap the classic Tootsie Roll and its hard-shelled lollipop cousin.
The Tootsie Roll story begins in 1896 with an Austrian immigrant, Leo Hirschfeld, who developed a durable, chewable taffy that wouldn’t melt in summer heat. His creation — the Tootsie — was meant to survive warm weather and long commutes, unlike ordinary chocolate. It’s a recipe the company now keeps tightly under wraps; exactly how they make today’s Tootsie Rolls is top secret.
Tootsie Roll Industries, which traces its roots back to Hirschfeld’s invention, remains famously private. Financial analysts trying to cover the company have faced a wall of secrecy. Investment firm Great Lakes, for example, initiated coverage years ago but says the company provides little detail to outsiders. Still, public numbers show the brand’s scale; Tootsie Roll reported sales of about $550 million in 2012.
The company’s leadership underscores its old-guard character: longtime chairman Melvin Gordon, in his 90s, and his wife Ellen, the company president, in her 80s, have kept a careful distance from reporters. Requests for interviews at the Chicago factory were repeatedly turned down; security at the gates made it clear that seeing production up close would be hard to come by. The only window into the plant is the company’s own online video, which claims the line produces millions of Tootsie Rolls a day.
Still, the trip wasn’t without its discoveries. Along the way Giles sat down with candy experts — including a former English professor dubbed the “candy professor” — who pointed out that Tootsie Roll packaging never explicitly calls the center piece “chocolate,” though the flavor evokes that sensation for many. At the factory gate, a worker admitted his Tootsie Pop strategy: “I crunch through after a little bit.” That response echoed a childhood debate captured in Tootsie Pop’s famous advertising.
The commercials immortalized the question of how many licks it takes to reach the chewy center. The wise old owl famously ate his way in: “One, two, three —” and then he chomped to the center. Giles tried her own experiment, and after tasting, admitted she crunched her way to the Tootsie center just like the owl.
Beyond the slogan, Tootsie’s endurance comes from practical origins: Hirschfeld’s formulation was built for durability, for summers without refrigeration, so people could carry and eat candy without it melting. That practical innovation helped the treat endure through decades, becoming a cultural touchstone.
What remains consistent is the mystique. From secret recipes that keep competitors guessing, to a family-led company that resists deep outside scrutiny, Tootsie Roll Industries protects the story behind its products almost as carefully as it protects the recipe. And the question that launched a generation of experiments and advertising — how many licks? — endures, a small, sweet mystery that keeps people curious and keeps the brand in the public’s mouth.
