The origins of the Popsicle, the classic frozen ice pop treat, has long been debated. Many have claimed that the invention can be traced back to an 11-year-old boy in San Francisco in 1905. But is this story really true? Let’s examine the evidence behind the 11-year-old inventor myth and uncover the true history of how the Popsicle came to be.
The 11-Year-Old Inventor Myth
According to the most popular story, the Popsicle was invented by accident in 1905 by an 11-year-old boy named Frank Epperson. As the legend goes, Epperson left a cup of powdered soda and water with a stir stick in it on his porch overnight during a cold San Francisco night. The next morning, he discovered that it had frozen to the stir stick, creating an “iced lolly”—a predecessor to the Popsicle. Epperson supposedly went on to patent this invention under the name “Epsicle Ice Pop” in 1923.
This tale has been widely repeated as the origin story of the Popsicle for decades. It’s a charming, serendipitous story of childhood ingenuity that has captured the public’s imagination. The idea that a classic American summer treat came from an inventive young boy experimenting on his porch is the stuff legends are made of.
Examining the Evidence
But is the 11-year-old Frank Epperson myth really true? Despite the popularity of this story, the evidence supporting it is quite limited. There are no known primary sources documenting that Epperson invented the precursor to the Popsicle in 1905 at the age of 11. The strongest evidence comes from Epperson himself. He told this story to newspapers later in his life while promoting his patented “Epsicle” ice pop in the 1920s and 30s. However, these accounts were given decades after the supposed invention took place, calling their accuracy into question.
Additionally, Epperson claimed the invention happened in San Francisco, but he actually lived in Oakland at the time the story takes place. The weather patterns also don’t line up with the legend. The overnight temperatures in the Bay Area during late 1905 and early 1906 were not consistently cold enough to freeze water outdoors to that extent. These facts cast doubt on whether the core details of Epperson’s account really hold up.
Problems with the Epperson Patent Story
There are also good reasons to be skeptical of the idea that Epperson created and patented the original ice pop. His patent for the “Epsicle” in 1923 only covered the idea of adding fruit juice and additional ingredients to frozen ice pops. It did not claim to invent the ice pop itself. In fact, ice pops and similar frozen treats can be traced back much earlier than Epperson’s patent.
Evidence shows that frozen juice products on sticks were already being created and marketed well before 1923. For example, in 1919, a small California lemon ranch called Sunkist began selling frozen lemon juice on sticks as a promotional product. Around the same time, an entrepreneur in Oakland was making frozen ice pops and selling them locally at Neptune Beach, calling them “Popsicles.”
Additionally, the early history of the Popsicle brand itself does not line up with Epperson’s story. The Popsicle was officially registered as a trademark for the first time in 1924, not by Epperson, but by the Joe Lowe Company in New York City. The Popsicle name was first used in promotions and newspaper ads by Lowe starting in the early 1920s. Lowe claimed to have first created the product a few years earlier. Epperson was likely just one of many people who independently hit on the idea of frozen ice pops and helped the concept gain wider popularity.
Tracing the True Origins of Ice Pops
If Frank Epperson did not invent the original ice pop back in 1905, then where did the frozen treat really originate? Evidence shows people have been creating rudimentary versions of ice pops for centuries before the 20th century.
Early Precursors to Ice Pops
There are records of royal chefs making primitive frozen treats by pouring flavored juices into molds and freezing them as early as 200 BC in China. Various cultures around the world experimented with ways to freeze liquids into food items. The concept slowly spread via trade and exploration over many centuries.
In the American colonies in the early 1700s, the upper class would enjoy ice cream and flavored ices, which were essentially the precursors to popsicles. These were made by large commercial ice harvesting operations that sold blocks of ice cut from frozen lakes and ponds in the winter months. The natural ice was then used to make chilled desserts for the wealthy.
The Invention of Mechanical Refrigeration
The ice pop really became viable later on in the 19th century thanks to advancements in artificial refrigeration. New ice-making and refrigeration machines were invented that could create ice and chilled air year-round and on a larger scale. These innovations allowed ice and ice-based products to become more widely available beyond the upper class.
By the late 1800s, commercial refrigeration technology was being applied to all sorts of food preservation and storage uses. Frozen desserts could now be mass-produced and were becoming common leisure treats. During this time, the earliest direct precursors to ice pops began to emerge.
Early Ice Pop Products and Manufacturing
There are newspaper mentions of various frozen ice products on sticks being sold from street carts in major Eastern US cities in the late 19th century. These early “hokey-pokeys”, as they were sometimes called, were made by pouring fruit juice into molds and freezing them with salt and ice.
The first manufactured ice pops of note were created in the early 1900s by confectioners and companies looking to sell cold treats during the summer months. They were often made under primitive conditions without advanced refrigeration using crude molds and sticks. These early ice pops were no doubt invented independently by multiple competing interests, as the basic concept was simple. Some likely inspired knock-off copycats after having local success.
Among these first commercially produced ice pops were lemon ice pops made by Sunkist growers in 1919 and an ice pop sold at Neptune Beach amusement park in Alameda, CA in 1920 nicknamed the “Popsicle.” Several other confectioners and regional companies also likely created early versions of ice pops during this period.
The Evolution of Ice Pop Commercialization and Branding
While many laid claim to inventing the ice pop in its early days, a few major companies emerged as successful national brands, including Popsicle and Epsicle. This rapid evolution and commercialization in the 1920s set the stage for ice pops becoming an iconic national treat.
The Popsicle Brand Takes Off
The Popsicle name was trademarked and popularized for ice pops in the early 1920s by the Joe Lowe Company of New York. The treats were being advertised and sold under the Popsicle brand name by 1923. The Joe Lowe Company had figured out how to mass produce ice pops using early freezing and molding technology.
Their early marketing was also key, sponsoring radio shows for kids and focusing sales at soda fountains, candy stores and amusement parks. Thanks to the distribution reach, catchy branding and smart promotions, Popsicles soon dominated the ice pop market in the 1920s. The brand became synonymous with great success of ice pops as fun, refreshing treats for children.
The Epsicle Brand Offered New Flavors
At the same time, Frank Epperson entered the growing ice pop market in the 1920s with his own twist. He introduced new Epsicle ice pops made with fruit juices and exotic flavors beyond the basic Popsicle offering. Epperson obtained a patent in 1924 for the process of making Epsicles using extract flavorings.
Epsicle quickly became a direct competitor to Popsicle and was also sold nationwide. Epperson franchised his patent to family members who opened several Epsicle production facilities to boost output. The introduction of new flavors and variety helped expand the entire ice pop market beyond Popsicle’s dominance.
The Creation of a Mass Market
Throughout the 1920s and 30s, the major ice pop brands marketed their products heavily and lowered costs through mass production. This allowed ice pops to transition from a luxury or amusement park treat to an affordable, everyday snack. Their popularity skyrocketed among children and families looking for refreshing cold desserts at just a nickel or dime apiece.
Improvements in manufacturing processes, distribution and quality control also helped make ice pops a reliable, safe and readily available warm weather treat across the country by the 1930s and 40s. What started as a novelty had been transformed into a mainstream commercial product and iconic symbol of summertime in America.
Conclusion
While Frank Epperson’s story contains some truth, the full history shows he did not invent the original ice pop alone as an 11-year-old in 1905. The primitive origins of ice pops go back hundreds of years earlier to China, colonial America and 19th century street vendors. The frozen treat we know today was perfected and popularized between 1920 and 1940 thanks to broad commercialization, brands like Popsicle and Epsicle, and advancements in mass manufacturing. Rather than one inventor, ice pops emerged from the incremental innovations of many inventors and companies over decades.
The myth of the 11-year-old inventor makes for a good story, but reality is usually messier and more complex. The Popsicle’s origin includes multiple claimants, build off earlier ideas, and was advanced by technology, business models and marketing as much as individual creativity. Much of human progress happens this way—not in a miraculous flash from a single inventor, but through the collaborative, intertwined work of many hands over time.