Tootsie Pop Poll

[Ruffinogold]

Lol ... no . ust folks with good taste here , ya know

[Whalehead King]

Somebody is muscling in on our territory and they're doing it all wrong:

https://www.ranker.com/list/best-tootsi ... anker-food

Raspberry is #1?

Fake news.

I gotta admit, I did like the watermelon when it was available.

[Mr Beardsley]

Somebody is muscling in on our territory and they're doing it all wrong:

https://www.ranker.com/list/best-tootsi ... anker-food

Raspberry is #1?

Fake news.

I gotta admit, I did like the watermelon when it was available.

They misspelled watermelon. Can't be trusted

[Whalehead King]

They misspelled watermelon. Can't be trusted

Good eye, Beardsley. I must be confused. I have no opinion about Waltermelon---either in a garden or in a Tootsie Pop.

[Kevin Keith]

They misspelled watermelon. Can't be trusted

Good eye, Beardsley. I must be confused. I have no opinion about Waltermelon---either in a garden or in a Tootsie Pop.

[arturo7]

They misspelled watermelon. Can't be trusted

Good eye, Beardsley. I must be confused. I have no opinion about Waltermelon---either in a garden or in a Tootsie Pop.

Waltermelons are not very good. They were developed by Nigel Walters, an English botanist. He was trying to produce a melon that would grow in the Edinburgh region. As melons are tropical, this was not an easy task. He had success with a fruit that resembled a cantaloupe, but much smaller. The result was a hearty yet pungent tasting melon the he called a Waltermelon. They are generally not eaten by humans, but were fed to ocean going goats to reduce scurvy in the days before refrigeration.

[Whalehead King]

Waltermelons are not very good. They were developed by Nigel Walters, an English botanist. He was trying to produce a melon that would grow in the Edinburgh region. As melons are tropical, this was not an easy task. He had success with a fruit that resembled a cantaloupe, but much smaller. The result was a hearty yet pungent tasting melon the he called a Waltermelon. They are generally not eaten by humans, but were fed to ocean going goats to reduce scurvy in the days before refrigeration.

Who knows why Tootsie Roll Industries decided on a Waltermelon Pop? It never sold well in the U.S. or in the U.K., the biggest markets for Tootsie Pops, but, perhaps unsurprisingly, the company won a big contract with the Russian Navy, and with the Indonesian armed forces (not just the Indonesian Navy, but the Indonesian Army, too).

Some cursory research on my end, looking at the Russian Tootsie site (Tootsiepops.ru) and the Indonesian site (Tootsiepops.co.id) reveals that the local pops provided and sold in these markets contain an extra does of Vitamin C (citric acid) making them extra tart---sort of like Sour Patch Kids----but still with the typically musky and stomach-turning taste of ripe waltermelon. Anything to beat the scourge of scurvy!

Kids in Indonesia don't like them, though adults who have served in their fighting forces seem to have acquired a taste for them. It's an adult treat in this archipelago nation rather than a child's reward for good behavior. Even then, raspberry remains the #1 Tootsie Pop flavor in Indonesia. Chocolate is #1 in Russia.

In Indonesia, Waltermelon Tootsie Pops are handed out as punishment to schoolchildren who misbehave in class or on the playground. How many licks does it take to finish a Waltermelon Tootsie Pop? Children have to wear a dunce cap in the corner with all their peers watching them to find out. Like Mr. Owl, the answer is usually three.

It is common slang to say to someone who's a loser in Indonesian society: "You just earned a pink Tootsie." Their football (soccer) team this year was awarded that in the Jakarta Times, in a headline this year after their World Cup defeat. "INDONESIA EARNED A PINK TOOTSIE THIS YEAR." Go team.

There are so many things you can learn about human nature by studying Tootsie Pops. I'm surprised more universities don't offer masters' degrees in Tootsie Pop studies. A degree like that would be just as useful as many of the other liberal arts degrees offered in this day of age.

A tip of the hat to Arturo7 for making me delve into this subject a little more deeply. I totally missed that the poll was about waltermelons and not watermelons. Now, I've learned something new. Someone from Indonesia must have submitted that entry into the poll.

[JBRiner]

I voted for.....chocolate! I don’t normally eat candy, I don’t care for overly sweet stuff. But the chocolate isn’t super sweet (for a hard candy anyway).

Now if they made a horehound version I would be all over that! I keep a small crystal candy jar with horehound drops on my desk. They are the best hard candies in my opinion.

[Mr Beardsley]

I voted for.....chocolate! I don’t normally eat candy, I don’t care for overly sweet stuff. But the chocolate isn’t super sweet (for a hard candy anyway).

Now if they made a horehound version I would be all over that! I keep a small crystal candy jar with horehound drops on my desk. They are the best hard candies in my opinion.

I never appreciated horehound until I was around 40 and then I figured out why my dad has been a fan for all these years. You mentioning it caused me to jump on the interwebs and order a couple bags

[JBRiner]

My Grandpa always had horehound candy around. I love it for the taste and the fact that it reminds me of him.

Enjoy yours when it comes in!