The History Of Popsicles: How A Child's Mistake Turned Into A Billion Dollar Dessert Industry

It's not often a billion-dollar industry begins with an absent-minded child forgetting his chores, but that's exactly how the Popsicle came to be. In 1905, 11-year-old Frank Epperson mixed up a glass of soda powder and water, left it outside overnight with a stir stick still inside, and woke up to find the first frozen ice pop. Curious, he gave it a try — and the accidental treat was born. At first, he called it the "Epsicle," and it quickly became the neighborhood favorite. But as often happens, the kids around him had a better name. They started calling it a "Pop's 'Sicle," or "Popsicle," a rebrand that stuck for good.

By the early 1920s, Epperson realized his invention was too popular to stay local. He brought it to Neptune Beach, a sprawling San Francisco amusement park where roller coasters and saltwater pools drew huge crowds. Visitors lined up for the frozen novelty, proving it had commercial legs far beyond his own porch. In 1924, he filed for a patent that not only protected the idea of a frozen dessert on a stick but even outlined what kind of wood should be used — an oddly specific detail that shows just how seriously he was taking his creation. And while we all toss around the word "popsicle" as a catch-all term today, technically that's brand-speak. If you're not eating a Popsicle®, you're using the word "popsicle" wrong (it's actually an ice pop).

Popsicle's rise wasn't all smooth freezing. By the end of the 1920s, Frank Epperson had parted ways with his creation, selling the rights to the Joe Lowe Company, which wasted no time turning it into a coast-to-coast sensation. When the Great Depression squeezed family budgets, the company introduced a two-stick bar designed to be snapped in half and shared — all for a nickel. It was part dessert, part economic lifeline, and it kept Popsicle firmly planted in the hands of kids across America.

With success came trouble. Good Humor, the brand behind chocolate-dipped ice cream bars, took Lowe to court over frozen territory. What followed was nicknamed "the Frozen Sucker War," years of legal wrangling that ended in 1933 with a compromise. Popsicle stayed in the business of icy, fruit-flavored confections, while Good Humor carved out the creamier side of the aisle. The rivalry didn't last forever, though — in an ironic twist, both brands would eventually wind up under the same corporate umbrella.

From that point on, Popsicle grew beyond novelty status and into a cultural institution. Generations of kids grew up peeling open colorful wrappers, while adults put their own spin on the trend, from fruit purées to boozy popsicles as summertime hacks. More than a century later, the empire that began with a frozen cup on a porch has become a billion-dollar industry. And for now, our ranking of frozen fruit flavored popsicles shows just how strong the obsession still is.