Cool off with homemade ice pops

There’s nothing quite as welcome as a cold crisp ice pop on a hot summer day.

Ice pop?

What’s that?

It’s a generic name for a Popsicle, but the

P word is trademarked

— and it’s a specific thing that can’t be used in a story about making your own ice pops.

Find recipes for Kiwi Strawberry Pops, Ornage Mango Granita NEWSHERALD.COM/LIFESTYLE

I’m almost sure to hear from Unilever, which owns the trademark because I didn’t put an r with a circle around it when I used that trademarked word. My keyboard doesn’t have that icon so perhaps those who edit this column will be able to include it.

Or not. (Editor’s note: not.) When I looked into how the favorite summer treat evolved, I discovered it came about quite by accident in 1905 when 11-yearold Frank Epperson left a bottle of soda pop on the porch overnight and it froze.

According to a 2010 article from The Atlantic, Epperson called his accidental creation an “Epsicle” when he began marketing them as “The Frozen Drink on a Stick” some 18 years later. He applied for a patent after changing its name to Popsicle and sold the rights to the Joe Lowe Co. in New York.

They became icons for a cold summer treat and now are sold all over the country.

Sometime after that, the pop was replaced by syrups and fruit juices and got a few names including Popsicle, ice pop and ice lollies.

Today, ice pop molds and sticks are sold at Target, Walmart and Dollar General stores to those wishing to make their own.