“Dear Miah: How Many Licks Does It Take To Get To The Tootsie Roll Center Of A Tootsie Pop?”
To carry out this experiment, I would need tootsie roll pops. I procured $1.00 from the Scoop City coffers and made my way down to the local convenience store. I purchased three lollipops, cherry flavor, at 15 cents a piece and, with tax, the total came to 48 cents. Feeling altruistic, I donated two quarters to a young boy named David suffering from leukemia and threw my 2 remaining pennies into the take a penny, leave a penny jar. I then made my way back to the Scoop City offices. Upon my return, I enlisted the aid of Dr. Shin to help me with this experiment. He objected vehemently, but, in the end, acquiesced. I handed him a lollipop, took one myself and began the experiment. The process and results follow…Trial 1: Dr. Shin took his tootsie roll pop and eyed it skeptically before opening it. After a few cursory licks, he went at the sucker with unmatched vigor. He called out his lick count periodically-45, 86, 139, 176, 221, 330, At lick 376, Dr. Shin stopped, experiencing distinct tootsie flavor. Upon closer inspection, no tootsie had been reached, so the licking resumed. At 8:43,he reached the tootsie roll center of his tootsie pop at an astounding 457 licks.Trial 2: Giving the doctor a cool down period, I approached my licking with much less excitement. I unwrapped the revolting red mess and began licking, quite slowly. I went about my task as diligently as possible, paying little attention to Dr. Shin’s comments of “the little baby is going to vomit!” It went well at first, the taste nothing more than that of a cherry sucker. At lick 411, I tasted the vile mixture of tootsie and lollipop, but, in the name of science, dammit, I carried on. At lick 467, 11:21 after beginning, I reached the center of my tootsie roll pop.At this point, an argument ensued as to who would get the last tootsie roll pop. Dr. Shin wanted me to lick this one- he enjoyed the expression of disgust that was plastered to my face as I licked. On the other hand, tried to explain that, as my confederate, he had certain obligations that I did not: mainly more licking, because I had to prepare the report. Neither of us was successful in forcing the other to lick, so, using a quarter of my own, I went down to the convenience store and bought another tootsie roll pop. We would both lick one more.
Trial 3: I had had enough of the damned tootsie roll pops and wanted to get through this one as fast as possible. I closed my eyes and licked like I had never licked before. Before I knew it, 6:21 had passed, and I had licked the tootsie roll pop 314 times and had reached the center.Trial 4: Dr. Shin began his tootsie licking with the same enthusiasm as before. At lick 98, he complained of a bursting bladder and had to relieve himself. I let him go, but only if he continued licking. He agreed and away he went. A few minutes later, looking quite forlorn, he exited the bathroom. He had dropped his tootsie roll pop right into the toilet. I would have to make due with the three trials.Unfortunately, gullible, ignorant man that I am, I did not realize the ruse for what it was. I woke up the next morning, a tootsie roll pop intertwined with strands of my hair, thoroughly stuck. “Dr. Shin never gets out licked by no man!” was scrawled on an old piece of cardboard in red Crayola. The doctor was no where to be found. I now have a bald spot above my right ear, having to have removed the sucker with scissors. Peanut butter and mayonnaise failed me.
Results: Here follow the results. The average number of licks to reach the tootsie roll center of the tootsie pop was 412.7 but, since you cannot have a partial lick, round up to 413. The average time was 8 minutes, 48 seconds. So, you could say, it takes 413 licks to reach the center of a tootsie roll pop. But that would be ignoring other variables that may decrease or increase this number of licks.We could divide these into personal factors related to the licker and external factors of the environment. Personal factors include things lick the pH level of the saliva. In our study, both testers could be said to have fairly acidic spit, mine from rising bile, Dr. Shin’s from his constant whiskey intake. This could certainly decrease the number of licks. Other things may include coarseness of tongue, pressure applied to each lick, and pace of licking. Some environmental factors include things lick the distance from the outside of the lollipop to its tootsie roll center. In trial 3, the center was much easier to reach, being roughly 5 mm closer to the surface. Temperature and humidity levels should also be taken into consideration.
So, how many licks does it take to reach the tootsie roll center of a tootsie roll pop? In future conversation, you may use the following phrase when asked this very question- “Research carried out by Miah and Dr. Shin indicates an average of 413 licks. Visit them at www.scoopcitymagazine.com!”Last sentence must be an exclamatory. Thank you. Now, I am going to induce vomiting.Do you have a question for Miah? Then Ask Miah!
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39 responses so far ↓
1 Jennie Gump // Apr 13, 2008 at 12:44 pm
This is really amazing.
But is it really possible
i mean what if peoples saliva is different.
and how many times would the have to lick it.
Hmm.
i love the orange kind=]
2 angela // Apr 18, 2008 at 6:06 pm
well i think it takes more licks than that to get to the middle of a tootsie roll pop
3 BOB // Apr 27, 2008 at 9:01 am
I LIKE MONKEYS
4 nick // Apr 29, 2008 at 4:00 pm
all you had to do to get the tootsie pop out of your hair was run warm water over your head for a few minutes, dissolving the candy in your hair.
5 Lauren // May 12, 2008 at 2:18 pm
This is a cool website
6 SnuggleMonkey // May 28, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Yeah the warm h20 wouldve worked well
I tried this experiment once n landed @ 637 licks, i didn’t suck 
7 clary and hawian g // May 29, 2008 at 7:36 am
we dont like monkeys
we said 413 licks
we love anime
MONKEYSR GAY!
WE HATE U BOB!
8 GrEy !!! // Jun 29, 2008 at 1:46 pm
that’s pretty cool.
I’ve tried it before and got to 41 licks, then i just bit it…..i have failed!! buahhaha!!
anyway..good job miah!!
~~grey noelle
9 Yam // Aug 27, 2008 at 2:24 pm
What if the tootsie pop exploded while you were licking it?!?!?!?!
10 The Owl // Sep 24, 2008 at 6:12 am
I GOT THREE! I didnt suck either! What was the sucker doing in your hair to begin with?
11 Castil // Sep 24, 2008 at 6:17 am
On a serious note, my school journalism class has done the same experiment; although, we did not give any specific regulations on what a lick accounted for, so our numbers are a bit different. Apparently, instead of a single lick, we place the entirety of the sucker in our mouths and sucked for about half a second, then taking it our of our mouths. Our numbers were: 144, 214, 199, 182.
12 ok // Sep 24, 2008 at 11:27 pm
good site xutaze
13 mikey // Sep 29, 2008 at 9:52 am
BOB is cool.
14 J // Oct 6, 2008 at 3:09 pm
READS LIKE A DIRTY BOOK
15 Chazmon Allen // Oct 7, 2008 at 11:33 am
this is f—-n stupid
lol
16 Wheeler // Oct 16, 2008 at 5:18 am
I got 461 licks. Im a sucker
17 Adrianne // Oct 23, 2008 at 10:06 am
HEYY I THOUGHT WHEN THEY SAID GET TO THE CENTER OF THE TOOTSIE ROLL IT MEANT THAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE A HUNK OF POOP ON A WHITE STICK NOT A SORE BUTT HOLE ( ALL RED WITH A LITTLE BROWN IN THE MIDDLE) ??????????????
18 Morris // Nov 1, 2008 at 12:41 pm
The answer has always been there. It’s 3!!!
19 Drew // Nov 4, 2008 at 12:52 am
So this is not the question to which the answer is “42″, the answer to life’s ultimate question; damn I had such high hopes.
20 jack meoff // Nov 4, 2008 at 1:32 pm
theres a lot o suckers on this page ; )
21 Kaitlyn // Nov 12, 2008 at 8:40 pm
I completely agree with you….I HATE tootsie pops….ewwwwwww…………..I mean what idiot puts a disgusting candy inside a frieken sucker???
22 alexis o // Nov 22, 2008 at 4:17 pm
I tried this last night and it took WAY more licks than I expected. It took 1,431 licks. I am posative I did not miscount. Maybe because I licked the lollipop untill the was nothing left but the tootsie center and no hard lollipop around it whatsoever. But thats how many licks it took me.
23 smile4hugs // Dec 1, 2008 at 3:03 pm
i did the math with everyone’s number of licks and got 396 licks i dont have a lolli pop to do it so yea
24 monkey#2 // Dec 2, 2008 at 6:16 pm
I LIKE MONKEYS TOO.
25 anonymous // Dec 3, 2008 at 3:06 pm
im doing this
26 anonymous // Dec 3, 2008 at 3:08 pm
27 estefania // Dec 4, 2008 at 4:58 pm
i got 457 i like chocolate ^_^
28 tootsiepopfan35 // Dec 7, 2008 at 2:48 pm
it took me 970 licks!!!!!!! and boy was i tired…..it took my lil cousin 1,200 and my grandmother 943 lol WOW!!!!!!!!
29 Dan W // Dec 11, 2008 at 2:14 pm
who would thought the classic three licks wasn’t the actual lol….i got 559 licks
30 klpsport7 // Dec 14, 2008 at 12:23 am
I was just enjoying a tootsie pop when i became unusually frustrated… threw it away.. and ate a tootsie roll. It took me less time to get to the center than anyone in this experiement. My goal was accomplished much faster and was entirely effective! yay i smart
31 arthur // Jan 3, 2009 at 6:23 pm
iseen a documentary and it said 211 licks
32 GuyBeard // Jan 9, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Hey lolipops taste good. so you all shut up. YOU FILTHY HALF BLOOD! I forgot to put .edu after my email so i couldnt type the response and i got sad. I hear lolipops save lives.
33 trei // Feb 3, 2009 at 1:11 pm
family guy is funny
34 jessica // Feb 24, 2009 at 6:23 pm
i soo doing this it looks so fun i will tell you what i get
35 jessica // Feb 24, 2009 at 6:25 pm
i have done it it took 1 1/2 hours it take 234 licks to get to the center
36 Rebekah Gambrel // Mar 5, 2009 at 8:59 am
how many licks does it take to get to the center of a toosie roll pop? lol
laugh out loud
37 Krissy // Mar 10, 2009 at 7:23 am
My favorite color is red=p
38 Lance // Mar 27, 2009 at 8:24 pm
It took me 400 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie roll tootsie pop. My answer to this anonamous question might be different, but that is how many licks it took me.
39 Deamon // Apr 2, 2009 at 3:36 pm
i tried this and i found the answer and it was 1353! my tounge started to almost bleed
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