The Iconic Depression-Era Popsicle You Can Still Buy Today
As the story goes, the first popsicle was invented in 1905 by a young boy named Frank Epperson and loosely patented in 1923, but Twin Pops have a much richer (and more documented) history. During the Great Depression (also when Toll House Cookies can trace their roots to), an ice cream manufacturer named The Ziegenfelder Candy Company popularized the idea of Twin Pops. These were no ordinary popsicles, but an icy treat frozen in two segments with two separate popsicle sticks meant to split down the middle, perfect for two. Twin Pops originally sold for just five cents per popsicle, a true product of the Depression.
The novelty of Twin Pops lasted beyond the Depression. By the 1980s, it was the sole product focus of the Ziegenfelder business. In 1989, the Budget Saver brand, a sub-brand of Ziegenfelder, released a bag of assorted flavors with six Twin Pops, which included orange, cherry, banana, grape, blue raspberry, and lime, a variety pack still available at stores today. Cherry has, historically, been the most popular flavor, but banana flavor is close behind (even though artificial banana flavor doesn't taste like the real thing). Now, excited customers can purchase a bag full of strictly banana Twin Pops, although there's also a pack with just root beer flavor and another assorted pack with tropical flavors, such as pina colada, mango, blood orange, raspberry lime, lemon, and watermelon.
Twin Pops have been around for nearly 100 years
The Ziegenfelder Candy Company was founded in 1861 but didn't begin ice cream production until the 1920s thanks to the Pinsky family. Twin Pops' popularity and the Ziegenfelder name began to boom in the 1950s and 1960s when Charles and Abe Lando, a father-son duo, purchased the Ziegenfelder Ice Cream Company and took over production. Charles Lando's daughter, Lisa Allen, joined the executive team in the late '90s and helped grow the company tremendously, purchasing new factories for development and working a deal with Walmart to ensure Twin Pops ended up on shelves across the country. Eventually, she became the CEO.
Today, Twin Pops are still a popular choice for popsicle lovers everywhere, with even more flavors, sugar-free options, and Budget Saver's newest spin-off popsicle, Monster Pops. The company estimates that it produces more than 2.5 million Twin Pops per day. But when we tried them, we thought the popsicles were too artificial tasting to truly enjoy.
Allen retired as The Ziegenfelder Company's CEO in 2019 and, after nearly 70 years in her family's name, announced that The Ziegenfelder Company and Budget Saver Twin Pops were sold to The Armstrong Group in 2022. The acquisition hasn't changed much in terms of production or success of Twin Pops, though, as the company broke ground on a $46 million expansion project in 2024 and continues to crank out those fruity popsicles by the millions.