The idea of a hard candy on a stick is fairly simple, and it is probable that the lollipop has been invented and reinvented numerous times. The word "lolly-pop" dates to 1784, but initially referred to soft, rather than hard candy. The term probably derived from the term "lolly" (tongue) and "pop" (slap). The first references to the lollipop in its modern context date to the 1920s.
The first confectioneries that closely resemble what we call lollipops date to the Middle Ages, when the nobility would often eat boiled sugar with the aid of sticks or handles. The invention of the modern lollipop is still something of a mystery, but a number of American companies in the early 20th century have laid claim to it.
Types of Lollipops
Lollipops are available in a number of colors and flavors, particularly fruit flavors. In Europe, especially the Nordic countries, Germany and the Netherlands, salmiakki-flavored lollipops are also available, but these are largely unknown in other parts of the world. With numerous companies producing lollipops, the candy now comes in dozens of flavors and many different shapes. They range from small ones which can be bought by the hundred and are often given away for free at banks, barbershops, etc., to very large ones made out of candy canes twisted into a circle.
Some lollipops contain fillings, such as bubble gum or soft candy. Tootsie roll pops are a good example.
Tootsie Roll Pops - sometimes known as Tootsie Pops, are hard candy lollipops filled with chewy chocolate-flavoured Tootsie Rolls. Some were also known to have contained gum in the center called, 'Tootsie Pops'(missing the roll). They were invented in 1931 by Tom Medric , which changed its name to Tootsie Roll Industries in 1966. (see wikipedia)
Some novelty lollipops have more unusual items, such as mealworm larvae, embedded in the candy.
Some lollipops have been marketed for use as diet aids, although their effectiveness is untested, and anecdotal cases of weight loss may be due to the power of suggestion.
