Category: Origin Stories

A Frosty Fluke in 1905

Imagine a chilly night in 1905 San Francisco. The fog’s rolling in, the air’s crisp, and an 11-year-old named Frank Epperson is tinkering with a DIY soda—because, let’s be honest, kids back then had to entertain themselves without Fortnite or fidget spinners. He mixes sugary soda powder with water, stirs it with a wooden stick, and then—oops!—gets distracted. Maybe it was a passing horse-drawn carriage or a sudden urge to chase fireflies, but he abandons his creation on the porch. Overnight, the Bay Area pulls a rare weather stunt, dropping to record lows, and that forgotten cup freezes solid. Morning comes, and Frank discovers his sugary slush has morphed into an icy delight. He licks it off the stick, probably grinning like he’d just invented sliced bread, and thus, the Popsicle is born. A total accident? Sure. A stroke of genius? You bet.

From Porch to Profit

Young Frank didn’t just pat himself on the back and call it a day. He dubbed his creation the “Epsicle”—a clever combo of “icicle” and his last name, proving he was a branding prodigy before puberty. Soon, he’s the neighborhood’s coolest kid (pun intended), hawking these frozen treats to anyone with a spare penny or a shiny rock to trade. Fast forward 18 years to 1923, and Frank, now a dad with a full-grown mustache (probably), decides to take his invention big-time. He sets up shop at Neptune Beach, a nearby amusement park dubbed the “West Coast Coney Island.” Picture this: roller coasters rattling, kids splashing in an Olympic-sized pool, and Frank’s Epsicles stealing the show. The pre-Depression crowd couldn’t get enough—Epsicles and snow cones were the talk of the boardwalk.  

A Family Rebrand

Here’s where the plot thickens, and it’s sweeter than a grape Popsicle. Frank’s kids, who clearly inherited his knack for naming things, started calling it “Pop’s ‘Sicle” because it was their dad’s brainchild. Frank, ever the softie, caved to their adorable pressure and rebranded it the Popsicle—a name so snappy it’s been chilling on our tongues for nearly a century. In 1924, he filed a patent for his “frozen confection of attractive appearance,” detailing the perfect stick woods—birch, bass, or poplar—like he was auditioning for Lumberjack Idol. This wasn’t just a treat; it was a frozen empire in the making.  

The Cold, Hard Sell

But life’s not all rainbow sprinkles, and Frank’s story takes a bittersweet turn. By the late 1920s, he’s flat broke—maybe he spent all his cash on stick whittling—and sells the Popsicle rights to the Joe Lowe Company. “I was flat and had to liquidate all my assets,” he later moaned, probably while staring mournfully at a melting ice pop. The Lowe Co., meanwhile, turned his creation into a national obsession. During the Great Depression, they rolled out the two-stick Popsicle—two treats for five cents, because even in tough times, sharing a brain freeze with your buddy is pure gold.

A Legacy That Won’t Melt

The Popsicle’s saga didn’t end with Frank’s exit. It faced a frosty feud with Good Humor, who’d debuted their chocolate-dipped ice cream on a stick and cried foul. The courtroom drama was peak 1930s: lawyers arguing over sherbet vs. ice cream definitions while the judge likely just wanted a snack break. The ruling? Popsicle stuck to water-based goodies, Good Humor kept the creamy crown. This rivalry simmered until 1989, when Unilever swooped in like a corporate superhero, snagging both brands and expanding Popsicle into a fruity dynasty—think Creamsicles, Fudgsicles, and flavors galore. Today, over 2 billion Popsicles are slurped up every year, from classic orange to SpongeBob-shaped novelties. Frank’s porch blunder has outlasted fads, wars, and questionable fashion trends (looking at you, 1980s shoulder pads). Buried in Oakland’s Mountain View Cemetery since 1983, he’s still a local legend alongside chocolate king Domingo Ghirardelli. So next time you’re battling summer heat with a cherry Popsicle, tip your sticky fingers to Frank Epperson—the kid who turned a chilly oops into a timeless treat. Who knows? Maybe your next kitchen mishap could be the next big thing.  

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