Free Tootsie Pops!

When I was 11, I sent a complaint letter to the Tootsie Roll company, asking why the chocolate center in Tootsie Pops had become smaller and smaller through the many years I had been a consumer.  They responded only with the above letter.  What I had hoped for was some free tootsie pops, just as a gesture.  All I ever got was this letter which I have saved for almost 25 years.

I recently had brunch with some childhood friends and their son, Jaden.  The restaurant had a bowl of “Dum Dum” lollipops for the kids.  When Jaden was happily licking the pop, it struck me was how small the lollipop was now.   Did I remember it bigger because I was little when I last had one or had the size of the “dum dum” actually shrunk through the years?  It got us talking and reminded me about the complaint letter I sent to the Tootsie Roll company so long ago about Tootsie Pops, my beloved snack. 

I just loved Tootsie Pops.  My favorite flavor back then was grape.  ( I have since switched to orange).  I used to dip my “pops” in water which for some reason added to the taste and then took lick after lick.  This treat was a great snack because it lasted such a long time unless you could not resist the great chocolate treat in the center and bit into the Tootsie Pop prematurely, just like the owl in the old TV commercials (how many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop? 

It’s nice to know that years before there was ever an internet, some companies were proactive enough to respond to customer complaints.  But, I still would have preferred some free Tootsie Pops.