Popsicles are sweet, frozen treats that have been enjoyed for over 116 years. These frozen treats on a stick have been around since the turn of the 20th century, and probably millions of children have enjoyed them through the years. One of the original Popsicle flavors made available was grape, and it’s now being celebrated with a holiday called National Grape Popsicle Day. This holiday is observed on May 27th, which is right before the beginning of summer and is the perfect time for adults and children alike to enjoy a grape popsicle.

The History of Grape Popsicles

The Popsicle was invented in 1905 by an Oakland, California resident, Francis William Epperson. He was only 11 years old at the time. He stumbled upon this invention when he left his drink out on the porch one night. He had been stirring soft drink flavoring and water with a wooden stick and left the entire glass overnight on his front porch. During the night, the mixture froze with the stick in it, and when he found it the next morning, he knew it was something special. This was his inspiration for a fruit-flavored Popsicle.

Seventeen years later, he would introduce Popsicles to people at a fireman’s ball, where it was a huge hit. The following year, he began to sell them to the public at an amusement park in Alameda, California, at Neptune Beach. In 1924, he would receive a patent for his treat and would end up calling it the Epsicle Ice Pop. At the insistence of his children, he would later rename them Popsicles.

At this time, it’s unknown what flavors his Popsicles were. However, in 1925, he ended up selling the rights to the Popsicle to the Joe Lowe Company in New York. They began selling Popsicles, and we do know which flavors they sold. They sold root beer, banana, cherry, orange, lemon, watermelon, and of course, grape. So, the grape Popsicle has been around since at least 1925 and may have been around longer than that.

Amazing Facts About Popsicles

When we began researching this holiday, one thing we noticed is that everyone is obsessed with Popsicles – or at least, the Internet is obsessed with them. That’s why there are a ton of facts about them out there. It’s also why we decided to wrangle some of these facts so that we could share them with you today.

• August 26th is National Cherry Popsicle Day
• September 2nd is National Blueberry Popsicle Day
• The last Thursday in June is National Bomb Pop Day
• Over two billion Popsicles are sold annually, and the most sold flavor is cherry.

Observing National Grape Popsicle Day

Go out, grab yourself some grape Popsicle treats, and enjoy them by yourself or with your children. If you’d rather make your own, then you can easily buy Popsicle sticks, frozen treat forms, and grape flavoring to make them. While you’re doing so, be sure to use the hashtag #NationalGrapePopsicleDay to get this holiday on the map.