The Popsicle was invented by accident when, at age 11, Frank Epperson left a cup of soda water with stirring stick outdoors during freezing temperatures. In adulthood, Epperson sold his frozen invention at fairs, and initially called it the Epsicle. His children referred it Pop's sicle and the product's name was subsequently changed to Popsicle.

In 1923, Epperson applied for a patent for frozen ice on a stick. In 1925, he sold the rights to his invention to the Joe Lowe Company of New York. At this point, the Lowe Company entered into an agreement with the Good Humor Company not to use either milk-based recipes, or rectangular designs, in order to minimize product competition. In 1932 the Good Humor Company sued Joe Lowe and Popsicle for infringing on this agreement, noting that Popsicle products had begun to encroach upon Good Humor's products in the shapes and amount of milk used.

Originally, popsicles were offered in seven different flavors. The twin Popsicle was invented during the Great Depression, an era in which the product's sales increased. During the 1950s, as freezers became more common in suburban households, the Popsicle multipack started to be sold in supermarkets. In 1965, Popsicle was purchased by Consolidated Foods Corporation and again in 1986 by the Gold Bond Ice Cream Company of Green Bay, Wisconsin. In 1989 Unilever acquired Gold Bond, which owned both Breyers and Good Humor brands along with Popsicle; Unilever's ice cream division became known as Gold Bond-Good Humor. In 1993, this name changed to Good Humor-Breyers.

Sources: Unilever's Popsicle history page;

Prairie Moon Company's page of Popsicle history links