How many newspaper stories asked the lick question, and which named a source?

Research question: What counts have newspapers or magazines printed for the lick question over the years, and which of those articles cited a named source?

The records show a 2015 UW-Stout student article reporting that Heid's 2013 research found an average of 417 licks to reach a Tootsie Pop's center, and that the author's own estimate of 419 matched it ¹. That article also cites earlier research from Zyra (1996), Waksman (2009), and Tootsie Roll Industries, but it does not say whether any of these were newspaper or magazine pieces ². A Delish article reports that the official count remains undetermined after five decades ³, and it quotes Henry Mills of Tootsie Roll Industries saying the ad refresh honors the company's heritage ⁴. The newest dated fact is the 2015 article, roughly eleven years before October 2026, and the facts do not establish which other newspapers or magazines printed counts.

Sources