By Heather Taylor, Editor-in-Chief, PopIcon
Do you know how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll pop? The world got the answer from the candy brand’s bespectacled mascot Mr. Owl in 1970. Now more than five decades later, Mr. Owl and the iconic ad are back in a newly refreshed “How Many Licks?” commercial.
Then and Now: Has Anything Changed in “How Many Licks?”
There are plenty of visible differences when comparing the original 1970 spot to its 2025 update. Calabash Animation has redrawn the spot in HD to be much brighter and cleaner while Schafer Condon Carter (SCC) led the creative.
The original commercial clocked in at one minute and featured an intrepid young boy on a quest to find out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie pop.
He first asks Mr. Cow and is referred through a pipeline of side characters including Mr. Fox and Mr. Turtle before eventually asking the wise Mr. Owl. Mr. Owl sizes up the boy, and his Tootsie Pop, and determines the answer is one, two, three licks and a chomp at the end.
“If there’s anything I can’t stand, it’s a smart owl,” the boy mutters as he walks away, his candy having been consumed by Mr. Owl.
The 2025 spot is only 30 seconds long and stars all-new vocal talent. The original voice of Mr. Owl was voiceover actor Paul Winchell, who also provided voices for the Scrubbing Bubbles and Burger Chef.
Only Mr. Turtle, Mr. Owl, and the boy make appearances this time. The boy is noticeably carrying a cherry flavored Tootsie Pop (one of the brand’s most popular flavors), is fully dressed this time around (he didn’t have clothes drawn on in the original commercial…), and omits the “smart owl” comment at the end in favor of a glum expression after realizing he was duped into letting the brand mascot eat his candy.
The new creative will be airing now through Halloween 2025. You can catch up with Mr. Owl and follow all of Tootsie Roll’s shenanigans on Instagram and TikTok. We’d also like to wish Mr. Owl a happy belated birthday! The mascot turned 55 in August.
About the Author
Heather Taylor is the senior writer and editor-in-chief of PopIcon, Advertising Week’s blog about brand mascots. Got a pitch on brand mascots or want to wax nostalgic about characters? Drop her a line at howveryheather@gmail.com.
