Haven't we all seen the commercial?

“Mr. Owl, how many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?” says a little boy. The owl takes the Tootsie Pop and begins to lick it. “One, two, three!!” the owls says. Soon after, he bites the whole sucker away. Everyone watching laughs and laughs, but I die a little inside.

Remember it now? I'm sure you do, but the world will never know. Why?

Reason One:

Doesn't it truly depend on how bulbous or skinny your tongue is? I have a really skinny tongue, which makes it take longer to reach the center. If you have a large tongue, your saliva is more spread, and dissolves the candy treat more quickly.

Reason Two:

Do you suck the sucker, or do you lick it? How about both? This can also make a huge difference on how many licks, slurps, or sucks it takes to reach the center.

Reason Three:

Do your teeth scrape against the sucker? If so, how much? If not, how so? By scraping your teeth against the Tootsie Pop, you get more pieces of the candy off, making it quicker to finish.

Lastly, Reason Four:

Which directions do you lick it? Up? Down? Side to side? Diagonal? Horizontal? This also makes a diffence in how many licks it will take.

So, in conclusion, everyone's number of licks will be different, because not all of us eat a Tootsie Pop the same.

How many licks does it really take? As many as you decide.