WEBVTT - Why Are Ice Pops Called Quiescently Frozen Confections?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works Pay brain

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff Lauren Vocabam. Here, let's say it's a hot summer

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<v Speaker 1>day and you're enjoying a delicious frozen treat, something we

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<v Speaker 1>would normally identify with a word that you can make

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<v Speaker 1>by combining what Michael Jackson was the king of and

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<v Speaker 1>one of the two tools on the former flag of

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<v Speaker 1>the Soviet Union. And no, I am not talking about

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<v Speaker 1>Neverland ranch hammers, though that sounds delicious anyway, If you

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<v Speaker 1>look down at the label of your icy snack, there's

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<v Speaker 1>a good chance that it will not be labeled with

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<v Speaker 1>that word I just alluded to, and instead we'll say

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<v Speaker 1>that it's a quiescently frozen confection. But what does quiescently

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<v Speaker 1>frozen confection mean? While the jargon, why not just say

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<v Speaker 1>a popsicle? Let's break down the phrase quiescently frozen confection.

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<v Speaker 1>Confection just means a sweet food or dessert. I assume

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<v Speaker 1>you know what frozen means and quiescently means at rest,

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<v Speaker 1>this is worth specifying. In the world of frozen treats.

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<v Speaker 1>Quiescently frozen food just sits there while it freezes. It's

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<v Speaker 1>at rest. If you've ever made homemade ice pops out

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<v Speaker 1>of orange juice or mountain dew and an ice cube

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<v Speaker 1>tray in your freezer, those were quiescently frozen. This is

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<v Speaker 1>in contrast to something like ice cream, which is not

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<v Speaker 1>quiescently frozen. Ice Cream is frozen and whipped at the

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<v Speaker 1>same time. In factories that make ice cream, a blade

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<v Speaker 1>called a dasher turns inside the ice cream vat to

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<v Speaker 1>vigorously stir the mix while it freezes. This incorporates air bubbles,

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<v Speaker 1>which is a crucial part of forming the internal structure

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<v Speaker 1>of the ice cream. If you just poured ice cream

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<v Speaker 1>bis into an ice cube tray and froze it, it

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<v Speaker 1>would not taste or feel right. This is also why

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<v Speaker 1>when ice cream refreezes after melting, it's never quite the same.

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<v Speaker 1>But okay, we all know what popsicle means. Why mess

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<v Speaker 1>with this scientific term. We do this because popsicle is

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<v Speaker 1>what we might refer to as a proprietary eponym, a

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<v Speaker 1>word that is actually a registered trademark of a company

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<v Speaker 1>that we've come to use as a generic term in

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<v Speaker 1>Carmon parlance. Other examples include xerox for photocopy, band aid

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<v Speaker 1>for adhesive bandages, velcro for those hook and loop fasteners,

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<v Speaker 1>Kleenex for tissues, Frisbee for throwing discs, and styrofoam for

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<v Speaker 1>extruded polystyrene foam. Now, if you're a kid asking your

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<v Speaker 1>friend's mom if you can have another popsicle, this probably

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't matter unless your friend's mom is a trademark lawyer

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<v Speaker 1>for the Unilever Supply Chain Incorporated. That's because popsicle is

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<v Speaker 1>a registered trademark of Unilever Supply Chain Incorporated. They are

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<v Speaker 1>serious about their rights and they've definitely got them some lawyers.

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<v Speaker 1>So how did this come to be? Popsicles are quiescently

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<v Speaker 1>frozen confections were invented in nineteen o five by an

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<v Speaker 1>eleven year old kid in San Francisco named Frank Epperson.

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<v Speaker 1>When Epperson grew up, he began selling them as frozen

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<v Speaker 1>drinks on a stick. In ninety four, he took out

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<v Speaker 1>a patent for his frozen confectionery. By n he had

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<v Speaker 1>started calling these frozen confectioneries popsicles, the apparent logic being

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<v Speaker 1>soda pop us icicle, or possibly his kids called them

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<v Speaker 1>icicles that they're pop made that year he sold the

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<v Speaker 1>rights to the Joe Low Company in New York. Fast

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<v Speaker 1>forward to when Uni leaver subsidiary Good Humor bought the

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<v Speaker 1>rights to the name popsicle. Uni Leaver still owns those rights,

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<v Speaker 1>But do they really care if you use the term generically? Oh? Yes.

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<v Speaker 1>According to UNI Leaver's public facing website, you should never

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<v Speaker 1>use popsicle as a noun, but rather as a modifier,

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<v Speaker 1>meaning you don't want a popsicle, you want a popsical

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<v Speaker 1>ice pop. Similarly, you shouldn't pluralize the word. You're not

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<v Speaker 1>going to go to the store to buy popsicles, You're

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<v Speaker 1>gonna buy popsicle pops. And if you said that you

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<v Speaker 1>love popsicles great taste, you're talking about the flavor of

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<v Speaker 1>a company. If you're talking about the food product, you

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<v Speaker 1>would be correct to say the great taste of popsicle

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<v Speaker 1>ice pops. And if you happen to decide to start

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<v Speaker 1>a business selling your own quiescently frozen confections, don't think

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<v Speaker 1>all normal people call them popsicles. It'll be fine. Don't

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<v Speaker 1>be so sure. Lawyers are not normal people, and you will.

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<v Speaker 1>Leavers trademark warriors have gone after small businesses before and

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<v Speaker 1>demanded that all infringement of the popsical trademark be scrubbed

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<v Speaker 1>from existence. So remember, next time you're about to leave

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<v Speaker 1>some event early and you want to sound cool, don't

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<v Speaker 1>say let's blow this popsicle stand. Say let's blow this

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<v Speaker 1>quiescently frozen confection stand like a good law abiding citizen.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode was written by Joe McCormick and produced by

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<v Speaker 1>Tyler Clang. To hear more from Joe, check out his

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<v Speaker 1>podcast Stuff to Blow Your Mind, and, of course, for

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<v Speaker 1>more on this and lots of other law abiding topics,

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<v Speaker 1>visit our home planet, how Stuff Works dot com