The phrase "liquidate all my assets" reveals that Epperson was in a dire financial situation. It indicates that he was forced to sell everything he owned in order to convert his possessions into cash, likely to pay off debts or cover his expenses. This suggests that he was facing significant challenges, both personally and financially, and had reached a point where he felt he had no choice but to give up his valuable possessions in order to survive. The use of the word "liquidate" implies a sense of urgency and desperation, highlighting the extent of his financial struggles.
In 1923, Epperson decided to expand sales beyond his neighborhood. He started selling the treat at Neptune Beach, a nearby amusement park. Dubbed a “West Coast Coney Island,” the park featured roller coasters, baseball and an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Neptune flourished in the pre-Depression days, and consumers eagerly consumed Epsicles and snow cones (which also made their debut at Neptune).
Buoyed by this success, Epperson applied for a patent for his “frozen confection of attractive appearance, which can be conveniently consumed without contamination by contact with the hand and without the need for a plate, spoon, fork or other implement” in 1924. The patent illustrates the requirements for a perfect ice pop, including recommendations on the best wood for the stick: wood-bass, birch and poplar. Eventually, Epperson’s children urged him to change the ice pop’s name to what they called it: a Pop’s ‘Sicle, or Popsicle.
This origin story is charming, if somewhat apocryphal (sources differ on the details), but it didn’t have a happy ending for the inventor. A broke Epperson sold the rights to his creation to the Joe Lowe Co. in the 1920s, much to his regret: “I was flat and had to liquidate all my assets,” he later said. “I haven’t been the same since.”
The Lowe Co. went on to catapult Epperson’s invention to national success. During the Great Depression, the company debuted the two-stick version of the Popsicle to help consumers stretch their dollar — the duo sold for 5 cents.
But this delicious duo faced competition from Good Humor, which had recently debuted its own chocolate-covered ice cream on a stick, and Lowe was sued for copyright infringement. The court’s compromise? Popsicle could sell water-based treats, and Good Humor could sell ice cream pops. Popsicle tested the limits of the agreement, selling a “Milk Popsicle,” and the two companies tussled in court about the definitions of sherbet and ice cream over the years through a series of lawsuits.
The giant food corporation Unilever scooped up the Popsicle brand in 1989, expanding the brand beyond its original fruity flavors. It also bought Good Humor, ending the feud between the two icy competitors.
Over the years, Epperson’s childhood invention has achieved iconic status, standing in for any frozen treat the way Kleenex means a tissue. That explains why also over the years, Unilever has worked to keep the name Popsicle its and its alone: In 2010, the company threatened legal action against artisan Brooklyn ice pop makers People’s Pops for using the word “popsicle” on its blog.
As for Epperson, he died in 1983 and is buried in Oakland’s Mountain View Cemetery, where he’s featured on a tour celebrating local food luminaries including chocolate mogul Domingo Ghirardelli and mai tai inventor Victor “Trader Vic” Bergeron.
His story lives on in many forms — from the official Popsicle website, where it’s illustrated in comic form, to an inspirational Christian self-help book about trusting in God’s grand plan for your life. Epperson’s childhood invention, born randomly on a freezing night, has also proved to be resoundingly successful and long lived: These days, some 2 billion Popsicles are sold each year.
©2015 National Public Radio, Inc. News report titled "How An 11-Year-Old Boy Invented The Popsicle" by Shelby Pope was originally published on NPR.org on July 22, 2015, and is used with the permission of NPR. Any unauthorized duplication is strictly prohibited.
Notes
AllDefinitionsFootnotes
Entrepreneur (noun) : a person who starts a business
Concoct (verb) : to create something magical or unusual by mixing different ingredients
The Great Depression was a worldwide economic decline that lasted from 1929 to 1939.
Consume (verb) : to eat or drink something
Debut (noun) : the first public appearance
made (by something) to feel confident; encouraged
a license that ensures a right or title for a set period, often the right to prevent others from making, using, or selling an invention
a dessert made with sweet ingredients
a tool
Apocryphal (adjective) : well-known but probably not true
“Flat” can mean utterly ruined or destroyed.
to sell one's valuables in exchange for cash
legal term that describes the use of a concept, artistic work, or invention that belongs exclusively to someone else
describes products made in a traditional way (often by hand)
a powerful person in one or more specific industries (such as the chocolate industry)
a popular alcoholic drink
Question 2
Write: An "asset" is something you own. What does the phrase "liquidate all my assets" reveal about Epperson's situation? (Paragraph 5)
1 answer