A student study at the University of Cambridge concluded that it takes 3,481 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop.[9] Another study by Purdue University concluded that it takes an average of 364 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop using a "licking machine", while it takes an average of 252 licks when tried by 20 volunteers. Yet another study by the University of Michigan concluded that it takes 411 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. A 1996 study by undergraduate students at Swarthmore College concluded that it takes a median of 144 licks (range 70-222) to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop.[10]Harvard Grad students created a rotating mechanical tongue and concluded it took 2255 licks. It took 2256 licks on one attempt for a normal raspberry Tootsie Pop to get the center showing.

Questioning Boy (Buddy Foster): Mr. Cow... Mr. Cow (Frank Nelson): Yeeeeesss!!? Questioning Boy: How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?! Mr. Cow: I don't know, I always end up biting. Ask Mr. Fox, for he's much cleverer than I. Questioning Boy: Mr. Fox, how many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?!! Mr. Fox (Paul Frees): Why don't you ask Mr. Turtle, for he's been around a lot longer than I! Me, heheh, I bite! Questioning Boy: Mr. Turtle, how many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop? Mr. Turtle (Ralph James): I've never even made it without biting. Ask Mr. Owl, for he is the wisest of us all. Questioning Boy: Mr. Owl, how many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop!? Mr. Owl (Paul Winchell): A good question. Let's find out. (He takes the Tootsie pop and starts licking) A One... A two-HOO... A tha-three.. (crunch sound effect) Mr. Owl: A Three! Questioning Boy: If there's anything I can't stand, it's a smart owl. Narrator (Herschel Bernardi): How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop? (crunch sound effect) Narrator: The world may never know.