The Bomb Pop was invented by James S. Merritt and D.S. Abernethy in
Kansas City, Missouri, on July 30, 1955. In 1971, Bomb Pop was trademarked. In 1975, Bomb Pop was patented by then President of Merritt Foods, James W. Wilkerson. When D.S. Abernethy's company, Merritt Foods, closed down in 1991, Wells' Dairy bought the business, including Bomb Pops. In 1999, Stephen Labaton of
The New York Times used bombpop.com as an example of why there needed to be new rules to protect children's privacy. Any child who wanted to win a Nintendo
Game Boy had to fill out their personal information, including their address. In 2003,
The Walt Disney Company made a deal with Wells' Dairy to release
Buzz Lightyear Bomb Pops. Several competitors sell similar looking popsicles, with some litigation by a competitor in 2014, which was eventually dismissed.
Blue Bunny celebrated Bomb Pops' 50th anniversary in 2005 by starting a
sweepstakes. The sweepstakes included giving a vacation to
Disneyland to two winners and giving 50 winners a
Game Boy Advance. The 50th anniversary was also the start of National Bomb Pop Day, which is celebrated on the last Thursday in June. ==References==