Though never a huge fan of candy in general, I ate loads of Tootsie Roll Pops as a child. Sure, the Tootsie Roll's rough approximation of chocolate was mildly alluring, but the real bait for me was more often the garish wrapping rather than the candy inside. I liked the '50's cartoon stylings of the characters but couldn't resist The Legend of the Indian. The story goes that those lucky enough to find an Indian shooting a star on their wrapper would be granted a FREE tootsie roll pop in exchange. As a kid, this was like Willy Wonka's golden ticket...toned down a bit for the real world. I saved dozens, maybe hundreds, of wrappers hoping to one day start a schoolyard Tootsie Pop business by hawking sweets to sugar-starved schoolmates. Problem is, I never knew where to turn these wrappers in...the fellow down at the corner store never seemed to believe in magic Indians nor did the teachers who'd give out Tootise Pops as rewards for good behavior. Eventually, I gave up on finding someone to accept these wrappers as any kind of currency.

Sometime around Halloween, though, I received a Tootsie Pop (for good behavior, no doubt). I opened it up, discovered a star, and decided to get to the bottom of this legend once and for all. I conjured up the ten-year old in me, wrote a letter to the powers that be over at Tootsie Roll Industries, and crossed my fingers.

Weeks later, I'd nearly forgotten the whole thing when my roommate dropped a letter off for me. From Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc. to...me! I tore it open and received all the answers I could ever possibly want concerning Mr. Indian and his mysterious star. I now share it with the world.

Click on the first picture and click on through.