Winter is upon us, and though the global warming-induced mildness of the current weather is a far cry from the fierce Canadian winters of my childhood, it’s still an unlikely time to be thinking about Popsicles.

So naturally, I did a double-take when I noticed a familiar-looking logo among the candy canes and red-and-green-wrapped chocolates at Toys R Us. (I was buying a gift to donate to Santa’s Anonymous, not scoping out how much cooler toys are now than when I was a kid… I swear!)

About the length of my finger, this candy Popsi… er, “icicle pop” (wouldn’t want anyone to get sued) is shaped just like the classic frozen treat. It’s made up of two conjoined “bars,” complete with plastic sticks, that you can break apart to share with a friend (or scarf down yourself) – just like the real thing. According to the package, they’re “the icy cool lollipop,” which I took to mean that they’d have some kind of cooling effect in the mouth – from menthol, perhaps, or compressed dextrose. They also have more possible allergens than I can count on one hand, including fish (wow, what other flavors of candy are they making in this factory?)

Though at this time of year I can get all the “cooling effects” I need by stepping outdoors in my shirtsleeves, I was intrigued enough to pick one up along with my Santa’s Anonymous Scrabble board (because there’s no better present for a kid than a solid vocabulary). The pops come in an assortment of flavors – I selected “creamy orange” in memory of one of my favorite frozen treats, the Creamsicle.

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