Zooper Doopers are among the classic Aussie treats. They have even been featured on our currency as part of a series of one-dollar coins depicting iconic Australian symbols. A tuck-shop classic since their release, they are simply flavoured liquid encased in a long plastic tube and frozen. The top of the tube needs to be snipped, bitten or ripped off so the icy pole within can be consumed (although the latest opening hack simply involves snapping the frozen confection in half, plastic wrapping and all). Original Zooper Doopers were responsible for many a cut lip from the stiff plastic wrapping, which has now been replaced by a softer version.

The true origin of Zooper Doopers is somewhat mysterious. Some sources say they were introduced by the drinks company, Lion. This doesn’t make sense if the product was launched, as its makers claim, in 1971. The Lion Dairy and Drinks company didn’t exist until 2009. My guess is that Zooper Doopers were introduced by Berri Limited, the same company that invented the Sunnyboy. Berri trademarked the Zooper Dooper name in 1983 – but why so late, if they did start making the product in 1971? And why is the earliest newspaper reference I can find a 1982 story that mentioned Zooper Dooper Cremo Pops, in six flavours, available for 12 cents each from the school canteen at Strathfield Girls’ High?

As with so many of our favourite brands, Zooper Dooper has had many owners. It’s virtually impossible to untangle its history. In the 1990s, along with Sunnyboy, the brand was part of the Sunburst Regency Foods division of National Foods. Sunburst had previously been owned by Lifesavers Australia. National Foods was sold to the Philippines-based San Miguel, who sold it to the Japanese-based Kirin where it was part of the Lion Dairy and Drinks division. In 2021, the Australian-owned Bega Cheese bought Lion Dairy and Drinks, continuing to make Zooper Doopers in Smithfield, Sydney. According to one Facebook account:

Sunnyboys were originally made by Life Savers in Blacktown before production moved to Smithfield in the late ’80s, where Sunnyboys and Zooper Doopers were made side by side for years. As Zooper Doopers surged in popularity, Sunnyboys slowly faded out, eventually the flavourings only made to Zooper Doopers, and they stopped putting the same stuff in Sunny Boy tetra packs.

The standard “Cosmic” Zooper Doopers are available in packs of 24 from supermarkets, although they are sometimes sold individually by milk bars and school canteens. They must, in the past, have been more generally available individually, as the picture above shows individually bar-coded versions. There were robots on the packaging and the flavour names also had a space theme: galactic grape, red comet, toffee apple taser, solar sherbert, jaffa jetstream, beaming banana, raspberry rocket and so on.

The current flavours don’t pretend to be healthy either, and include bubblegum, cola and fairy floss. The Zooper Dooper “Magic” range is even more confectionery-oriented: lemonade, red creamy soda, toffee apple, grape bubblegum, and strawberries and cream, while the Sourz range is fruit-flavoured.  The first single-flavour Zooper Dooper pack (lemonade) was released in 2021.

Zooper Doopers have competitors. In the past, and popular in the 1980s, there were White Wings varieties called Kool Pops and Funny Faces. Today, there’s a somewhat healthier version, Quelch icy poles, made from fruit juice and also owned by Bega. Of course, the major supermarkets have their house brands. Apparently you can even make your own by buying empty, reusable plastic tubes from Amazon, filling them with whatever healthy or unhealthy liquid you like, and freezing them.

But, for most Aussies, there’s nothing like the real thing. Why are these luridly coloured icy poles such a cultural icon? Well, they’re affordable, you can freeze them at home, and there’s the nostalgia factor. Personally, I think the unforgettable name has a lot to do with it. I’d give a lot to know who coined it. If you know, please get in touch.