Answer:
144 licks according to 2 sources.
Explanation:
Source #1:
Engineering students from Purdue University created a licking machine, which was modeled after a human tongue. After several tests, the licking machine took an average of 364 licks to get to the center of Tootsie Pops. Twenty volunteers also took on the challenge themselves, and the average was 252 licks.
A doctorate student of chemical engineering from the University of Michigan also created a licking machine. He reported that his special licking machine took 411 licks to reach the center of Tootsie Pops.
A similar study was recently completed at Bellarmine University in Louisville. 130 people took part in the study, which was organized by gender, the Tootsie Pop color, and time taken. This is perhaps one of the most extensive studies that have attempted to get to the heart of the question.
Source #2
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.
Hope this helps.
