Winnipeggers will know well the origin story of Pizza Pops, but many other Canadians may not.

This food product success story begins in 1964 with a man by the name of Paul Faraci and one fateful meal.

After ordering a panzerotti at a Winnipeg restaurant and leaving less than enthused with its quality, he took to creating his own version of the famous Italian dish. His smaller-sized creation, the Pizza Pop as we know it today, became a quick hit, and it did not take long for the product to be readily available in local grocery stores.

@dansgoodside Little Food Fact on the Prairie: day 7 - dyk Pizza Pops were invented in Winnipeg?  (and still produced there today!) #littlefoodfactontheprairie #foodfacts #pizzapops #winnipeghistory #canadianfood #canadianfoodie #proudtobeprairie #winnipegmanitoba #cookbookauthor #canadianauthor #foodwriter  original sound - Dan Clapson

Pizza Pops became more and more popular outside of the city and by the 1970s, the packaged food product became more widely accessible outside of Manitoba. By the end of the decade, Faraci's business partner had bought him out of the business and began to add new Pizza Pop offshoots in the 1980s including Veggie Pops and Chili Pops.

Pillsbury took over ownership of the company in 1987 and its been in the freezer section of, well, essentially any corner store or grocer with a freezer section ever since.

Pizza Pops creator Paul Faraci passed away in 2018, and in the months following his passing his great nephew Anthony Faraci launched Paul's Original Pizza Snacks. The product utilizes the original Pizza Pop recipe for a more home-style version of the famous Canadian snack food.

As a playful lead-up to his debut cookbook 'Prairie' being released on August 29, 2023, Dan Clapson is sharing an interesting Prairie food fact each day on his TikTok feed.