Yes - those are plastic straws that I cut to a "pop" length. The straw wasn't strong enough to poke into the styrofoam, so I used mini-skewers into the styrofoam to support the straw as the chocolate cooled / hardened. I'm not sure if the plastic straws will end up being "strong" enough to support the cake pop for transport & eating. I'll report back on what happens after I send these off to school for a party.