Being a kid playing outside and hearing that initial sound of music from the truck way off in the distance was a high greater than I will ever experience again 😅
I hunt ice-cream trucks. When I hear that jingle I immediately grab my wallet and head out and follow the sound of the jingle to locate the ice cream truck.
I remember when you heard the ice cream truck music, you had just enough time to get some change and run out and join the other kids lining up at the window, wow! that was a long time ago
When I was a kid, I lived in an apartment building on the 17th floor, and we still would try to catch up with the ice cream truck. Most of the time, we caught up to it.
An ice cream truck still comes around every once in a blue moon in my neighborhood, I get some every time I have cash just to make my childhood self happy 😂😂😂😂
Hello. Good afternoon. My name is Brian López. I was born in 2000. Whenever I hear the ice cream truck coming down my house, me and my family rush to the ice cream truck and we would get ice cream. One of my favorite ice cream treats would be the Oreo Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich. Which ice cream treats are your favorites? Please let me know in the comments down below.
I think there might still be an ice cream truck that goes around my uncle’s neighborhood. I think I last got some a few years ago. I’m a kid at heart and still enjoy activities such as swinging on a swing set and blowing bubbles. I love the Strawberry Shortcake bars.
@@wintersprite Hello. Good morning. My name is Brian López. Do you like the soda brand, Sprite? Yes or no? Please let me know in the comments down below.
I remember riding on the back of the ice cream man's truck bumper, when he was driving slowly in the neighborhood, when I was a kid, back in the 90's..
Yep. Mr. Softee.. 7 cent cones.. but I don't remember the truck having a tune.. just a "ding" bell.. and us kids were like Pavlov's dog..hahaha. Here in Houston we still get ice cream trucks in the summers.. but the music is usually latino rap.. hahaha
Being a kid in the 1960's and early 1970's I am glad I got to experience the joy of getting a soft serve cone for less than a dime at one time. Nothing was better than getting an ice cream come on a hot Summer evening 😋
I think they were commonly around until the late 90s, at least around here. They were still around in the early 2000s, but pretty rare. I don't think they run around here anymore at all. iPad kids could care less, they don't even go outside.
My oldest son is lactose intolerant; when he was a young boy, since we never talked about ice cream trucks, he always expressed his admiration for that “nice man who drives around the neighborhood playing music for everyone.”
So do I. Only do cash sales. Got fed up with people telling me that my bank machine must be broken. When in most cases they have spent all their money. Then the arguing would start. Final straw was when I had a mother tell me since my bank machine was not working. The ice cream should be free.
I am a driver for Kona Ice, and although we do not serve Ice Cream (Most of the time), the whole Kona Ice concept was heavily inspired by Ice Cream trucks back of their "Glory days". It's a franchise similar to Mr. Softee, and is still growing. Wonderful video, super cool to see the history of mobile frozen treat trucks!
@@Game_Hero Exactly. Ice cream trucks are still going strong where I live, but where I live, people go outside without always being in a car, and I regularly see kids walking or biking places because it’s possible to do so. For vast swaths of the US that’s apparently unthinkable, and all it takes is a glance at a map to see why: subdivisions of wonky twisty streets that go nowhere unless you venture across a six lane highway to get to the next one, or try to go along the six lane highway to get to a shopping center.
@@TessfromKellstorpe which is statistically absurd. Kidnapping is less prevalent now than it was 40 years ago, and the vast, vast majority of cases involve someone the child knows…as has always been the case. But the “tough on crime” people in this country are the ones afraid of their own shadow, so they shelter their kids and then complain how sheltered their kids are.
My favorite ice cream truck jingle(well, tune) back in the day was Home On The Range, my favorite treats from the ice cream truck were the WWF(before they became WWE) Superstars Ice Cream Bars and the Choco Tacos. The WWF Superstars Ice Cream Bars always came with a collectable card with whichever Superstar(such as Bret "The Hitman" Hart, Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior and "Macho Man" Randy Savage), those were the days. Thank you for this awesome video Ryan
Where I live, the ice cream company must have liked the Home On The Range music since half of the ice cream truck fleet plays home on the range or a variation of it. I like the tune so much that I have 23 recordings on my phone on it.
Growing up in the 2000s and hear the ice cream music was pure nostalgia, i either catch up to it and get whatever ice cream they had or completely miss it 😂
Hello. Good afternoon. My name is Brian López. I was born in 2000. Whenever I hear the ice cream truck coming down my house, me and my family rush to the ice cream truck and we would get ice cream. One of my favorite ice cream treats would be the Oreo Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich. Which ice cream treats are your favorites? Please let me know in the comments down below.
@@Evan.280 Hello. Good afternoon. My name is Brian López. What is your favorite episode of My Gym Partner's a Monkey? Please let me know in the comments down below.
As a 9yo in the mid-70s in east Dallas (TX) I took up helping the young Iranian driver of our neighborhood ice cream truck. It was a wonderful experience, and a fun way to stay cool and meet people. I took my pay in cash while another kid took his in ice cream. The ice boxes in these trucks used dry ice to keep things frozen. A couple of times I worked the full day, so got to see things at the shop that ran the trucks out to the city, and how much dry ice they hauled out. The dry ice truly kept everything so cold. It was where I learned the simple joy of a slice of frozen bologna on a slice of frozen Mrs Baird's bread. One of my jewel memories growing up.
Bought my kids ice cream from a truck the other day out of nostalgia and got a gut punch when I was charged over $5 for a small cone 😮 so I’m just going to buy it from the store from now on 😅
I have been driving an ice truck since 1997. Have had my own truck for the past 22 years. Yes a lot of other companies have gone out of business in my area. Which is excellent for me.
Wow! You really did your homework! I truely enjoyed this episode and I had forgotten all those minotinous songs played on megaphones until it was made light of. But my all time favorite were the sleigh bells that reminded me of cold weather and Christmas that was music to my ears on a hot day. When i walk among the dead, in Memory Garden, I ponder wondering what story’s they could tell as once children, what their child hood was like? I think of all these adults who once were children and can now embrace their childhood memories they took with them in the next life, that i never thought i would learn about. This episode gave me a peek at what their lives were like in a more innocent time. Forgotten was my childhood discovery? Mr. Softy! and how the driver twisted the perfect desert in a cup cone with napkins. And never seen anything like that machine before in my life until that moment and glad two brothers quit, to start their own improvements to offer us a better taste treat presentation. But I miss those Ice Cream Drivers in the clean uniforms and nickel chrome paragon coin changer on their belt. And those Jingling bells driving down Fredrick Lane in Hoffman Estates, IL growing up in the early 1960’s and such a nice personality with adults and kids. Not being just excited about the ice cream delivery, but the driver who delivered it. The new drivers and new trucks were not as friendly as Good Humor’s driver. We made the extra effort to buy more to let the company know how valuable our delivery person is to not retire him from our area. It was tough letting go of something and someone special who installed in us such commitment to his job and value to out community. Am glad he came to our neighborhood when he did. Since then, we have moved away from our community as many others also. Gone are the trucks of various services such as the Milk Man with Hedlins Milk, Fuller Brush Man, the man who had a wooden wheeled cart with hand brakes and a peddle driven grinding wheel, who sharpened our cutlery and scissors. And Dydie Wash who collected soiled diapers and exchanged them for clean cotton ones, back in the day before disposable diapers became popular. TMI ?
I was at the park with my husband and son the other day. A simple Italian ice is $5. Soft serve with sprinkles was $8. Ice cream trucks are way too expensive these days.
Have you even considered much it cost to run an ice cream truck? It's not cheap. I used to operate a Sno-Cone, and gas alone would eat up my profit. Plus, trying to find a supplier is a pain in itself.
@@Chris_Troxlerisnt it better to sell more icecream at lower prices? When i was a kid they literally had kids running from almost every house when truck came. Lines of 10 to 20 kids and often a few adults would form. When the last time i saw truck i dont think i saw anyone run to it.
@berlinkozyreva I agree with you, but I also know how money works. If you have overhead, you have to cover your expenses or you go out of business. My prices were reasonable, but that was because I already owned the vehicle and borrowed the ice shaver from my uncle. The ice shaver alone can run you several hundred dollars.
Theres an old man who still runs an ice cream truck. Granted his is VERY old and only really has a Freezer and the Music. Poor guy drives around with no AC. Anytime I see him, I buy something to support him. And if there are kids I buy them whatever they want so that they can experience the joy that is an ice cream truck. Props to that old guy for keeping it alive. 😊
Never underestimate the act of keeping busy. That ice cream truck gig the old man has may be his pride and joy, but may also practically be the thing keeping him alive/healthy 😁
@@sandasturner9529 I think he mostly does it to make people happy. I doubt he has a supplier to make the items cheaper. The cost probably all goes to gas and inventory. I've seen that a lot with the older generations. They like to work until they drop.
In Germany we didn't really have ice cream trucks (atleast none that played music), but we did have bakery trucks (selling pastries and bread) instead, atleast in the village area I grew up at. But instead of playing music they would just honk to announce their presence.
In my particular neighborhood, in Arizona, ice cream trucks are alive and well. They run all year long and I was floored to hear them play Christmas jingles in December.
I soooo rember hearing the "jngle" of the Good Humor Ice Cream Trucks! We would get $5 from our parents, and give the money to the driver, and then pick out as many Ice Cream treats as we could! We'd get our change, and run back into the house, and we'd have Good Humors for a few day! It's a Wonderful Summer Memory!
Mr. Softee was our, local ice cream truck francise, here in South Jersey, at the seashore, in the 1960's-1970's. Loved seeing/hearing it go by, as I didn't stop the ice cream truck, too often (we were poor, but ALWAYS had ice cream in the freezer, thanks to Mom). 'Bovine tuberculosis'??? There's a type of tuberculosis, us humans can catch, from a cow😯⁉️ Our ice cream truck, would come by shortly after, the bug-juice Jeep sprayer, went by spewing all, that mosquito fog😮💨😵💫. Ahhhh, the good all-days…………
We had Good Humor in the '50's. Just a jingle, no songs. That was before there were ice cream stores like Baskin Robbins and Carvel. There was something special about it, different from having ice cream at home. And I think we had a tiny freezer in our fridge anyway. I don't remember ever having ice cream in the freezer.
I loved Mr Whippy coming down our street as a kid.... I always saved 50c out of my pocket money for a single cone flake with sprinkles. The song Greensleeves is what our ice cream trucks play in NZ
Stevie the icecream guy and his truck, Mr. Softy too. The book mobile, and the freedom train. Free coins in wrappers from those who retarred the streets. Real parades worth watching, and fireworks to die for, record stores, bowling alleys, giant slides and much more today's children should have have the chance to enjoy. Most of all.... playing out doors.
When I moved to the US., in the Summer of 1972, I love ice cream truck that came in about 2:30PM., in the afternoon but not every day. I have very limited allowance and the price of Banana Boat alone cost 69 cents that almost excess my allowance for 1 day! The cone was 35 cents that I may be able to effort. One issue was I lived in very bad neighborhood in Philadelphia and the ice cream truck was not that safe from robbery. I have double door lock with 2 doors inside the common area in my apartment and it took time to do the lock and unlock two dorrs with 2 sets of keys to get in and out the building and ice cream truck was long gone!
An ice cream truck used to come by my office until the 80-something owner/driver decided to sell it and retire. That was in 2019! Timing is everything. Since the end of COVID, I could count on one hand the number of ice cream trucks who've shown up. The corona plandemic finished off whatever was left of ice cream trucks here in eastern PA.
When I was little, the only neighborhood in my area had an ice cream truck, I didn't live in the neighborhood and instead lived in a more rural part of the area. I only ever caught the ice cream truck once. Now, every now and then, I'll hear an ice cream truck in the distance or see one going down the main road in our area as slowly but surely the vast woods are slowly replaced by massive housing devolopments.
I travel to Honduras regularly. Ice cream is still sold from push carts on residential streets there. Hearing the jingly bells brings back many memories of my childhood and I will often buy myself a treat and often buy for all the children tagging along as well since it is so cheap (at least for me)
Video started off well. But then the narrator decides to skip over the history and decline of the ice cream truck in the 80's through 2,000s with reasons that should be obvious like children don't play outside like they used to and that a lot of their products were sold in stores at way cheaper prices. But in favor of spending almost half the video talking about the ice cream truck jingle's and how they were racist.
I live up in canada and I remember being younger and was always jealous of the USA because the have ice cream trucks and bikes. People tried to start those business but just never worked out.
I remember one time, I went to New Jersey with my family to visit our cousins and every day, I went to the park with them and when I heard the ice cream truck's signature music, I immediately ran back inside to ask my mom if she could me some ice cream ❤
I can't believe how you just glossed over the invention of the ice cream cone. Without the ice cream cone ice cream would not be what it is today. It may have existed for years, but ice cream was truly born in 1904 with the cone.
Down my road was and still is not a big place. Let me tell you that when I was a kid in the early 2000s and it came down my way. Man I do miss it in a way. Obviously my mum wouldn't get me ice cream from it all the time which is probably why it left down my road. That jingle that only I can remember all those years ago was something else. I thought it was music coming from this hill that we could see from my house. I'm not usually like this towards kids these days but there are a few things they will truly never experience. Going to rent dvds, Games and video tapes. Also Ice Cream trucks.
They are still active where i live. They come around early since the weather gets hot, theyre showing up in spring on hot days and obviously in the summertime. i cant imagine ice cream trucks ever going away. best way to get ice cream for a decent price.
A fantastic video! Some details I didn’t really want to know, but that’s part of history.I Remember ice cream trucks and even a bakery truck that sold donuts
When I was a kid in the 1940's and 1950's we had the Good Humor trucks. they had simple bells that did not play a tune. There was even a small sidewalk version with 3 wheels and pedals. The ice cream was kept frozen with dry ice.
I feel a deep sense of anemoia whenever I see an ice cream truck go down my street. It feels so nostalgic even though I never really grew up with them.
Ice cream trucks sadly don’t frequent my area anymore since a lot of us have kinda grown up and there aren’t really many kids on the block as before (at least, not that I’ve noticed in recent years anyways). But I still remember going up to them when they did come by to get Sonic pops.
When I was about four years old in the early sixties we moved to a new suburban development. The first ice cream vendors we saw were older boys on bicycles with coolers on the front. Tricycles, actually with two wheels to support the cooler. These attracted our attention for the curious configuration. There was a string of bells stretched between the handlebars that the guy would flick with his hand to make them ring. We didn't have any money at that age so we never bought anything from them. I assume it was mostly Good Humor-style ice cream bars and sandwiches. By the mid sixties we had our own allowance and the Mister Softee truck was coming through our neighborhood. The music would get all of us kids running to find out where he was going to stop. The big glass sides go the truck were dazzling. By the end of the sixties it was Tastee Freeze who had taken over the route. They played a different tune but otherwise were very much the same. I always figured a good ice cream truck jingle just had to be loud and recognizable (consistent). I never knew any real tunes the jingles might have been based on. They were very simple. After that, I've never lived anywhere frequented by ice cream trucks. We moved to a wooded neighborhood in another, larger city, where were had an ice cream shop in a converted gas station about two blocks from us (the first place I ever had a cherry Coke and even a chocolate Coke), and our folks would often take us to Dairy Queen on the way home from just about anything.
I was in shock last summer out walking my dog when I heard bells ringing and thought no way! There was an ice cream truck a couple blocks away, too cool lol.
Thanks for touching on the racial history of ice cream truck music. Disturbed, but not surprised. I appreciate the research and knowledge sharing! Great video. ❤
I never understood how ice cream trucks still make enough money to exist. The operator has to buy a truck and fit it out. Then there's the recurring costs of the product, insurance, and diesel which I'm sure is quite expensive. They probably go nights without making a single sale cruising around neighborhoods. My neighborhood has two ice cream trucks that come on different nights. I always wondered if there was a union or something that schedules them. Some nights we get a Mr. Softee blasting the neighborhood with its distorted speaker, some nights we get a sketchy van blasting Turkey in the Straw. Ice cream trucks in my state don't have authority to stop traffic so I always drive past whenever the guy puts his school bus stop sign and red lights out.
My theory is cars were cheaper in the past. Im sure you'd earn a lot of money a day, like maybe 200$-400$ a day. But you have a 100k modded vehicle that needs 60$ of gas and maintenance. To some extent the ice cream trucks could have been market share too. you might take a hit but people would buy a pop at the gas station or 6 pack at the grocery store. Take a loss on the trucks and make up for it elsewhere :)
In the UK we had the "ice cream wars" gangs going around warring over the turf .. I'm sure these days most owners/firms know each other and have an understanding/unwritten agreement.. I believe the hotdog wars documentary in London is still on TH-cam as well.. still mainly run by gangs and corrupt events operators these days .. type of business if your not already in and know the people or gangs good luck as most of the time yes the foods lucrative but they're also pushing another product or money laundering from these cash only businesses ..
I’m in Milpitas, and there’s one truck, probably the last man around here who only comes around about once a month on a weekend. It’s kinda sad kids these days aren’t outside anymore.
my family has run an ice cream truck business for almost 20 years now, going strong still!! I have loved multiple ice cream choices at hand at all times :P
All of the ice cream trucks I can remember from my youth to today have all been independents, with no markings ever indicating they belonged to a franchise. Lots of stickers on the outside showing what treats were available and also lots of badly drawn cartoon characters that I'm sure were all trademark infringements. And few of them ever played these jaunty jingles. In fact I think the most common tune I've heard the trucks play was Music Box Dancer. I do recall this one ice cream truck from the early to mid 80s that played this weirdly haunting tune that to do this day I have no idea what it is, what it's called or what it came from. Too bad I can't just hum it for you here, lol.
In the 80s & 90s in Freeport Illinois we had an ice cream man who made real Sundays and other treats from scratch (he also was unknown to us kids the local Santa during Christmas time)
I should note the original Turkey in the Straw is fine lyric wise. It’s the main song in the first Mickey Mouse. Most of the issue was with the early 20th century parodies, especially the Watermelon Ha Ha one.
When I was a kid my parents wouldn't let me get ice cream from an ice cream s truck. One day I tried sneaking and getting everyone some ice cream. My parents grounded me, I got so mad I tore up my allowance and threw it at them.
3:11 This makes the scene in the first SpongeBob Movie where SpongeBob and Patrick get “drunk” at the goofy goober more funny since it’s a reference to what people did when alcohol was outlawed
When I was little there was one ice cream truck that lived close to my neighborhood and another one was a Good Humor truck went through my neighborhood,too. The Good Humor man used to give out free bubble gum towards kids in my neighborhood. One truck had soft served ice cream and the other one with popsicles. My favorite popsicle was this one that was red,white, and blue shaped liked a rocket. Even the push ups,too.
Great video mate. When I was a kid growing up in 1980's Britain the tune I most associated with ice cream vans (we call them vans not trucks) was the Neapolitain opera song "'O sole mio". This was based upon that song being used for a very famous TV ice cream advert for Walls Ice Cream's 'Cornetto' product. So a lot of ice cream vans adopted that tune. Greensleeves is also a very popular jingle for ice cream vans in Britain.
I remember where I lived, the ice cream truck was always a rusty 1970s or 1980s-era Chevrolet or Ford, and the person driving it was really old or young. The ice cream was always priced way too high so I didn't eat it often but I loved it when my mom relented and gave me a few dollars to go grab some ice cream.
I still hear Ice Cream Trucks in certain neighborhoods when working with my dad (painter) and I still hear the Turkey in the Straw. Last time I heard one was last month. Even if the song is completely scrubbed from trucks, it good to know it's still being used for the Company Enployees
I spent the early part of childhood in a Midwest working-class neighborhood. Early 1970s. There were two bright spots to the weeks. The bookmobile and the ice cream truck days.
I, sadly, have only had the pleasure of even seeing an ice cream truck once in my life, in my twenties. I didn't realize they still existed and thought I'd found my own "cave of wonders"! I'm 34, now, and have, sadly, yet to see another one since.
My personal favorite tune, even though it never played in my neighborhood, was "The Entertainer." I remember hearing it one summer while we were staying at my aunt's beach house in Ocean City. Something about that cute, little chiptune coupled with sitting in the sun room under that beautiful yellow-orange sky...it just felt so nice.
I still hear one in my adjoining neighborhood behind me. Just north of Austin, TX. With no kids ever playing outside, I can't imagine how any one would survive.
I swear I developed sensitivity to high pitched noises simply so that i could hear the ice cream man's jingling bells over regular noise... Though in my home, the trucks were called "Dickey-Dee Men", and rode on tricycle carts that had coolers in the front. Their ringing bells became a noise every kid learned to listen for
For some unfortunate drivers, a lobotomy was the only way to avoid complete psychological breakdown from repeated exposure to the jingle, "Mary Had a Little Lamb" in particular. Attempts at unionizing were unsuccessful, except for the gold standard - Good Humor - who negotiated for top-of-the-line custom trucks and uniforms, as well as a rotating playlist of the "Humorista's" choosing.
The ice cream truck and the bikes are both that is no longer around. I remember some people tried to start the business of ice cream trucks and bikes but it just never worked around my area. Maybe it will now since food trucks are popular now then before.
Being a kid playing outside and hearing that initial sound of music from the truck way off in the distance was a high greater than I will ever experience again 😅
Heck yeah. I can hear it now.
It's still exciting, even if I don't want anything. 😄
Yep. Even in my 30's, I can't resist flagging down the Truck to get my Strawberry Shortcake 😂
I hunt ice-cream trucks. When I hear that jingle I immediately grab my wallet and head out and follow the sound of the jingle to locate the ice cream truck.
Nothing beats a kid stuttering trying to get change before the truck takes off again😊
With the rise of food rucks, the ice cream truck could make a comeback.
Oh absolutely 😌
Where I am, they never went away.
Agreed… I am thinking more high end ice cream for adults.
What do you mean? I saw a freaking ice cream boat
Still see them in Las Vegas, NV. Granted they are a lot sketchier now.
My neighbor drives an ice cream truck. The jingle is La Cucaracha .
🪳🪳🪳
Yummy. Cockroach flavored ice cream.
Yes I hear & see him at night too Even during a Christmas time close to DTLA ❤!
The one in my neighborhood growing up it was Pop Goes the Weasel....
id be going outside to get mexican and just greeted with ice cream huhu
I remember when you heard the ice cream truck music, you had just enough time to get some change and run out and join the other kids lining up at the window, wow! that was a long time ago
Yes it sadly was that😢😢
I live in a place where we still have a ice cream truck and the song stops every minute and screams HELLO
quack! quack! hellOo 🎵🎶🎵🎶
Me too
Hellooo 😂
Yes that’s what I’m used too as well! 😂😂😂 the “da do do do HELLO…da dododo” like why is the hello so much louder then the music 😂😂😂😂
It continues as everyone here picks up on
When I was a kid, I lived in an apartment building on the 17th floor, and we still would try to catch up with the ice cream truck. Most of the time, we caught up to it.
Good.
Splendid
Jolly Good Show
Excellent.
An ice cream truck still comes around every once in a blue moon in my neighborhood, I get some every time I have cash just to make my childhood self happy 😂😂😂😂
Hello. Good afternoon. My name is Brian López. I was born in 2000. Whenever I hear the ice cream truck coming down my house, me and my family rush to the ice cream truck and we would get ice cream. One of my favorite ice cream treats would be the Oreo Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich. Which ice cream treats are your favorites? Please let me know in the comments down below.
I think there might still be an ice cream truck that goes around my uncle’s neighborhood. I think I last got some a few years ago.
I’m a kid at heart and still enjoy activities such as swinging on a swing set and blowing bubbles.
I love the Strawberry Shortcake bars.
@@wintersprite Hello. Good morning. My name is Brian López. Do you like the soda brand, Sprite? Yes or no? Please let me know in the comments down below.
Mine too. At about 45mph. 😂
@@marklopez7775cool story Mark
I remember riding on the back of the ice cream man's truck bumper, when he was driving slowly in the neighborhood, when I was a kid, back in the 90's..
I think the 90's was the last decade ice cream trucks were still popular. In Chicago, every once in awhile, you still see them.
Cant do that on my truck. Because the back bumper has been removed for that very reason.
Hardcore.
@@cocoaorange1 honestly I still see ice cream trucks by schools sometimes during summer months
I'd say 2000s
I grew up in the 60s and 70s and thankfully ice cream trucks were around.
Yep. Mr. Softee.. 7 cent cones.. but I don't remember the truck having a tune.. just a "ding" bell.. and us kids were like Pavlov's dog..hahaha. Here in Houston we still get ice cream trucks in the summers.. but the music is usually latino rap.. hahaha
Being a kid in the 1960's and early 1970's I am glad I got to experience the joy of getting a soft serve cone for less than a dime at one time. Nothing was better than getting an ice cream come on a hot Summer evening 😋
I think they were commonly around until the late 90s, at least around here. They were still around in the early 2000s, but pretty rare. I don't think they run around here anymore at all. iPad kids could care less, they don't even go outside.
@@Epic_Cthey can still be seen occasionally where I live usually around schools or parks during sunny days
They are still around today bud
My oldest son is lactose intolerant; when he was a young boy, since we never talked about ice cream trucks, he always expressed his admiration for that “nice man who drives around the neighborhood playing music for everyone.”
He should eat popsicles not dairy ice cream
I own an ice cream truck
Best job ever
So do I. Only do cash sales. Got fed up with people telling me that my bank machine must be broken. When in most cases they have spent all their money. Then the arguing would start. Final straw was when I had a mother tell me since my bank machine was not working. The ice cream should be free.
I am a driver for Kona Ice, and although we do not serve Ice Cream (Most of the time), the whole Kona Ice concept was heavily inspired by Ice Cream trucks back of their "Glory days". It's a franchise similar to Mr. Softee, and is still growing. Wonderful video, super cool to see the history of mobile frozen treat trucks!
Kids not going outside.
why don't they go outside? Ask their parents and neighbourhood with nothing to do.
@@Game_Hero Exactly. Ice cream trucks are still going strong where I live, but where I live, people go outside without always being in a car, and I regularly see kids walking or biking places because it’s possible to do so. For vast swaths of the US that’s apparently unthinkable, and all it takes is a glance at a map to see why: subdivisions of wonky twisty streets that go nowhere unless you venture across a six lane highway to get to the next one, or try to go along the six lane highway to get to a shopping center.
Parents in fear of kidnapping
@@TessfromKellstorpe which is statistically absurd. Kidnapping is less prevalent now than it was 40 years ago, and the vast, vast majority of cases involve someone the child knows…as has always been the case. But the “tough on crime” people in this country are the ones afraid of their own shadow, so they shelter their kids and then complain how sheltered their kids are.
@@de-fault_de-fault yep
My favorite ice cream truck jingle(well, tune) back in the day was Home On The Range, my favorite treats from the ice cream truck were the WWF(before they became WWE) Superstars Ice Cream Bars and the Choco Tacos. The WWF Superstars Ice Cream Bars always came with a collectable card with whichever Superstar(such as Bret "The Hitman" Hart, Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior and "Macho Man" Randy Savage), those were the days. Thank you for this awesome video Ryan
In my area they must be contractually obligated to use " turkey in the straw" with simulated turkey noises
If I hear that tune one more time....
The ice cream truck in my neighborhood played "Helter skelter"
Where I live, the ice cream company must have liked the Home On The Range music since half of the ice cream truck fleet plays home on the range or a variation of it. I like the tune so much that I have 23 recordings on my phone on it.
Growing up in the 2000s and hear the ice cream music was pure nostalgia, i either catch up to it and get whatever ice cream they had or completely miss it 😂
Hello. Good afternoon. My name is Brian López. I was born in 2000. Whenever I hear the ice cream truck coming down my house, me and my family rush to the ice cream truck and we would get ice cream. One of my favorite ice cream treats would be the Oreo Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich. Which ice cream treats are your favorites? Please let me know in the comments down below.
My brother and I would get hype whenever we heard it lol I don’t even like ice cream but I’d always get the sonic ice cream bar or a vanilla cup
@@Evan.280 Hello. Good afternoon. My name is Brian López. What is your favorite episode of My Gym Partner's a Monkey? Please let me know in the comments down below.
We still have an ice cream truck that visits our neighborhood about twice a week. When we first moved here, it was such a delightful discovery.
As a 9yo in the mid-70s in east Dallas (TX) I took up helping the young Iranian driver of our neighborhood ice cream truck. It was a wonderful experience, and a fun way to stay cool and meet people. I took my pay in cash while another kid took his in ice cream.
The ice boxes in these trucks used dry ice to keep things frozen. A couple of times I worked the full day, so got to see things at the shop that ran the trucks out to the city, and how much dry ice they hauled out. The dry ice truly kept everything so cold. It was where I learned the simple joy of a slice of frozen bologna on a slice of frozen Mrs Baird's bread.
One of my jewel memories growing up.
Bought my kids ice cream from a truck the other day out of nostalgia and got a gut punch when I was charged over $5 for a small cone 😮 so I’m just going to buy it from the store from now on 😅
One of the main reasons sofew buy ice cream from trucks
They made a hip hop version of turkey and the straw for ice-cream trucks back in the 90's too.
Mac Dre
I have been driving an ice truck since 1997. Have had my own truck for the past 22 years. Yes a lot of other companies have gone out of business in my area. Which is excellent for me.
Back in the day we had the ice cream trucks, Charles Chips, a mobile knife sharpener guy, and the Book Mobile from the library.
Wow! You really did your homework!
I truely enjoyed this episode and I had forgotten all those minotinous songs played on megaphones until it was made light of. But my all time favorite were the sleigh bells that reminded me of cold weather and Christmas that was music to my ears on a hot day.
When i walk among the dead, in Memory Garden, I ponder wondering what story’s they could tell as once children, what their child hood was like? I think of all these adults who once were children and can now embrace their childhood memories they took with them in the next life, that i never thought i would learn about.
This episode gave me a peek at what their lives were like in a more innocent time. Forgotten was my childhood discovery? Mr. Softy!
and how the driver twisted the perfect desert in a cup cone with napkins. And never seen anything like that machine before in my life until that moment and glad two brothers quit, to start their own improvements to offer us a better taste treat presentation. But I miss those Ice Cream Drivers in the clean uniforms and nickel chrome paragon coin changer on their belt. And those Jingling bells driving down Fredrick Lane in Hoffman Estates, IL growing up in the early 1960’s and such a nice personality with adults and kids. Not being just excited about the ice cream delivery, but the driver who delivered it. The new drivers and new trucks were not as friendly as Good Humor’s driver. We made the extra effort to buy more to let the company know how valuable our delivery person is to not retire him from our area. It was tough letting go of something and someone special who installed in us such commitment to his job and value to out community. Am glad he came to our neighborhood when he did.
Since then, we have moved away from our community as many others also. Gone are the trucks of various services such as the Milk Man with Hedlins Milk, Fuller Brush Man, the man who had a wooden wheeled cart with hand brakes and a peddle driven grinding wheel, who sharpened our cutlery and scissors. And Dydie Wash who collected soiled diapers and exchanged them for clean cotton ones, back in the day before disposable diapers became popular. TMI ?
I was at the park with my husband and son the other day. A simple Italian ice is $5. Soft serve with sprinkles was $8. Ice cream trucks are way too expensive these days.
Yikes!!
Yep I just posted the same. Bought a regular sized popsicle , cost 5 dollars. Never again
Have you even considered much it cost to run an ice cream truck? It's not cheap. I used to operate a Sno-Cone, and gas alone would eat up my profit. Plus, trying to find a supplier is a pain in itself.
@@Chris_Troxlerisnt it better to sell more icecream at lower prices?
When i was a kid they literally had kids running from almost every house when truck came. Lines of 10 to 20 kids and often a few adults would form.
When the last time i saw truck i dont think i saw anyone run to it.
@berlinkozyreva
I agree with you, but I also know how money works. If you have overhead, you have to cover your expenses or you go out of business. My prices were reasonable, but that was because I already owned the vehicle and borrowed the ice shaver from my uncle. The ice shaver alone can run you several hundred dollars.
I would get the icecream where the character had gumballs for eyes and bomb pops.
Bomb pop, now that's a word I haven't heard in a long time.
Those are surprisingly still good 😅
Theres an old man who still runs an ice cream truck. Granted his is VERY old and only really has a Freezer and the Music. Poor guy drives around with no AC.
Anytime I see him, I buy something to support him. And if there are kids I buy them whatever they want so that they can experience the joy that is an ice cream truck.
Props to that old guy for keeping it alive. 😊
Never underestimate the act of keeping busy. That ice cream truck gig the old man has may be his pride and joy, but may also practically be the thing keeping him alive/healthy 😁
@@sandasturner9529 I think he mostly does it to make people happy. I doubt he has a supplier to make the items cheaper. The cost probably all goes to gas and inventory. I've seen that a lot with the older generations. They like to work until they drop.
Here Ice-Creamtrucks is still going strong :) I live in Sweden
Aye! I was like “We still have ice cream trucks here!”
In Finland, we have the same.
In Germany we didn't really have ice cream trucks (atleast none that played music), but we did have bakery trucks (selling pastries and bread) instead, atleast in the village area I grew up at. But instead of playing music they would just honk to announce their presence.
Despite being raise in the 2000s for my childhood, i was lucky with having ice cream trucks passing by as a kid. The good times for me.
In my particular neighborhood, in Arizona, ice cream trucks are alive and well. They run all year long and I was floored to hear them play Christmas jingles in December.
Our ice cream truck played Turkey in the Straw - and still does, on the rare occasion he comes around
Ours played Helter Skelter one summer...lol
I soooo rember hearing the "jngle" of the Good Humor Ice Cream Trucks! We would get $5 from our parents, and give the money to the driver, and then pick out as many Ice Cream treats as we could! We'd get our change, and run back into the house, and we'd have Good Humors for a few day! It's a Wonderful Summer Memory!
They still exist dude, there are at least three or four of them in my home town
Never said they didn’t now did he
Mr. Softee was our, local ice cream truck francise, here in South Jersey, at the seashore, in the 1960's-1970's. Loved seeing/hearing it go by, as I didn't stop the ice cream truck, too often (we were poor, but ALWAYS had ice cream in the freezer, thanks to Mom). 'Bovine tuberculosis'??? There's a type of tuberculosis, us humans can catch, from a cow😯⁉️ Our ice cream truck, would come by shortly after, the bug-juice Jeep sprayer, went by spewing all, that mosquito fog😮💨😵💫. Ahhhh, the good all-days…………
You clearly haven’t been in the hood lately…these things be everywhere
Facts! LOL
The ice cream truck in my neighborhood in Jr High got busted for selling crack to kids.
OMG
I heard a rumor that that's supposedly why they were banned in my area, too.
I never 100% figured out if that was true.
@@LoveMyUnusual Ours was a rumor at first. Had a stoner friend that mentioned his services. Our teacher confirmed it. Told everyone what had happened.
We had Good Humor in the '50's. Just a jingle, no songs. That was before there were ice cream stores like Baskin Robbins and Carvel. There was something special about it, different from having ice cream at home. And I think we had a tiny freezer in our fridge anyway. I don't remember ever having ice cream in the freezer.
BOY, this went off the rails with the tunes history !
I agree that too much time was devoted to that.
Chasing the ice cream truck and catching up to it is always a blast to this day!
I still see ICE CREAM TRUCKS in our neighborhood!! 😊
That's awesome
In Middleburg (Jacksonville), Florida in January and February!! 🌞 ☀️
I loved Mr Whippy coming down our street as a kid.... I always saved 50c out of my pocket money for a single cone flake with sprinkles. The song Greensleeves is what our ice cream trucks play in NZ
Greensleeves and 'O sole mio are probably the two most played tunes on ice cream vans in Britain.
I drove a Hood Ice Cream truck in Connecticut in the summers of '75 and '76. We did a booming business. Great fun.
Stevie the icecream guy and his truck, Mr. Softy too. The book mobile, and the freedom train. Free coins in wrappers from those who retarred the streets. Real parades worth watching, and fireworks to die for, record stores, bowling alleys, giant slides and much more today's children should have have the chance to enjoy. Most of all.... playing out doors.
When I moved to the US., in the Summer of 1972, I love ice cream truck that came in about 2:30PM., in the afternoon but not every day. I have very limited allowance and the price of Banana Boat alone cost 69 cents that almost excess my allowance for 1 day! The cone was 35 cents that I may be able to effort. One issue was I lived in very bad neighborhood in Philadelphia and the ice cream truck was not that safe from robbery. I have double door lock with 2 doors inside the common area in my apartment and it took time to do the lock and unlock two dorrs with 2 sets of keys to get in and out the building and ice cream truck was long gone!
Rza being a major player in the history of ice cream trucks is amazing
An ice cream truck used to come by my office until the 80-something owner/driver decided to sell it and retire. That was in 2019! Timing is everything. Since the end of COVID, I could count on one hand the number of ice cream trucks who've shown up. The corona plandemic finished off whatever was left of ice cream trucks here in eastern PA.
When I was little, the only neighborhood in my area had an ice cream truck, I didn't live in the neighborhood and instead lived in a more rural part of the area. I only ever caught the ice cream truck once. Now, every now and then, I'll hear an ice cream truck in the distance or see one going down the main road in our area as slowly but surely the vast woods are slowly replaced by massive housing devolopments.
I travel to Honduras regularly. Ice cream is still sold from push carts on residential streets there. Hearing the jingly bells brings back many memories of my childhood and I will often buy myself a treat and often buy for all the children tagging along as well since it is so cheap (at least for me)
Video started off well. But then the narrator decides to skip over the history and decline of the ice cream truck in the 80's through 2,000s with reasons that should be obvious like children don't play outside like they used to and that a lot of their products were sold in stores at way cheaper prices. But in favor of spending almost half the video talking about the ice cream truck jingle's and how they were racist.
Uploader missed the mark
i’ve never heard an ice cream truck jingle in real life in my life. all the trucks around here use a very loud bell. shoutout palagis
Have you ever thought of doing ice cream pedal bikes?? That job got me through high school in Ocean City, NJ lol
I live up in canada and I remember being younger and was always jealous of the USA because the have ice cream trucks and bikes. People tried to start those business but just never worked out.
the epitome of youtube. here i am, listening to a video essay about ice cream trucks
Flip flops, stubbed toes, coins you didn't understand.
But that was one way we learned about coins.
I remember one time, I went to New Jersey with my family to visit our cousins and every day, I went to the park with them and when I heard the ice cream truck's signature music, I immediately ran back inside to ask my mom if she could me some ice cream ❤
I can't believe how you just glossed over the invention of the ice cream cone. Without the ice cream cone ice cream would not be what it is today. It may have existed for years, but ice cream was truly born in 1904 with the cone.
Indeed, the ice cream cone was/is a crucial part of ice cream history.
Peanut butter and “Fairy Floss” aka cotton candy were also at the 1904 World’s Fair.
I thought ice cream came from ancient Romans. As far as the cone goes, your spot on.
Down my road was and still is not a big place. Let me tell you that when I was a kid in the early 2000s and it came down my way. Man I do miss it in a way. Obviously my mum wouldn't get me ice cream from it all the time which is probably why it left down my road.
That jingle that only I can remember all those years ago was something else. I thought it was music coming from this hill that we could see from my house.
I'm not usually like this towards kids these days but there are a few things they will truly never experience. Going to rent dvds, Games and video tapes. Also Ice Cream trucks.
They are still active where i live. They come around early since the weather gets hot, theyre showing up in spring on hot days and obviously in the summertime. i cant imagine ice cream trucks ever going away. best way to get ice cream for a decent price.
Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it
They are sorely missed.
A fantastic video! Some details I didn’t really want to know, but that’s part of history.I Remember ice cream trucks and even a bakery truck that sold donuts
When I was a kid in the 1940's and 1950's we had the Good Humor trucks. they had simple bells that did not play a tune. There was even a small sidewalk version with 3 wheels and pedals. The ice cream was kept frozen with dry ice.
My neighborhood is lucky. We get two ice cream trucks nearly every day. Love getting ice cream... twice, on a super hot summer day
I feel a deep sense of anemoia whenever I see an ice cream truck go down my street. It feels so nostalgic even though I never really grew up with them.
Ice cream trucks sadly don’t frequent my area anymore since a lot of us have kinda grown up and there aren’t really many kids on the block as before (at least, not that I’ve noticed in recent years anyways). But I still remember going up to them when they did come by to get Sonic pops.
The ice cream truck that came through our old neighborhood used to have someone saying Hello on the music track.
When I was about four years old in the early sixties we moved to a new suburban development.
The first ice cream vendors we saw were older boys on bicycles with coolers on the front. Tricycles, actually with two wheels to support the cooler. These attracted our attention for the curious configuration. There was a string of bells stretched between the handlebars that the guy would flick with his hand to make them ring.
We didn't have any money at that age so we never bought anything from them. I assume it was mostly Good Humor-style ice cream bars and sandwiches.
By the mid sixties we had our own allowance and the Mister Softee truck was coming through our neighborhood.
The music would get all of us kids running to find out where he was going to stop. The big glass sides go the truck were dazzling.
By the end of the sixties it was Tastee Freeze who had taken over the route. They played a different tune but otherwise were very much the same.
I always figured a good ice cream truck jingle just had to be loud and recognizable (consistent). I never knew any real tunes the jingles might have been based on. They were very simple.
After that, I've never lived anywhere frequented by ice cream trucks. We moved to a wooded neighborhood in another, larger city, where were had an ice cream shop in a converted gas station about two blocks from us (the first place I ever had a cherry Coke and even a chocolate Coke), and our folks would often take us to Dairy Queen on the way home from just about anything.
I was in shock last summer out walking my dog when I heard bells ringing and thought no way! There was an ice cream truck a couple blocks away, too cool lol.
Now ice cream truck music is usually accompanied by a shovel, 2 pro flashlights, and a jet pack dropping to my feet.
Thanks for touching on the racial history of ice cream truck music. Disturbed, but not surprised.
I appreciate the research and knowledge sharing!
Great video. ❤
I never understood how ice cream trucks still make enough money to exist. The operator has to buy a truck and fit it out. Then there's the recurring costs of the product, insurance, and diesel which I'm sure is quite expensive. They probably go nights without making a single sale cruising around neighborhoods.
My neighborhood has two ice cream trucks that come on different nights. I always wondered if there was a union or something that schedules them. Some nights we get a Mr. Softee blasting the neighborhood with its distorted speaker, some nights we get a sketchy van blasting Turkey in the Straw. Ice cream trucks in my state don't have authority to stop traffic so I always drive past whenever the guy puts his school bus stop sign and red lights out.
My theory is cars were cheaper in the past. Im sure you'd earn a lot of money a day, like maybe 200$-400$ a day. But you have a 100k modded vehicle that needs 60$ of gas and maintenance. To some extent the ice cream trucks could have been market share too. you might take a hit but people would buy a pop at the gas station or 6 pack at the grocery store. Take a loss on the trucks and make up for it elsewhere :)
@@Kevfactor That's part of it. There are also a lot of franchises with mob ties keeping them afloat.
In the UK we had the "ice cream wars" gangs going around warring over the turf .. I'm sure these days most owners/firms know each other and have an understanding/unwritten agreement.. I believe the hotdog wars documentary in London is still on TH-cam as well.. still mainly run by gangs and corrupt events operators these days .. type of business if your not already in and know the people or gangs good luck as most of the time yes the foods lucrative but they're also pushing another product or money laundering from these cash only businesses ..
The Cook Report Hot Dog Wars if anyone's interested lol
5:47 good humor drivers were paid about $100 a week or $2,200 a week when adjusted for inflation. I wish i made that much!!
I'm glad we still have these trucks in my town
If no one remembers the origin of a thing, is the origin still relevant?
Interesting documentary - thank you!
I still hear one of those jingling around every once in awhile during summers here in Concord, CA.
My home town... a great place to grow up in the '90s. Still is, as far as I know. I live in Antioch now
I’m in Milpitas, and there’s one truck, probably the last man around here who only comes around about once a month on a weekend. It’s kinda sad kids these days aren’t outside anymore.
There's an ice cream truck that came to Newhall Park regularly last summer. Hoping to see it again this summer.
I’m from Concord as well. It’s an Indian Hindu guy that you’re talking about right?
That Was Very Very racist of dem
I'm 11 and love Ice Cream, I eat it everyday 😊🍧🍦
Make sure to exercise because ice cream contains a lot of calories.
my family has run an ice cream truck business for almost 20 years now, going strong still!! I have loved multiple ice cream choices at hand at all times :P
All of the ice cream trucks I can remember from my youth to today have all been independents, with no markings ever indicating they belonged to a franchise. Lots of stickers on the outside showing what treats were available and also lots of badly drawn cartoon characters that I'm sure were all trademark infringements. And few of them ever played these jaunty jingles. In fact I think the most common tune I've heard the trucks play was Music Box Dancer. I do recall this one ice cream truck from the early to mid 80s that played this weirdly haunting tune that to do this day I have no idea what it is, what it's called or what it came from. Too bad I can't just hum it for you here, lol.
I love music box dance
In the 80s & 90s in Freeport Illinois we had an ice cream man who made real Sundays and other treats from scratch (he also was unknown to us kids the local Santa during Christmas time)
I should note the original Turkey in the Straw is fine lyric wise. It’s the main song in the first Mickey Mouse.
Most of the issue was with the early 20th century parodies, especially the Watermelon Ha Ha one.
My favorite vehicle in Twisted Metal
Sweet Tooth! 😄
Eating that new A&W root beer ice cream Bluebell released as I watch this
Where I lived in Australia ice cream trucks usually played " Greensleeves". Very fond childhood memories.
When I was a kid my parents wouldn't let me get ice cream from an ice cream s
truck. One day I tried sneaking and getting everyone some ice cream. My parents grounded me, I got so mad I tore up my allowance and threw it at them.
Why wouldn't they let you get ice cream from the ice cream truck?
Your parents basically didn't have a childhood growing up.
3:11
This makes the scene in the first SpongeBob Movie where SpongeBob and Patrick get “drunk” at the goofy goober more funny since it’s a reference to what people did when alcohol was outlawed
When I was little there was one ice cream truck that lived close to my neighborhood and another one was a Good Humor truck went through my neighborhood,too. The Good Humor man used to give out free bubble gum towards kids in my neighborhood. One truck had soft served ice cream and the other one with popsicles. My favorite popsicle was this one that was red,white, and blue shaped liked a rocket. Even the push ups,too.
Great video mate.
When I was a kid growing up in 1980's Britain the tune I most associated with ice cream vans (we call them vans not trucks) was the Neapolitain opera song "'O sole mio".
This was based upon that song being used for a very famous TV ice cream advert for Walls Ice Cream's 'Cornetto' product.
So a lot of ice cream vans adopted that tune.
Greensleeves is also a very popular jingle for ice cream vans in Britain.
I remember where I lived, the ice cream truck was always a rusty 1970s or 1980s-era Chevrolet or Ford, and the person driving it was really old or young.
The ice cream was always priced way too high so I didn't eat it often but I loved it when my mom relented and gave me a few dollars to go grab some ice cream.
I miss these days a lot as my brothers and I used to wait for the ice cream truck after dinner.
I still hear Ice Cream Trucks in certain neighborhoods when working with my dad (painter) and I still hear the Turkey in the Straw. Last time I heard one was last month. Even if the song is completely scrubbed from trucks, it good to know it's still being used for the Company Enployees
I spent the early part of childhood in a Midwest working-class neighborhood. Early 1970s. There were two bright spots to the weeks. The bookmobile and the ice cream truck days.
Man I wish the one in my neighborhood would go away blasting that music
I, sadly, have only had the pleasure of even seeing an ice cream truck once in my life, in my twenties. I didn't realize they still existed and thought I'd found my own "cave of wonders"! I'm 34, now, and have, sadly, yet to see another one since.
I grew up in NYC with ice cream trucks, and they are still around.
My personal favorite tune, even though it never played in my neighborhood, was "The Entertainer." I remember hearing it one summer while we were staying at my aunt's beach house in Ocean City. Something about that cute, little chiptune coupled with sitting in the sun room under that beautiful yellow-orange sky...it just felt so nice.
My kids run outside when they hear it! ❤
I still hear one in my adjoining neighborhood behind me. Just north of Austin, TX. With no kids ever playing outside, I can't imagine how any one would survive.
Nowadays people just go to any corner store right next door for ice cream
I swear I developed sensitivity to high pitched noises simply so that i could hear the ice cream man's jingling bells over regular noise... Though in my home, the trucks were called "Dickey-Dee Men", and rode on tricycle carts that had coolers in the front. Their ringing bells became a noise every kid learned to listen for
I hope ice-cream trucks stay forever.
For some unfortunate drivers, a lobotomy was the only way to avoid complete psychological breakdown from repeated exposure to the jingle, "Mary Had a Little Lamb" in particular. Attempts at unionizing were unsuccessful, except for the gold standard - Good Humor - who negotiated for top-of-the-line custom trucks and uniforms, as well as a rotating playlist of the "Humorista's" choosing.
The ice cream truck and the bikes are both that is no longer around. I remember some people tried to start the business of ice cream trucks and bikes but it just never worked around my area. Maybe it will now since food trucks are popular now then before.
Theyre still around in poor neighborhoods. Im only a couple mins into the video so sorry if thats already mentioned in the video.
0:01 Why does the ice cream truck man look like Dutch
"Just ONE MORE CONE Arthur!"