The Ice Cream Man

[Urban Commando]

While I've been reading on this forum for quite a while. I have seen many things discussed except one issue; the ice cream man. Now that we are entering the good ole hot summer time, I'd like to bring up these old vendors and whatever happened to them. Growing up in the late 60's and 1970's, I remember the pickup turcks with the freezer in back as operated by Sun Valley, Red Wing, Dixie Maid, Aspen Cool (snow cones), and Mister Softee/Frostie (still around, but not here) . I wonder what happened to these companies and were there others.

[editor]

While I've been reading on this forum for quite a while. I have seen many things discussed except one issue; the ice cream man. Now that we are entering the good ole hot summer time, I'd like to bring up these old vendors and whatever happened to them. Growing up in the late 60's and 1970's, I remember the pickup turcks with the freezer in back as operated by Sun Valley, Red Wing, Dixie Maid, Aspen Cool (snow cones), and Mister Softee/Frostie (still around, but not here) . I wonder what happened to these companies and were there others.

It's been a couple of years since I've seen a Good Humor truck, but in a lot of Mexican neighborhoods in Houston I've seen guys pushing refrigerated carts full of ice cream with dingly bells on the handles. I think they're actually better than the trucks because the kids stand a better chance of catching one of them, then a truck!

[20thStDad]

Not going back in time, but there are still a few guys who bike their stuff around the Heights each summer. I've never partaken, but it's pretty cool to see the reverse trike with the insulated box. Neighborhood kids dig it.

What I remember from Baton Rouge in the 80s was the loud, repetitive music that the ice cream trucks would play. You could hear that junk from 4 blocks away. Some days I would hear it but never see it.

[brucesw]

There was one down my street several times last summer. I don't imagine they do as well as they used to - kids don't play outdoors all the time like they used to. There aren't many small kids in this neighborhood and I haven't heard them a lot.

I've also seen them on the freeways. They're smaller step-vans, lavender is one color, white is another. Never picked up a name but I don't think Good Humor. Must be a speed regulator on them, they're never doing the speed limit.

I see those bicycle vendors all the time, year round. They also sometimes carry other snacks. I've seen them with huge clear plastic bags of something that looks like cheese puffs.

The song I think is Turkey in the Straw. At least 10 years or so ago I came across a trivia question about the most played song in the world and that was the answer, based upon it's use on ice cream trucks. Imagine driving around all day long everyday having to listen to that over and over.

[FilioScotia]

There was one down my street several times last summer. I don't imagine they do as well as they used to - kids don't play outdoors all the time like they used to. There aren't many small kids in this neighborhood and I haven't heard them a lot.

Roving Ice Cream vendors were common all over Houston and the suburbs in the 50s. I remember them when I was growing up in Pasadena in the mid and late 50s.

[tiger198619]

while i havent seen any trucks going through the neighborhoods in a while, i do remember as a kid buying ice cream from the trucks. i did find a website for Mr. Frostee, though it is based in dallas and not houston.

http://www.mistersofteetexas.com/

[samagon]

We have a local rice cream truck. The truck has shiny wheels and rice cream written on it.

[crunchtastic]

We have a local rice cream truck. The truck has shiny wheels and rice cream written on it.

heh, we actually have one that goes year-round. One of those with the annoying tape loop punctuated by a voice that says "hello!" It's totally skeevy and I've thought about stopping the guy to see if he's also selling weed (which my neighborhood ice cream truck (in Friendswood) did in the mid-70s, but I'm too lazy. I've seen the kids across the street get ice creams from him, so I guess it's legit. No brand names on the truck that I can see.

[sevfiv]

We have a year round too (or almost year round) - it's brown and that's it. I'm assuming you can get ice cream..

There's also a guy with a pedal cart that comes around once in a while.