THE TUNES, THE PAST AND THE ICE CREAM TRUCK
Penny For Your Thoughts By: Nancy Whitaker
Can you hear what I hear? There are certain sounds that take you back to a different era. It is melodic and could be a children’s song it plays and It is the sound of an ice cream truck.
On hearing the music, children would reach in their pockets to see if the had any coins.
And if they had no coins they could hit up mom or dad for the sound of the ice cream truck is a signal that summer is alive, that someone is outside, that the day still belongs to the neighborhood. A quiet block becomes a small sprinting crowd with children and adults wanting the cool refreshments that a ice cream truck or wagon had.
The history of ice cream street sellers dates back to the nineteenth century and is shaped by advances in sanitation.
Children in the 1970s and 1980s also ran toward the truck as soon as the same recognizable music was heard.
The main difference is that the treats sold back then such as Mickey Mouse shaped ice-cream bars have been replaced by whatever cartoon characters are popular.
While much has changed since peddlers first sold dishes of ice cream from carts cooled with ice blocks, for the last few generations, not much has changed about the ice cream truck itself.
While some companies now allow parents to track the truck with GPS, the time-honored set-up is still the same: Customers approach a truck with an open side window, review the menu, and place an order.
So now as we look at the menu in the 1950s let’s see what kind of treats they have. Also our coins are important too. Let’s see:
WHAT’S ON THE TRUCK?
Popsicles and Twin Pops: 5 cents to 10 cents.
Ice Cream Sandwiches and Fudge Bars: 10 cents.
Good Humor Bars: 10 cents to 25 cents (depending on the specific bar and the late-60s inflation).
Soft Serve Cones: 15 cents to 25 cents
Specialty Sundaes or Banana Splits: 25 cents to 50 cents (never costing close to a full dollar)
After getting our treats, we would gather on the grass and see what everyone got. Yes and we did trade bites of something to see if anyone else liked it.
I think the ice cream truck did occasionally come into our small town. Plus it was always fun and exciting in those days and it would still be exciting today to see one and hear the tunes it also carried down the streets. I better save up a bit more coins cause prices are a lot higher today!
Average Price Today by Item Type:
Item Type/Price Range/Examples
Basic Novelties $2.50 – $5.00 Ice cream sandwiches, Rocket Pops, Drumsticks
Premium Character Bars $4.00 – $7.00 SpongeBob, Sonic the Hedgehog, Spider-Man bars
Soft Serve $3.50 – $6.50 Standard vanilla or chocolate cones (dipped cones cost more)
Scoops $4.00 – $8.00 Single or double scoops of hard-packed ice cream
Specialty Items $6.00 – $11.00 Milkshakes, sundaes, floats, or banana split
I figured up how many coins I would need to buy somethings from the ice cream truck in about 1960. I decided to try a small item of what they had on the menu and my total was .65 cents.
Now let’s proceed up to the prices of today:
I will take a Rocket pop for 2.50
A Spider-Man character bar. $4
A small banana split for $6.
My total was 12.50
I chose items that the ice cream trucks carried in earlier times.
Looks like I might have to save up a few more Pennies and get me a popsicle.
Did you ever get anything from an ice cream truck? What and how were they decorated? Do you remember the prices? Let me know and I’ll give you a Penny For Your Thoughts.
