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Writer's pictureAllison Moore

I Scream for Ice Cream...Literally: A Daring Journey of Chasing Down the Ice Cream Truck

Updated: Dec 5, 2020


a purple and white ice cream truck

How much of an ice cream lover are you?

 

We all say how much we love ice cream, but really, how much do you love ice cream? Like honestly, how far would you go to prove your love for ice cream? Are you a “buys multiple pints of ice cream at a time” kind of lover of ice cream, or are you a “chases down an ice cream truck all over town” kind of ice cream lover?


Welcome Ice Cream Enthusiasts

If you said yes to the latter then congrats, you are an official member of the “I really, really love ice cream club” (it’s a totally official club, we have t-shirts and everything...they are invisible). You might ask yourself what prompts that kind of icy dessert dedication?


an infant's hand holding an ice cream cone
My love for ice cream started at an early age! What about you?

As someone who has personally expressed my deep love for ice cream at a young age, through an icy pursuit of an ice cream truck, there are a number of fun and delicious factors!


There is nothing more iconic in the Summer than hearing the fun and lighthearted jingles from a nearby ice cream truck. Growing up, nothing could get me out of the house faster than those iconic sounds, which you could hear in the Summer breeze, from at least a couple streets over.


A vintage looking ice cream truck open for buisness
An Ice cream truck can be such a comforting sight!

Where I lived growing up, an ice cream truck would only come around ever so often with weeks in between, so we always tried to take advantage of it when it did. Nothing beats ice cream on a warm and sunny, Summer day, especially when it came to all the unique novelty ice creams that are so iconic such as…


1. The Bomb Pop.

This is such a classic choice and to me one of the most iconic ice cream truck finds. While it is more in the popsicle family of frozen desserts, you can never go wrong.


A red, white, and blue popsicle
The classic Bomb Pop

1. The Ice Cream Sandwich

One of my top choices, especially the Neapolitan versions. I remember taking bites of each section so my taste buds could have one flavor all to themselves, and made a huge mess in the process.


A Neapolitan ice cream sandwich stacked on top of a vanilla ice cram sandwich
Who could go wrong with a Neapolitan...3 flavors in one!

2. Push-Up Pops

These were always so fun! You were always disappointed when there wasn’t anymore “push” in the pop and you had run out of the delicious, creamy goodness of the ice cream.


Three push-up popsicles in cylinder tubes
The best sticky, sweet treat!

3. Fudge Bar

This option never seemed exciting enough for me, but you can never go wrong when it comes to chocolate ice cream.


Two chocolate fudge popsicles stacked on-top of each other. One has a bite taken out of it.
You can never go wrong with a fudge bar

4. Strawberry Crunch/ Strawberry Shortcake Bar

I can honestly say I don’t remember ever trying this ice cream novelty. However, with my other deep love for the color pink, I remember always eyeing it as a possible second choice. Which brings me to my personal favorite…


Two pink popsicles with pink crumbs on top
One of my biggest ice cream regrets...I've always wanted to try it!

5. Cartoon Ice Cream Pops (With Bubble Gum Eyes).

These were by far my absolute favorite. I remember they had choices like SpongeBob, Spiderman, and my signature order, Bubbles, from the Powerpuff Girls.


An ice cream pop in the shape and color of the cartoon character Bubbles from the Powerpuff girls
Usually they melt so fast you can't even tell what character they are, but they are still so delicious!

Now these ice cream novelties seemed impossible to find anywhere other than at your local ice cream truck, which made securing these delicious frozen desserts that much more of a childhood priority. Which brings me back to the true test of ice cream love…chasing down an ice cream truck.


A group of small children running after a slow moving ice cream truck
Chasing after an ice cream truck is almost an ice cream lover right of passage

I remember years ago, it was an almost boiling afternoon right after school had let out for the Summer, with the heat being almost unbearable and hearing the iconic tunes of an ice cream truck. Thinking I had only imagined it, as some sort of Summer mirage, I did not enact the typical ice cream truck protocol… grab parents, grab chore, change money, and run outside for a delicious, icy treat.


Instead, I remember running outside to see if my mind had simply imagined the ice cream truck. Then I saw it, the ticket to my favorite novelty ice cream… a Bubbles ice cream with bubblegum eyes, it had to be mine.


A boy holding an ice cream cone with pink ice cream
The first taste of an ice cream is always the best!

However, I had never seen an ice cream truck drive so fast down a street before. The driver was waiting for nothing or no one, not even ice cream obsessed children. I had forgotten all the steps of ice cream truck protocol, further removing me from my beloved novelty ice cream.


So, I did what any normal child who is set on something would do, I ran to my parents and begged them for help. Without wasting time, we loaded up in the car and began our icy chase of the ice cream man in his ice cream truck.


A yellow caravan that is transformed into an ice cream truck
Ice cream trucks now come in many unique shapes and styles

I remember thinking that the ice cream man could give NASCAR a run for the money, as we nearly lost him multiple times as he zigged and zagged all across town. My father, a little ice cream obsessed too, made sure we never completely lost sight for too long. I can only imagine what that poor ice cream man thought as one car followed him clear across town.


Securing the Delicious Icy Prize

Finally, it seemed he got the message or was too tired to keep up the ice cream pursuit because he stopped and parked opening up the iconic canopy of an ice cream truck. It was then that we were finally able to complete our mission and get our chosen ice cream novelties.


A variety of ice cream novelties like ice cream sandwiches, strawberry shortcake bars, and etc.
There are so many fun ice cream novelties to choose from!

For whatever reason, that Bubbles ice cream pop with the bubble gum eyes, tasted especially good that day. I would say I’ve always been a little obsessed with ice cream, but from that day, I knew I was part of the “I really, really love ice cream club!”


an ice cream cone with two ice cream scoops against a pink background
Nothing compares to a delicious ice cream on a warm Summer day!

I’m excited to continue this ice cream journey with you, regardless of what stage of ice cream love or appreciation you’re in. I can be the one to chase down the ice cream trucks, so you don’t have to, and together we can look forward to The Sundae After Next!

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