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Origin of the Good Humor bar

Cory Doctorow at 8:09 am Tue, Jun 21, 2011

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From the Smithsonian's daily snapshot, a summery history of the Good Humor truck: "His first candy invention was the Jolly Boy Sucker, a lollipop on a stick. While working in his ice cream parlor, Burt created his own recipe for a smooth chocolate coating that would be compatible with ice cream. His daughter Ruth performed the first taste test. Although it tasted good, Ruth thought it was too messy to eat. To solve this problem, Burt took the advice of his son, Harry Jr., who suggested freezing wooden sticks used for the Jolly Boy Sucker into the ice cream as handles. He named his new creation the Good Humor bar, capitalizing on the belief that a person's "humor" or outlook on life was related to the humor of the palate. Burt immediately sent the patent to Washington, D.C. "

Good Humor Ice Cream Truck, 1938

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

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  • Stefan Jones

    The Good Humor truck that serviced the neighborhood where I grew up (circa 1965-1970) was similar to this, but had an open-topped cab and less flamboyant fenders.

    Our Good Humor man, Ben, an an impatient bastard. If you took too long to order he’d crack you on the head with a Dixie Cup or throw frost from inside the freezer in your face.

    I remember the prices of two items:

    X-15 pop: 5 cents

    Chocolate Chip Candy: 35 cents

  • frankieboy

    when I was a kid we had ‘Bungalow Bar’, pretty much the same deal

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bungalow_Bar

    the trucks now are dreadful, with the computerized chirping music
    how can things continually get worse?

  • ill lich

    “a lollipop on a stick”

    So. . . it had two sticks then? By definition a lollipop is already on a stick.

  • Anonymous

    While many inventions are questionable in their worth I will never question the value of an ice cream bar on a stick.

  • Anonymous

    I always believed that Donald Duncan (of Duncan Yo-Yos) had founded the Good Humor Ice Cream company.

  • Hank

    Call me a Shorpy Snob, but the picture would be a whole lot better if they had a high-res version to go with it.

  • Susan Oliver

    Was this the first food-on-a-stick?

    • Brainspore

      Was this the first food-on-a-stick?

      Chimpanzees eat grubs and termites that way, so my guess is no.

  • Anonymous

    This was sitting outside of the American History Museum on my walk to work this morning!

  • braininavat

    You need good humor if you’re going to be listening to The Entertainer all day long every day.

  • bbonyx

    Jolly Boy Sucker

    Just had to come in to say that.

  • jakemg

    “Jolly Boy Sucker” -The Official Candy Treat of NAMBLA

  • Garst

    That article was not interesting at all. In fact, that was quite annoying seems how it got “The Candy Man” stuck in my head!

  • eaglescout1984

    “Ruth thought it was too messy to eat. To solve this problem, Burt took the advice of his son, Harry Jr., who suggested freezing wooden sticks used for the Jolly Boy Sucker into the ice cream as handles.”

    Then someone else figured out people didn’t care it was messy and could save money by eliminating the stick and called it the “Klondike Bar”.