Is the Ice Cream Man still a thing in the States?

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matteowolfwood@reddit

Yep, a lot of neighborhoods here in the U.S. have an ice cream man, and the trucks usually have a circus jingle

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Reasonable_Wasabi124@reddit

Yes. There's one that parks in front of my granddaughter's school when school let's out. And they also drive around during Little League games. They're around from about March through October

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FoggyGoodwin@reddit

Good Humor used to have trucks but I haven't seen one in ages; their product line also shrank. There is a truck that comes into my little neighborhood and I see other trucks on the road.

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Drewcifer70@reddit

One drove through my apartment complex yesterday

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sgfklm@reddit

We call him/her the "Ding Ding Man." There is no song - just the bell. They mainly drive old jeeps.

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Oh big time, both in New York City where I currently live they’re everywhere and are a harbinger of summer, and where I grew up in the suburbs, he’d roam the neighborhood but always time being at the neighborhood community pool around the adult swim breaks. You also get the little carts in the parks where the trucks can’t go.

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DoubleIntegral9@reddit

Just heard the song earlier this week or so, yeah!

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mr-singularity@reddit

Yes there are still ice cream trucks. But they seem less common over time. They typically visit parks and schools, which often are near residental areas but not always suburban.

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tres-vip@reddit

>But they seem less common over time. They typically visit parks and schools, which often are near residental areas but not always suburban.

They are extremely common and all over the place in NYC. I just passed one on my street on the way home yesterday evening. They start coming out as early as April, when we have unseasonably hot days, and are out until September and even as late as October, now that it's gotten warmer over the years in NYC due to climate change. This is very dependent on the location.

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LopsidedGrapefruit11@reddit

Very common in suburban and urban parts of San Diego, too. There are also push carts around the beaches and parks in the downtown areas.

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LopsidedGrapefruit11@reddit

About a year ago I heard one playing oh come all ye faithful lol

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life-uh-finds-a-way_@reddit

An ice cream truck came by our house with the music on a few weeks ago. We live at the end of a long, windy dead end at the top of a hill. We ran out to get ice cream for nostalgia's sake and so did the teenage girl next door. It was a very nice surprise.

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stefanica@reddit

I live in a similar micro neighborhood, one lane dead end road, and sometimes I can hear the ice cream truck in the new subdivision nearby. 😿

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AthousandLittlePies@reddit

There are still a lot of them in New York

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recoveringcanuck@reddit

Lots of them in Dallas suburbs too. As a kid in Iowa I don't think I ever saw one. I was kind of excited the first time I saw one in real life.

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RabbitTraditional135@reddit

Also NYC, In hot weather there's a truck that sells Good Humor bars and does a loop of the playgrounds. There's also a guy with a hand cart who sells what I'm pretty sure is sherbet plus sometimes churros. He doesn't speak much English, only takes cash, probably is selling off the books. He hangs out by the school exits for a bit before migrating to the playground. I'd much rather give my money to him. Than the truck. I just don't usually remember to bring cash to pickup!

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MiaZeta@reddit

If the temp is above ~65°F, I will hear the Mistee Softee truck outside.

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mich_8265@reddit

A soft serve ice cream truck rolls thru the industrial parks around here a couple times a week. But ain’t no way I’m paying $8 American dollars for a soft serve.

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joreanasarous@reddit

We get a Mr Frosty here occasionally. It's not cheap.

But that soft serve is pretty dang good.

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mich_8265@reddit

Our soft serve place is good too. My old job would pay so I had no idea how much it cost. Then I started a new job and went out and omg hahahah I felt like those 90 year old people who say “$3.00 for a loaf of bread? It used to be a quarter!” Ahahhaha. Regardless I’m not spending 8 bucks for a soft serve, even if that’s what they cost nowadays.

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mr-singularity@reddit

Yeah it's probably region specific. Most of the ones I do see occasionally are selling mass-produced stuff like good humor products.

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JustARandomBloke@reddit

That music will still get 35 year old kids running out into the streets shoving actual children to the side because we actually have money.

Did I say "we"? I meant "they".

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JeddakofThark@reddit

There's one ice cream truck company in Atlanta and the trucks are creepy as hell. I remember my mom not wanting me to buy ice cream from them when I was a child because the trucks were so old and creepy. I'm 49 and as far as I can tell, they're still using the same trucks.

Mom did relent most of the time, as it was so rare that they'd come by (definitely less than ten times in total), but as an adult I absolutely understand. Those things are creepy af.

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Small-Tax-2829@reddit

Mr Charlie has been coming by my house every friday for over 30 years. I dont know if hes ever changed the truck out but it looks exactly the same to me

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PatronStofFeralCats@reddit

There's one in my neighborhood now. I live in the Midwest.

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thenerfviking@reddit

I think it’s more that who ran the trucks changed. The uniform used to be part of the image of the profession at the time and it kind of went by the wayside around when we stopped having people like fast food workers and auto shop employees wear similar outfits. Short sleeve button up shirts and hats with bow ties or ties used to be pretty standard for a lot of service workers. Then in around the 80s it began to switch to polos and baseball caps or visors because it was seen as cooler and less old fashioned. Even a lot of sports referees used to dress like that before being restyled in the 80s and 90s.

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WowsrsBowsrsTrousrs@reddit

Yes, they are still a thing, they drive around suburban neighborhoods. They don't wear costumes or fancy uniforms, though. Our street has the playground for our neighborhood, that's where they stop, and the music can be heard for 2-3 blocks.

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HornetParticular6625@reddit

There's one who occasionally goes down my street. There are no kids on my street, so he usually passes my house before I even realize he's there.

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LopsidedGrapefruit11@reddit

There is one that runs around my neighborhood everyday when school gets out - there are 2 schools within walking distance. I live in Southern California so it’s pretty much year round. The trucks also have drinks and snacks.

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qu33nof5pad35@reddit

Yes. The prices and the tastes are way different though.

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Think-Rush8206@reddit

We have one that drives by every day during the summer. A few years ago we had 3 different ice cream trucks. One played Christmas music. We also have a guy that pushes a cart, he sells Mexican Popsicles.

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DirtyDuckman53@reddit

Some dude still come around in some sketchy vans. Not sure I would buy ice cream from them or allow my kids to approach the van.

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Deep_Contribution552@reddit

We get an ice cream truck in our (suburban) neighborhood a few times a summer. When we lived in Chicago roughly ten years ago there was an ice cream truck in our dense urban neighborhood who only came out after about 8 or 9 pm. Never figured out whether he was trying to sell to adults, whether he assumed that the neighborhood kids mostly stayed out late, or if it was just some sort of money laundering operation. He did have good ice cream though!

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NoodleyP@reddit

Hell yeah! Still very much around at areas where kids hang out often, think community lakes and playgrounds and stuff, sometimes they’re drive by, sometimes they operate like a food truck parked in one spot for a while. Purgatory Chasm in Massachusetts (EVERY, yes, EVERY masshole needs to visit at least once. One of my favorite places in the state) had an ice cream truck there last time I went a couple years back.

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metoo123456@reddit

We got one that comes thru a couple times a week.

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Guy_Incognito1013@reddit

A warehouse I used to work at was a daily stop for the local ice cream man. In the summer our afternoon break was timed so we could all get out there.

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onlyoneder@reddit

They are still everywhere in Orlando. We see them all the time. Sometimes they come down our street, sometimes they stop at the park, sometimes they are parked somewhere like the library for the day.

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Possible-Mud2100@reddit

Yep depends on the area. In Mexican communities they’re very common. Usually in the traditional ice cream truck where they sell not only ice cream but candies and even little firecrackers. But also commonly seen are the ice cream carts, where they usually sell traditional Mexican paletas (popsicles made from fruit and water or fruit and cream)

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One_Violinist_8539@reddit

We have a paleta vendor in our neighborhood and I feel SO lucky! They are the best! (And usually much cheaper than a regular ice cream van)

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No_Entertainment_748@reddit

Yep. Only ice cream man in my city is mexican. Runs it with his wife. Awesome guy. His van was the first time I heard the match of the day theme since its apparently the universal ice cream man song vs turkey in the straw in the states

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Boognish-T-Zappa@reddit

It’s funny, ice cream doesn’t move the needle at all for me but I’m totally hooked on paletas. They’re incredible.

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Possible-Mud2100@reddit

Yep. Chemical cocktails vs whole natural ingredients.

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TheBSMachine@reddit

Yeah, I lived in Phoenix in the '90s, and I definitely remember there was a lot more ice cream truck traffic there.

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bovisrex@reddit

For a long time I had stopped seeing them, but now that a lot of small cities (or neighborhoods in large cities) have embraced food truck culture, I've been seeing them again.

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astrosergeant@reddit

I am in CA, and there's an ice cream man here five or six times a week! Where I'm from in New England, though, no, I haven't seen one since the 1990s.

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iwantalongnap@reddit

New England (Connecticut), the ice cream truck has already been out and about this year in the neighborhood, and will be around through September.

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pementomento@reddit

Also in California, don’t forget the jugos de frutas guy and the paletero! Equally as frequent and as important as the ice cream man.

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astrosergeant@reddit

I have an elote guy!

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LilPebzz@reddit

I don’t have an elote guy, but I need an elote guy

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Hooligan8403@reddit

My elote guy has an abuela with him on the weekend slinging tamales on the corner.

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avalonfaith@reddit

Tamales is what I'm talking about. Mmmhmmm

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Bake_knit_plant@reddit

I worked for a factory for 23 years and there was a little man that about 7:30 every morning came through with breakfast burritos for $2 that his wife had made. He had two great big coolers and sold them by the time he got to the end of our line. He went home, reloaded, and came back with meat cheese or bean and cheese or combo burritos for $3.

I got to know him and I found out that he put all five of his girls through private school for high school and paid for their college and they were just getting ready to pay off the house they bought in Jalisco near Puerta Vallarta when he retired after the last daughter was done.

I told him he still had weddings to pay for and he said they could handle weddings on their own because he given them all the means to

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avalonfaith@reddit

That's what's UP!!! Snaps! 🫰🏾

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PatronStofFeralCats@reddit

I MISS my tamale lady. Moved recently and can't really find one in this town.

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weeniehutjunior1234@reddit

It’s 6:30 am, and now I might cry a little since I don’t have tamales. I’m pregnant FWIW. Almost cried in front of the cookie selection at the store yesterday bc I couldn’t decide what I wanted.

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grassesbecut@reddit

There's an elote girl with a golf cart that runs around my area.

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Beautiful_Jim_Key@reddit

What an absolute dream. I’m jealous

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mich_8265@reddit

I’m jealous! Elote is GOAT

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Lost-Peanut-1453@reddit

Well excuse me mister Fancy Pants! No need to brag about it.

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avalonfaith@reddit

I'm down here by the boarder and we have all of the above plus tamales and burritos, cigarettes ($5 I don't smoke but I know that's a de), I forget what else, but it pretty much all day every day.

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lattelady37@reddit

I would take an elote guy over an ice cream guy.

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IvypoolFanIGuess@reddit

In Maine? I thought that was only a thing here in Arizona and maybe California.

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cyvaquero@reddit

And Texas.

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CuriousNetWanderer@reddit

I've seen good old corn on a stick in Alabama and Georgia as well. In Texas it's the same ingredients but it usually comes in a cup instead of skewered on a cob.

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pementomento@reddit

God I can’t wait for County Fair season, this reply makes me hungry!

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LastCookie3448@reddit

That's called esquites. 😄

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Yankee831@reddit

They live in California but identify as Maine.

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Subterranean44@reddit

The neighbor where I teach has a panadero. I’ve never seen him, but the kids all know him.

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No-Heat-436@reddit

We have those in Colorado too! 👏🙌 so good!

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LastCookie3448@reddit

LMAO! I just said the same thing, plus the manapua man b/c we had those in Hawaii. 😂

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WhyOhWhyOhWhy333@reddit

PALETA MAN!!!!!!!!!! 🙂

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Haunting-Middle-5801@reddit (OP)

https://youtu.be/8P5nYGFRXFI?si=oB8HACDrxwzCl_0t&t=124

Is this the Ice Cream Man theme song? it's what i remember as a kid....do you have any idea of what it is called? reminds me of some charlie chaplin film,,,,

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Ok-Team9737@reddit

“Do your ears hang low “ or “turkey in the straw”

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Particular_Bet_5466@reddit

Do yo chain hang low?

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Quirky-Invite7664@reddit

Yes, that’s it.

For generations, "Turkey in the Straw" was most commonly heard across America as mechanical, instrumental music box loops played by Good Humor and other ice cream trucks. Because the song was so widely associated with both the minstrel era and the racist lyrical adaptations from the 1910s, its use as a jingle sparked public outcry. In 2020, Good Humor and various ice cream brands publicly acknowledged this dark history and officially retired the song from their standard jingle rotation.

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The_McTasty@reddit

Raven and the Dark Shadows have definitely purposefully made the song sound creepier.

This is what the song sounds like that comes out of actual ice cream trucks.

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montemason@reddit

Could be the one from Van Halen. Sorry I don't have a link.

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Scrappy_The_Crow@reddit

Here's an annoying electronic version, which I hear some ice cream trucks play these days.

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thenerfviking@reddit

That’s like the classic one but it’s not the only one. It’s usually old ragtime songs but played in that particular style or sometimes you’ll get trucks that have ice cream truck style covers of popular music. Heck when I was in college there was the Dubstep Icecream Truck that played dubstep and mostly showed up around midnight at college parties and frat houses.

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hobbitfeetpete@reddit

I think it's called " I had a little chicken." It is not creepy like in your video. It is normally faster and upbeat.

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UnfortunateSyzygy@reddit

I used to live in the DC area and our ice cream truck frequently played "Battle Hymn of the Republic" for whatever reason. Very weird.

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dwhite21787@reddit

Ours plays “La Cucaracha “

Seriously? That’s your food theme?

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KGeddon@reddit

I live in So. Cal. For the longest time(before food trucks), there were "roach coaches" that migrated from one industrial/warehouse site to the next.

Yes, they would blast "la cucaracha" to let people on site know the truck was there, they were only going to be there for like 30 minutes then they'd be moving on.

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rwv2055@reddit

It's even weirder if you know the name of the normal ice cream truck song

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Scrappy_The_Crow@reddit

That is weird, but now if you hear that being played, you'd probably think "the ice cream truck is in the neighborhood," just as intended.

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SnowblindAlbino@reddit

Yes, ours looks like a parody of one of those 'FREE CANDY' kidnapping vans from a movie. Scary music. Rusty, clapped-out truck. But it's still fun.

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NeverBirdie@reddit

Not only does my New England town have multiple ice cream trucks but they also have e turf battles. The kids know one of them as the bad ice cream man and won’t ask for ice cream from him. But their guy Randy shows up and they need it. The bad guy threatened to kill Randy and there was some court stuff that happened. I’ve seen a 3rd truck too but his turf doesn’t overlap the areas I frequent.

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digawina@reddit

I'm in Massachusetts, and the ice cream truck comes through our neighborhood on a pretty regular basis in the summer. I think it depends on your locale. Never saw one at our old house, same town, but we were on a busy street. Now I'm in a quiet neighborhood and it comes around.

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kwiltse123@reddit

Long Island here and we have an ice cream truck in our neighborhood several times a week.

I did not have it growing up as a kid because I was too rural, but in our current town, we see ice cream trucks (ice cream man) parked outside of every youth sporting event there is (in the summer).

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Prudent_Leave_2171@reddit

Just over the border from New England, here in upstate NY, they are absolutely still a thing. Now that we’re approaching summer, I expect to hear them around again.

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kerfuffleMonster@reddit

I live in New England - the ice cream man showed up to my kids baseball game last weekend. I live in a fairly dense suburb with kids and I can hear him in the spring and summer but it's fairly common for the ice cream man to pull up next to parks, kids sport games, the beach, etc. My aunt lives in a less dense/kid populated neighborhood and never hears them - it's a shame cause they'd get good business off her alone.

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YonderPricyCallipers@reddit

There's still ice cream trucks in New England. They're just at the beaches, and a couple years ago, I was at a campground in Massachusetts where zn ice cream truck comes around after a certain time every day in July and August... it was a life-saver, too, because it happened to be in the middle of a heatwave, and my partner was on the verge of heat stroke as we finished putting up our tent. Just then the ice cream truck came around and I got her a life-saving Bomb Pop.

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ZaphodG@reddit

Yep. I’m on the ocean. The beaches have ice cream trucks. My coastal suburban town has fewer children than 50 years ago so neighborhood ice cream routes have vanished.

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EmmaRB@reddit

Massachusetts, not near the ocean, same ice cream truck comes through in the afternoon every sunny summer day. I have heard it a couple times this year. They also park at local events and soccer and baseball fields and take a drive around the more densely populated area of town so every now and then there will be a random truck.

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YonderPricyCallipers@reddit

Right. When I was growing up (I'm 49 now) in the 80s and even into the 90s, lots of summers there was an ice cream truck that came through the neighborhood. I don't think that neighborhood has seen an ice cream truck in over 30 years. But the bigger beaches? Yeah, they're there. Maybe not every day and maybe not the entire summer, but they're there.

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Carene71@reddit

I live in a small town in Western Mass and the ice cream truck with creepy music drives down my street every day in warm weather. No uniforms.

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Intrepid_Ad1715@reddit

I live in western MA, an ice-cream truck goes through my neighborhood all the time.

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FeetToHip@reddit

Just down the road in the Midatlantic we definitely have them. I've lived in typical neighborhoods in DC, MD, and VA, and they've all had ice cream men who make their daily rounds during the warmer months.

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NoKing9900@reddit

I lived in Massachusetts until last year, and they were frequently around in the summer. Of course there was a large park at the end of the street with baseball and soccer fields. Plenty of kids and families. And also at Shannon Beach on Upper Mystic Lake in Winchester.

They are going to be where families are out for the day.

Growing up in NJ, they were always around in the summer, though I preferred the Italian Ice truck over the regular ice cream truck.

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Resident_Bitch@reddit

California as well - the ice cream truck has been coming through my street frequently for the last couple of months. Got stuck behind him coming home from work the other day.

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brownstone79@reddit

I’m in central CT. There’s a truck that comes around my neighborhood. I also know there is an Italian ice/gelato maker in the neighboring town that operates a truck on parts of the shoreline. But, I do think it’s pretty rare—certainly not like the 90s.

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TurgidAF@reddit

I've got a guy who drives around my neighborhood in Holyoke, and saw one in West Springfield on Wednesday, so they're definitely still a thing here.

To the best of my knowledge they are indeed independently owned small businesses, and the guy in the truck is pretty much always the owner operator.

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TiredPistachio@reddit

MA here. Ice cream guys show up at elementary school level soccer games. The kids go ape. He doesn't even play music. They just see the huge truck pull in the parking lot

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scourgeobohem@reddit

Live in Plymouth MA, ice cream guy comes through the neighborhood once a week in the summer and costs me a couple bucks and a lot of grief from my kids if we don't flag him down

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b0ingy@reddit

NYC here. see them all the time

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No-Pickle-8200@reddit

I’m from New England and we still have an ice cream truck! I especially hate the one with the music that shouts “HELLO!” Every minute or so.

We also have Italian ice ladies (actually all Mexican ownership I think) who honk a little horn as they walk around with a cart. Their product is actually better than the ice cream from the truck so I’m more likely to buy from them!

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mpjjpm@reddit

There’s an ice cream truck parked by the Public Garden in Boston every day from April to October!

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John_cCmndhd@reddit

The music is ABSOLUTELY creepy

Especially with the doppler effect when they leave the music on while driving at a higher speed between neighborhoods

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_nousernamesleft_@reddit

I live in CT and the ice cream man is still very much alive here. One went down my street last week!

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Somethingisshadysir@reddit

They still exist in New England, but only during the summer months, and definitely less frequent sightings vs when I was a kid.

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Yankee831@reddit

Creepy? Idk about the music video but I really never thought of the ice cream truck music as creepy. If I did I’d probably look at myself because it’s something pretty wholesome and maybe I don’t like that being tainted. Like why should a music video override every stoked kid in line on a summer day.

I grew up rurally so things like pizza delivery and the ice cream truck were completely foreign until college. Currently living in a neighborhood and when schools out I’m tracking that tune like it’s my only purpose. I absolutely love getting random treat drops almost in my 40’s.

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Just_Me1973@reddit

I live in Massachusetts and we still have an ice cream truck that comes around every summer.

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Minimum-Syrup7420@reddit

Ice cream man still exists both up by me and in Massachusetts. Usually they go to lakes and ponds not neighbors though.

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Moist_Rule9623@reddit

I promise you, in New England (at least in my neighborhood) the ice cream man rolls thru at least daily starting any day now once school ends for the summer. I don’t think they wear a uniform anymore but the CREEPY MUSIC is still in full effect lol

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Cudi_buddy@reddit

Same. At least spring through fall he does. Catch him here and there, it’s a fun, spontaneous treat

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blueghostfrompacman@reddit

Also in California and that guy drives by my house once a day every day 10 months out of the year

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craftyrunner@reddit

California—yes the ice cream truck comes by 4-5 times a week. The truck plays a hilarious mix of Christmas music, children’s classics, and pop music. (No lyrics, all music is the standard ice cream truck recording that sounds like it was played on a children’s piano.)

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One_Violinist_8539@reddit

Yes! In my neighborhood we have a paleta vendor cart that comes around with Mexican popsicles and ice cream bars and they are bombbbbb.

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Chuckles52@reddit

We have one that goes through our neighborhood in the summer. Midwest.

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CirothUngol@reddit

plays Turkey in the Straw

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ShesGotaChicken2Ride@reddit

We have two different versions of the ice cream man where I live. There’s the traditional image type of a man driving a converted van/bubble top 🚐 like the one pictured [in this article](https://www.cleveland.com/community/2023/06/kids-are-screaming-for-the-ice-cream-truck-again-in-brooklyn.html), and then, because I live in Southern California where we have adopted a lot of Mexican/South American traditions, we have the Hispanic ice cream man who pushes a paletero/paleta cart. In my neighborhood, we have both.

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garbageman2112@reddit

Yes

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Lobstah-et-buddah@reddit

I’m from Toronto and there’s so many of them in our big city

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msabeln@reddit

I used to live in a city, and the ice cream trucks were prohibited in some wards, and allowed in others. I live in a small town near that city, and ice cream trucks are fairly common in summer.

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Charakada@reddit

One rolls through my neighborhood but doesn't stop, so I've never had time to get outside and buy anything. It's probably just on the way to a park. Not many kids on my street anyway.

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soCalForFunDude@reddit

I hear one most days.

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AccomplishedDelay2@reddit

Yep! It comes on Thursdays and plays the ice-cream truck song to remind me to come out and by an ice cream!

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zero_and_dug@reddit

Suburban Colorado here, one came down my street last week! It was playing the classic music and I do find that a little creepy, lol, but overall I think it’s a fun tradition.

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Particular_Bet_5466@reddit

Oh dang, I just commented I haven’t seen one in ages in the northern suburbs here.

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MiketheTzar@reddit

They are around, but it's far more concentrated than it used to be. Naturally they do their more business with more people. I didn't ever see one growing up because I lived in a rural buffer suburb. Having spent time in apartments and more right built development they are becoming more common.

The exact nature of the ice cream man has kind of changed. They used to be more formally owned or licensed by companies (one would only carry popsicles or General Mills) now it's more informal and is usually just a guy who may have a license or not

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burningmanonacid@reddit

Yeah, I see like three or four of them. Also, there are a few people who bring trollies of ice cream around as well. They usually go to parking lots like for laundromats, churches, or even the dog park. The one by me camps outside the taqueria & supermercado.

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Solostinhere@reddit

Goes by everyday in the summer.

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Repulsive-Ad-8558@reddit

Still see them all the time here in Texas. They’d be dumb not to capitalize off of the heat.

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SD1737@reddit

I'm in San Diego county and we have ice cream trucks driving by at least 2xs a week.

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Particular_Bet_5466@reddit

I haven’t seen one since I moved to Colorado. But I remember this song at Electric Forest lol https://youtu.be/3QTp9OqtYu8?si=mKLuDriijG5H4kxP

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AnastasiusDicorus@reddit

we still have a few and the trucks are the same as the 70's, but the problem is most kids are inside playing video games instead of outside to hear the ice cream truck, and not many people keep cash on hand any more.

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larryjrich@reddit

They are still around but becoming more rare. One did come by my house a few years ago, and yes I dropped what I was doing as soon as I heard it and ran outside to the street like I was still a child 😆

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Honest_Road17@reddit

Always? I can't think of a single movie or tv show that I've watched in the past that had an ice cream man.

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RektInTheHed@reddit

In the Hood, the ice cream man comes every day of the year, including Christmas Day.

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oatmealparty@reddit

I'm not exactly in the hood, but the ice cream man is a year round fixture. At our old place a guy would drive by and play the music at like 8, 9pm. Sometimes he'd be out there at 10pm! I'd be getting my kid to bed and she'd go "the ice cream man!"

I called him the ice cream terrorist.

At our new place the ice cream man parks in front of our house and plays his music every day around dinner time.

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RektInTheHed@reddit

Kids were waiting for the schoolbus with chips they bought from the van at 6AM when I was a kid.

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Jaqen-Atavuli@reddit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1n7cXsBgFw I can never skip over that video, just too good.

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La_noche_azul@reddit

We had an Ice cream man who also sold weed back in the day

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barredowl123@reddit

Lucky 😆

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susanbiddleross@reddit

We have them. We have two versions, the ones in vans with coolers and the ones in traditional ice cream trucks. They come through the neighborhood playing their songs, they park next to parks and in May and June they often are outside elementary schools. They don’t wear costumes.

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Primary_Excuse_7183@reddit

Yes. Less frequent but one rolls by our pools in the community a good portion of the year.

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DuErJoBareUnderlig@reddit

Hey my sibling to the north, we have an ice cream trucks in both Denmark and Sweden. Hjem-is and Hem-glass.

Maybe it's because an ice cream in Norway costs 500 NOK and you would need armed guards to drive a truck full of ice cream? 🤷🏻‍♀️😂

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Alarming_Fun_7246@reddit

Northern VA and we have ice cream trucks! A lot of ice cream trucks just sell pre-packaged treats like ice cream sandwiches and popsicles or whatever, but the really good ones have real ice cream or soft serve and do milkshakes and all kinds of stuff. One of the good ones comes to our neighborhood in the summer - it usually comes around the entire neighborhood twice a week, stopping at every street or cul de sac. On weekends, it will typically stop at our neighborhood pool several times during the day. It only started up for the year about a month ago and the new drivers this year have already learned to stop right in front of my house, haha!

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NUFC_fan2@reddit

We have ice cream trucks, raspas trucks, and pan de dulce trucks. Lol.

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InsideAd732@reddit

Yes, they come through our neighborhood often. Usually right after school or a little later in the evening on weekdays, and in the early afternoon in weekends. They're fast though. My son has had to chase them a couple times.

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tres-vip@reddit

We have ice cream trucks all over in NYC. Sometimes they are out as early as April, when we get a couple of abnormally hot days.

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Prestigious-Wolf8039@reddit

Yes. By my school where I teach they all swarm during dismissal. Only in that neighborhood there are also people selling elote and other Mexican treats.

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Regular_Boot_3540@reddit

I live in a major city, and it was over thirty years before an ice cream truck started driving through my neighborhood! It comes every Saturday. I doubt the driver is in costume, but I haven't ever gone out to look. I know it's an ice cream truck, because it plays a tinkly little song.

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Aggressive-Bit-2335@reddit

Yes! I teach fifth grade, and one of my students’ dad owns a truck. My student goes every day after school with his dad and “I get to spend my money on anything.”

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BigBear92787@reddit

Yup ice cream trucks or ice cream man is the shit lol.

When I was a kid nothing like grabbing a convenient soft serve with sprinkles on a hot day.

Also getting other toys like silly string or bomb bags, or those little Styrofoam airplanes ? Hell yeah.

Im from NYC

Thete is also a pizza man.

That's right pizza by the slice via truck!

Also in a similar vein good ol Dirt Water dogs and giant hot pretzels from the street carts

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Bendlerp@reddit

Lived in the Seattle area for 16 years and never saw one. Moved back to MI to a very rural area and saw one last week.

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Rebyll@reddit

I live in the suburbs and yeah, we still get them. My little dog hates the sound and goes on a barking crusade every time he hears it.

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ScienceMomCO@reddit

Yes, but I had to pay $7 for my chocolate malt ice cream last time, so we’re not doing that again

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lifeisfascinatingly_@reddit

Yes. Even during the winter lol

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SavannahInChicago@reddit

Rarely do I hear them in Chicago. We have the Paleta man instead. The Mexican version of the Ice cream man that rides a bike with the cart up front. I know its summer when I see the paleta men riding back from the lake in the evening.

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Yggdrasil-@reddit

Paletas paletas! 🛎🛎🛎 I live right near the beach and love seeing those guys.

Weirdly, I did hear an ice cream truck while waiting for the metra in Rogers Park the other day. I've lived here for years and that's the first time I ever encountered one.

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DeniLox@reddit

I see ours almost everyday now that the weather has warmed up. It’s a few different trucks. Now it seems like they sell soft serve ice cream more often than Good Humor type stuff.

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betterbetterthings@reddit

Depends on where you live, We have one coming up to the school every day since it got warmer, I teach high school. It comes about 1pm. And yes it plays the tunes. My students dying laughing every time. Did they expect students to run outside in the middle of their classes buy ice cream? Timing is so ridiculous.

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Hrbiie@reddit

In the summer on my neighborhood I hear him every day around 2pm

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SnowblindAlbino@reddit

Every summer in my small town, they drive around playing music on a loudspeaker. It's pretty expensive but great fun for kids. No "real" ice cream anymore though, just pre-wrapped bars and treats. When I was a kid in the early 1970s they would actually scoop cones to order.

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hoodiegirl10@reddit

There are I’ve cream trucks where I live in a more residential section of the city. It’s basically a couple guys with minivans that have weird stickers playing instrumental music that is frequently a random mix that includes a lot of Christmas music.

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DistressCall1@reddit

Yes. There's been a truck in my neighborhood a couple times this month to my son's delight.

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Neat-Anxiety-6103@reddit

Yep, here in New York City the ice cream truck is a huge part of summer and people have strong opinions on which one is the best 🍦

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manicpixidreamgirl04@reddit

Yea, it's not just a suburban thing

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eyesRus@reddit

Yep, once the weather is even a little bit warm, we see multiple ice cream trucks per day in my neighborhood in Brooklyn.

No OP, they are not creepy. They don’t wear costumes. There are many different trucks, and they do look similar but not exactly the same.

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Insomniac_80@reddit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y5IP_e4oLY

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FlyByPC@reddit

There's at least one of those that regularly makes the rounds here in West Philly.

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strum-and-dang@reddit

You know the Simpsons episode where the hot dog vendor follows Homer around? I told my son (22) that's him and the Mr. Softee guy. I think he knows to come down our street when my son's getting home from work. It's a good thing there isn't a Wawa truck.

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Smooth_Development48@reddit

You can set your clock by the ice cream man in my neighborhood. But it’s Brooklyn and the music bounces off the wall of buildings and I can never find him in time. 3 summers of sadness. Good thing at my job the ice cream truck stops right on the corner and stays for a few hours.

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TheBSMachine@reddit

Yeah, I remember ice cream in Brooklyn a decade or so ago.

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Jefffahfffah@reddit

My neighborhood has 3 of them. One of them comes at 9pm.

Oh, to live in the hood.

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goldenrod1956@reddit

In California I see them 12 months of the year…

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DramMoment@reddit

Yep. I have to distract my kids whenever I start to hear the music.

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copycatinfringement@reddit

I bought ice cream for my crew on a hot summer day. The ice cream man gave me his card and told me to text him anytime. Its pretty cool.

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Zestyclose-Phrase210@reddit

North Shore Massachusetts and they come by 1-2 times a day during the summer.

The music/speakers are low quality, and sound incredibly ominous... like the beginning of a horror movie scene. I don't even remember the song.

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Salty-Gas-1172@reddit

Just heard one the other day.

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SuitableBarracuda@reddit

As a Southern Californian, I sometimes see an official ice cream truck. You're more likely to see a paletero pushing a refridgerated cart full of popsicles and ice cream sandwiches. If you hear some random honking or jingling outside or someone yelling "paletas!" that means they are outside.

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lord_scuttlebutt@reddit

There probably aren't as many per capita as there used to be, but we still see them fairly commonly

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Cold-Ad-1978@reddit

Yes, here on Long Island they are very much still a thing in the suburbs and at the beaches and even in some shopping centers as soon as the weather breaks in the spring. Although most of the routes seem to be covered by Mister Softee, I don’t see many of the other trucks anymore.

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7yearlurkernowposter@reddit

In the summer yes, ours is named Snookie for some reason.

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allysonwonderland13@reddit

I live in Ohio and we have two-owned by the ice cream shop around the corner.

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kmoore61@reddit

Yes. Coming around my neighborhood a couple of times a week droning “turkey in the straw” in a horribly out-of-tune way. We have almost no kids in the neighborhood but he always waits at the house next door to give my 88 year old neighbor a chance to come out and get an ice cream.

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daftfunk22@reddit

Yes! Michigan and the past week every evening the icecream truck has come down our street, I can hear it in the distance going down other blocks. The song stops and a voice goes “hello!” to get your attention

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Gavacho123@reddit

Yeah, he cruises around the neighborhood in the evenings.

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Genepoolperfect@reddit

We have a couple ice cream trucks by us. One is run by the 5th grade teacher at our elementary school. So she brings it to all the outdoor school events (like field day). And she gives out the ice cream when the kids trick or treat at her house (Halloween).

We have a neighbor who has one, but doesn't drive it around our neighborhood (no sidewalks). We see it in their driveway though. Parents will sometimes "rent" the truck & owner for birthday parties.

I've never seen a driver dress up.

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Haruspex12@reddit

He just drove by last night. It is a converted Jeep with a miniature freezer. I would love to know where he gets his inventory because it isn’t anything available in local stores.

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JOEYFLOWZ84@reddit

He came through my complex yesterday in New Jersey. He comes every summer.

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Morganmayhem45@reddit

Have heard several ice cream trucks already this year in two different neighborhoods. Also there are ice cream trucks that can be hired to come to office buildings for work events. People always get excited when they see one show up lol

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Cblasley@reddit

Michigan. Twice a night until it gets too cold.

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LiquidDreamtime@reddit

This asshole that runs an ice cream truck drives through my neighborhood and comes to our park literally every day. I hate it. My kids always ask. I say no 99% of the time.

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Ms-Metal@reddit

I think this still exists, I hear the little music periodically in my neighborhood in the summertime. I'm old now so I'm not only pay much attention, but I assume kids must still buy.

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Global-Biscotti-9547@reddit

A couple weeks ago one came to our neighborhood after years. My 29 year old son ran out to get something and was shocked at the prices. $4 for one iced popsicle.

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LibrarianByNight@reddit

Lived in Massachusetts US until last summer. The ice cream truck came down our street 2-3x/week (small city) and there was always one cycling through the parks and water play areas.

Living in Denmark now and it comes once a week on a schedule.

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rustybrazenfire@reddit

Currently in Southern California and we get both the ice cream man and the elotes / tamales cart man!

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stackshouse@reddit

Yes, Thatcher park in Albany ny will have an ice cream truck certain days of the week traveling between the park and Thompsons Lake campground, around the corner

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Plow_King@reddit

yeah. i was an ice cream man, for about 3 days. then i rolled the van.

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IanDOsmond@reddit

They don't wear costumes, but, yeah, they're around. Even beyond the traditional ones selling cheap ice cream novelties out of a cooler, there are a couple food trucks that make liquid nitrogen ice cream in the truck as you wait. Or at least there were - I haven't seen them in a while. I should check to see if they're a 2020 casualty.

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PeorgieT75@reddit

We are in a close in suburban neighborhood, and Mister Softee comes by every afternoon in warm weather playing a little tune. They don’t drive up our street, which is a good thing for me; if we encounter them on our walk I have to buy a cone.

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Evil-Cows@reddit

There is a particular brand of ice cream in the New York Pennsylvania area called Mr. softy.

I didn’t grow up with it but my mom did and two years ago. I was visiting my grandpa outside of Philadelphia with my mom and she heard the particular jingle down the street and she ran outside like a kid screaming it’s “Mr. softy@. We both got cones. I haven’t really received any ice cream trucks in recent years, but I don’t have kids so i’m probably just in the wrong areas.

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AlanStanwick1986@reddit

Still have them where I live. I actually feel sorry for the guy. I never see any kids stop him on my street because the kids are all inside playing video games.

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Intelligent-Invite79@reddit

My in-laws neighborhood still has an ice cream truck that goes through. Classic summer evenings when you hear that little tune a few streets over. It’s a nice little truck, it has ice cream treats, but also nachos, hand made snow cones, and sodas.

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drunken_elf@reddit

We call it the ding ding man

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MMARapFooty@reddit

Yes

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Bootmacher@reddit

I live in a suburb, and they come here. No costumes. Each one looks independently-owned. No uniforms/costumes. They typically sell packaged ones to avoid needing a food handler's license and water source for scoops/soft serve.

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Urfubar12@reddit

Yes, even out in the sticks there will be an ice cream truck. Or at the very least a Schwan’s that delivers the goods right to ya. Orange push pops are the best!

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tHollo41@reddit

I live near a public park, so there's an ice cream vendor that drives a van around my neighborhood all spring and summer playing music so you know he's coming. Has ice cream in freezers in the back to sell. I think they're less common across the country as a whole than they were 40 years ago, but there are still areas where an ice cream truck can be a viable business.

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phydaux4242@reddit

In the summer it is.

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Dull-Geologist-8204@reddit

Yes but not as common as they used to be. I have never lived somewhere with an ice cream truck. There used to be one back in the 80's by my grandmothers house. There is one where my parents live now. They do exist just kind of rare

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bmiller218@reddit

We had an Ice Cream Trike that would go around the public swimming pool and parks.

We still have a Ice Cream truck. They mostly sell frozen ice cream treats and not scoopable ice cream in a cone.

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Away_Enthusiasm8666@reddit

Small town outside of the Hampton Roads area.

We had an ice cream man that came around in the summer. Drove a converted van. His name was Johnny.

He passed away sometime last year and nobody has picked the mantle up.

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TeamInteresting3257@reddit

I live in the south. The ice cream man drives through as long as the sun is out around 5pm. We actually bought some yesterday.

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Black_Dog_Industries@reddit

Yeah. For some reason one of our ice cream trucks plays Christmas music year round.

We also have guys on bicycles that sell ice cream.

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gangleskhan@reddit

A couple times every summer I happen to see an ice cream truck. Usually when I'm at a park or at some community event.

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Psychoboy@reddit

Yep, my kids don't let me miss it

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bmsa131@reddit

I live in the nyc suburbs. The ice cream man is absolutely a thing still. You know it’s nearing the warm weather when you hear the truck jingles. The kids still run out.

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sanguinefire12@reddit

Before we moved from central Wisconsin, there was an ice cream truck and a guy with a peddle bike with a small trailer that would drive around.

The truck would play music and he had designated stops he would make in neighborhoods, usually around the local bars.

The peddle bike guy would drive around neighborhoods and stop if someone flagged him down.

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ketamineburner@reddit

I am from California, raised my kids there. There was always an ice cream man in every neighborhood where I lived.

When we moved to a new state, we were really surprised when the ice cream man just never came. We waited for days before we realized its not a thing in our new state.

Does the Ice Cream Man only visit the suburbs?

No, they can go anywhere with a street.

Do they wear costumes?

No, I have never seen a costume

Are all the trucks similar?

Yes

Are they creepy like the music video?

They are normal people who sell ice cream

I>s it still as popular as the 80s/90s?

This is regional.

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zoppaTheDim@reddit

Yes Think of it as a taco truck, but ice cream.

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Affectionate-Use6412@reddit

I live on a busy street and the ice cream truck couldn't stop because of the speed limits. Killed me, because I'd hear it on the block behind us, but by the time I grabbed my money and ran over, I was almost always too late :(

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imbeingsirius@reddit

Every day during the summer

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MalAddicted@reddit

I live in an area with a low of housing complexes with a lot of kids, so they drive through our complex. It's very nostalgic and novel to get a cold treat from them, but with current prices, you could usually get an entire pack of the same treats for the same cost at a local store. So we really only do it for the kids/nostalgia.

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cheekkyy@reddit

there are 3 or 4 of stationed around my neighborhood in nyc all day long from may to october. we also have a fleet of italian ice ladies outside every school in the afternoons.

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argentina17@reddit

In New Jersey there are so many ice cream trucks. They just sit outside the large parks and then drive through the neighborhoods

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yyythoo@reddit

He comes thru my neighborhood on the weekends and I get something everytime. I’m 35

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penguin_0618@reddit

One came by while I was at my friend’s condo the other week. I was very excited because I hadn’t seen an ice cream truck in years.

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hairball45@reddit

There's a ice cream truck that occasionally rolls through my rural village. It plays either the racially offensive version of Turkey In The Straw, or wildly out of season Christmas music. It's a wash as to which looks more disreputable, the van or the driver. When I was a kid herds of children would run out of their homes to buy from the ice cream man. This one doesn't get a lot of business.

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Superb-Butterfly-573@reddit

Cue Eddie Murphy.

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Excellent-Draft-5516@reddit

One came down our street a month ago. We are in the suburbs. Music and all. Not creepy. No costume. The treats were in the expensive side but Delicious. I hope he comes back soon.

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AnybodySeeMyKeys@reddit

That's because it's a known scientific fact that ice cream tastes better when bought from the ice cream truck.

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Excellent-Draft-5516@reddit

This 100% !

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too_too2@reddit

I heard one a while back too. I live in a residential area but not the suburbs. I didn’t check the prices cause I didn’t have a child with me and I am just not that into ice cream these days.

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hammeritus@reddit

In Calif. Yea they exist but most of the trucks and drivers look straight out of some zombie outbreak movie. That said i still buy from them....nothing like a deformed spongebob popcicle.

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redjessa@reddit

I'm in Southern CA and an ice cream truck comes through our neighborhood fairly often.

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Gecko23@reddit

They've been extinct locally for a long time. There's only one local, non DQ, ice cream outfit left here and they have a truck, but they only use it at local fairs and festivals. No-one is wandering neighborhoods looking for kids with change any more.

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whatdoidonowdamnit@reddit

The ice cream man is definitely a thing everywhere in nyc. My lactose intolerant kid was talking about how we were being bombarded because there was an ice cream truck on both sides of the park yesterday. “They’re coming at us from all angles! We’re under attack” He gets hyped up at the playground.

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GravityTortoise@reddit

Yeah they still exist

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Mathleticdirector@reddit

Yup. Every time I bring my daughter to the park. She saves any change she finds for ice cream.

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Thewrongbakedpotato@reddit

We get several ice cream trucks down our street about once a week in the summer. They do play music, but I don't think it's creepy.

The most common truck we see in a shaved ice truck. They play nondescript "jungle beat" type of music. I'll run out and get my kids ice if I hear the music.

We also have a truck that looks like it's seen better days. They sell frozen bars out of a freezer. The music is pretty much stuff like "pop goes the weasel." I'll also run out and get my kids some fudge bars if I hear the truck.

Very rarely, we get the soft-serve truck, which is my favorite. They play non-descript jingle music. This is the most expensive truck, but also has the best ice cream. I'll get something for myself, too, if I hear this truck.

If you're wondering how I always hear the ice cream truck, my home office is at the front of my house, and I live on a cul-de-sac.

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machagogo@reddit

Ice Cream man drives my neighborhood pretty much every day all summer long. Will be at parks, etc.

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CB_Chuckles@reddit

We have one that drives past every weekday. Course it plays Muzak Shakira these days, but still it’s there.

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CarlatheDestructor@reddit

In my area they still come to low income working class areas. Not constantly, but at least once or twice in summer.

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stargazertony@reddit

Yes, they are in my neighborhood. Every day during the summer.

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MarkTheDuckHunter@reddit

We have one that comes through our neighborhood in the summers in south Mississippi.

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wismke83@reddit

There very much a thing in Wisconsin, but you don’t seem them that often. I live in Milwaukee in a residential neighborhood that’s on the edge of the city by the suburbs so it’s a very suburban feel. There’s a park in the center of the neighborhood and the truck usually does a couple of laps around the neighborhood and then ends up at the park. When I’ve been out of a walk I’ve seen kids with adults buy ice cream, but usually they just make a pass around the neighborhood without many stops.

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Quick_Sherbet5874@reddit

YES. every day. around 3.

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bizoticallyyours83@reddit

Yeah, they never stopped. I still go out and get one sometimes.

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pikkdogs@reddit

I’ve seen one here and there. But they are rare.

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GSilky@reddit

They always show up in my local Pride parade. Not even kidding, Google ice cream man in pride parade of you don't believe me.

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Efflux@reddit

One drives through the neighborhood every day it is warm.

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phoenix762@reddit

Oh, yeah, where I live they are all over.

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WesternTrail@reddit

There’s one that comes through my neighborhood every few weeks. It’s a van. And it does play tinny music, a song I can’t identify. I think the ones I heard in the distance as a kid played Turkey in the Straw.

I never got to go to one as a kid, they never came down my street.

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OneSignature7178@reddit

When I was a young teenager my friend and I had a huge crush on the ice cream man who happened to be an immigrant from Lithuania on a work visa and my step dad helped him get his citizenship. Or something like that. I was too busy staring at him to really comprehend the extent of what was happening. He was gorgeous and very nice and was never inappropriate with me, smitten as I was.

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No_Piccolo6337@reddit

Yes, it is where we live!

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Think-Location3830@reddit

Yeah. But uh the last time I bought from an ice cream truck my card was used in a hotel in Houston that weekend.

Could’ve been a coincidence but why take that chance again?

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ChanFry@reddit

I'm in central Texas, and we have a frozen treats truck go through our neighborhood a few times a week. There's no man inside. Just two women. And they don't sell ice cream, just other frozen treats.

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UpsidedownPineappley@reddit

The Mister Softee ice cream truck comes thru my neighborhood daily in South Jersey/Philly burbs. One of the oldest ice cream truck franchises! And the best!

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MrTeeWrecks@reddit

Yes, but he only comes out at night now.

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possums101@reddit

The ice cream man lives around the corner from me and there’s a lot of kids in my neighborhood so he’s around all summer. I’m in Jersey City, NJ.

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EffectSuccessful6169@reddit

We have a local company in my part of NC that does a pretty frequent one. I'd say botique ice cream trucks have become more common since I was a kid, if anything!

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BigPapaJava@reddit

Ice Cream Trucks still exist. Think of them like food trucks: usually it’s just one individual person or family who gets whatever old van he could find for cheap, equips it with a freeze,, and he’s ready to go with his small business after filling out the required paperwork.

Because of that… they vary a lot and will come and go. Not every area has somebody who does this. Others may have more. They are most common in the suburbs but can go anywhere the business is licensed, so in cities you may find them stopping near playgrounds and parks in summer to sell to families there.

I never had one who wore the Reggie Bannister ice cream man uniform from Phantasm. Most would simply sell prepackaged ice cream sandwiches and popsicles (at a big markup), but for a few years we had a “snow cone man” who’d make snow cones with ice and flavoring out of the bed of his truck.

The last time I bought anything from an ice cream man for my kids was probably like 2023. There was a family of Mexican immigrants who ran a truck (along with a few other small businesses) that would come through our small town neighborhood. It was around $5-6 for an ice cream bar from them.

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lAngenoire@reddit

We still have ice cream trucks that just roll through town. You can also hire them to swing past your house for parties or events. The ice cream truck is a sign or spring!

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RaltarArianrhod@reddit

Saw them all the time in the late 80s to mid 90s. Now I dont see them very often.

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dew57nurse@reddit

Yes. Some of them have impressive selections

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magaketo@reddit

Yep. Nearly every day but I can't remember the last time I saw someone buying anything.

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Bartlebae@reddit

When I was in college I worked at an ice cream shop that had a truck and I would drive it around, so I am a former ice cream man. I did feel a little creepy driving around neighborhoods looking for kids while the truck played nursery rhymes, but it was a lot of fun and I got 10% of the gross sales. That was 20 years ago however, so to answer your question, I saw, and heard, an ice cream truck drive through my neighborhood just the other day.

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RaspberryJam56@reddit

There is an icecream truck that visits my neighborhood in suburban Maryland. I flagged him down outside my house to buy some icecream but was shocked by how expensive it is now. Like $10. When I was a kid, the icecream man was a friendly elderly man named Mr. Buddy who would remember my order because I always got the same thing. Icecream cost like $1-2. And my neighborhood was loyal to Mr. Buddy. A different icecream truck started showing up occasionally, but most of us would ignore it and wait for Mr. Buddy instead. No, they dont wear costumes.

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handcraftedcandy@reddit

I live on a busy rural road now so I don't see them here. However, my sister lives in the city and the ice cream truck comes by about once a week in the summer. It's an old small school bus that's been painted and modified. They do play the music and at it usually sounds like an old music box. The sound isn't creepy, in fact I think most people would say it's joyful because it means there's ice cream coming. There's no uniform and the owner of the truck runs his independently from any fleet. Honestly it seems like a pretty sweet business to run, it's all very nostalgic for me.

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Far_Chocolate_8534@reddit

One just started coming through my neighborhood again a couple weeks ago. The local snow cone place also tends to post up at the local park and indoor trampoline park I take my kids to.

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aave216@reddit

Yes! When I was a kid, I was the only child on my street, so the ice cream man wouldn't drive down it. But I would hear his music as he drove down surrounding streets and I would be so sad that he never came down my street. One day we heard him nearby, and my aunt got in her car and chased him down and made him come down my street so I could get ice cream 😭❤️

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janbrunt@reddit

Yes, we have ice cream trucks (Missouri, USA). They used to roll down the streets but now they’re more often at parks and playgrounds. The music here is usually a tune called “Turkey in the Straw”. When I was a kid in New England it was frequently “Do Your Ears Hang Low?”

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TheCarzilla@reddit

Yes!! I could hear the bells the other day and my kids were out of their minds hoping the truck would make its way to our street. Sadly it did not.

There’s also one who appears at sport tournaments and the town pool very consistently.

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Certain-Singer-9625@reddit

At least some of them were restricted during Covid, but they’re still around.

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elduderino1964@reddit

There's one in my neighborhood. It was made from an old U-haul (not very well) & plays "We wish you a merry Christmas". 😕

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Plowchopz@reddit

Here in the Michigan, every Friday afternoon in the Summer, I hear it driving around the neighborhood. Kids come running out of their houses with money from their parents. It’s pretty nice :)

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Patient-Ad-7939@reddit

We have multiple ice cream trucks around us, so they’re often at parks, and drive through my neighborhood probably at least once a month.
They don’t use that stereotypical creepy music, they use other public domain wordless music.
They don’t wear a generic uniform, they are just in a t shirt.
But you know, that’s the experience in my area.

We also have some shaved ice trucks, one that roams, and the other that’ll park at the tiny park in my neighborhood for a few hours every couple weeks.

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Foreign_Plan_5256@reddit

I live in Kentucky. The ice cream truck comes through once or twice a week.

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speedier@reddit

I think ice cream man is one of the few jobs that has become less corporate owned over time. The iconic ice cream man was a Good Humor employee. All the trucks were the same small box truck. They ran the same schedule every week.

Now it’s independent guys who buy a van or truck. Some I’ve run across don’t have an ice cream machine, just a freezer full of store bought frozen treats.

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bassakwardsbass@reddit

Yes still a thing but less frequent. However, we have the snow cone truck every Sunday afternoon come through our neighborhood in summer and it’s great

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Certain-Monitor5304@reddit

Yes....However they don't sell scooped or soft serve icecream. it's overpriced Popsicles. $6 for 1 little popsicle that you can buy in a pack of 12 for $6 at most bulk grocery stores.

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rels83@reddit

I’m in the city. On busy summer days the ice cream truck parks at the playground and just stays there. In the past I’ve seen him hang park near where school is getting out.

Relatedly, my son is starting a new school next year and apparently there is a breakfast truck parked outside every morning before school.

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No-Past2605@reddit

In the summer, we have several that go through our neighborhood every day.

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TsundereLoliDragon@reddit

Yes, I've actually seen (and heard) 2 just this week.

Does the Ice Cream Man only visit the suburbs?

No, since one of them was in downtown Philly.

Do they wear costumes?

No

Are all the trucks similar?

Kind of

Are they creepy like the music video?

What? No

Is it still as popular as the 80s/90s?

Probably not

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liebemeinenKuchen@reddit

We have one that comes around. My kids can hear the music from streets over and run in to get their money. I never had one growing up (out in the country) so I think it’s fun. It’s just two dudes in a blue van, no costumes or anything.

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rebirf@reddit

Not only is it a thing I can now text my ice cream lady so I don't have to chase the truck or find her in my neighborhood when I hear the music.

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MiaZeta@reddit

Nice!

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thirdeyefish@reddit

There are absolutely still people who drive around in specially outfitted vans handing out frozen confections. This will almost always be pre-wrapped and factory sealed stuff though, no 'two scoops of rocky-road'.

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MiaZeta@reddit

Our trucks in NY (Mister Softee) give you a cone or cup of soft serve ice cream. You get it how you want (with sprinkles, syrup, etc). The pre-wrapped things are available too.

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MissDisplaced@reddit

I don’t see them as often but yeah one goes around my neighborhood occasionally in summer. I think mainly when sports are going on around the schools, or holiday weekends and such.

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FlippingPossum@reddit

Yup. The obe by the park near me has the speakers so loud I want to scream...and not for ice cream. Lol

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NHmountain-man@reddit

Mister David Lee Roth is still alive and we'll, Im happy to report!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=sL9ZwmkooBA&si=WbbpEq3u-4lOLqHw

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Bay_de_Noc@reddit

When I was a kid, we had two ice cream venders ... one was the Good Humor truck, and the other was a guy on who pedaled an ice cream cooler/bike contraption. They would both come by every day during the summer. Now, 60 years later, we still have an ice cream truck, but I only see it a few times a year, so definitely not a regular thing.

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wvtarheel@reddit

Around me snow cone truck man has become a lot more of a thing. I think the profit margins are better and no need to keep all the goods frozen during the week.

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hopopo@reddit

I saw a documentary about Kensington Ave, in Philadelphia where ice cream trucks circle the neighborhood and sell Ice Cream to junkies.

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rawbface@reddit

Ice cream trucks

Why does it have to be a man?

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tiimsliim@reddit

Yes.

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Dapper_dreams87@reddit

When I was little they were around (90s and early 2000s) after that I never saw them but I assume that is due to mostly living in apartment complexes. Now that we live in a neighborhood with several kids I see them 1-2 times a week as soon as the weather gets nice. The people who run them are annoying though. They seem to think the perfect time to come by is past 8pm when most littles are already in bed or like yesterday they came around in the afternoon but it was raining pretty hard so no one was coming out.

Bonus though: My neighborhood gets a margarita truck every once in a while!

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Vast-Celebration-717@reddit

We had one drive through the neighborhood last weekend. My wife went running out of the house yelling “wait I have adult money now!”

25 years later the bomb pop still tastes horrible

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letoiledunordstars@reddit

Just saw one in my Minneapolis neighborhood last night!

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No_Needleworker_4704@reddit

Yes! I have one in my neighborhood every day from April until the snow flies

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BrandonC41@reddit

My wife recently recognized her childhood ice cream man from 25 years ago when we got some ice cream at a school event.

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MartyMcShitigan@reddit

in philly they had ice cream trucks, water ice/pretzel trucks, pizza trucks, and produce trucks and prob more but i cant think

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ChessedGamon@reddit

Yes I saw one recently, although I don't know if it was operating.

In DC around the touristy sites there's also a lot of ice cream trucks in particular. Not playing any music obviously so they're more like food trucks for ice cream.

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WhatABeautifulMess@reddit

The reason is mostly to scam tourists selling them overpriced food. You’ll notice many of the ice cream and food trucks around The Mall don’t most signs. Some of the sketchy ones will change their prices depending on whereby you ask before or after or how much of a clueless tourist you seem.

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Kenneth37042@reddit

Yes. Playing "Pop goes the weasel." To an adult, this repetitive tune is so annoying. I feel sorry for the 3rd shift workers who are sleeping when he comes around.

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Wide_Wrongdoer4422@reddit

Unfortunately, yes they still exist.

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madbro91@reddit

I saw one yesterday. However. I'm in Alberta Canada. Texas of the north

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whatevendoidoyall@reddit

I haven't seen or heard one since moved to Colorado 😕 Used to hear them all the time in Oklahoma.

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Bonegirl06@reddit

Sure is!

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AuntieFara@reddit

When I was a kid, in New York City, the ice cream man came almost every day all summer long. Now I live in Colorado, and I see an ice cream man only once every few years—instead, we have the Taco Truck all summer.

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Miserable-Coast4865@reddit

Sure are. Thet play the music and everything.

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jackman924@reddit

We have an ice cream truck in my small town in Michigan. I love the name they chose: "Brain Freeze." (Google it!)

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Prestigious-Dog-2150@reddit

Yes. In my old neighborhood, the ice cream lady built a special garage for her truck--the garage is bigger than her house. I now live in gated community where mostly retired people live. Once or twice a week an ice cream truck parks at the club house, where residents can go and get ice cream.

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_fenwoods@reddit

We have one in our neighborhood. We live in s city. When my daughter was two or three years old, we called it the “music truck” rather than the “ice cream truck” so that she wouldn’t clue into the fact that they had ice cream.

She’s five now and has caught on! Last week she complained she’s never gotten ice cream from the ice cream truck. So one day we heard the music and flagged it down.

The operator of the truck was a woman, and she wasn’t wearing a uniform.

My wife, me, and my kid all got ice cream. It was fun reliving a childhood experience!

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Drunken_Sailor_70@reddit

We have one come through our neighborhood on the regular during the summer. Yesterday I saw my first one of the season.

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dgillz@reddit

Alabama. Yes they still drive through residential neighborhoods.

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helikophis@reddit

Still a thing, not just in suburbs, not creepy, probably a bit less common than in past but still very much around where I live.

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Ashamed-Bit5440@reddit

The ice cream man is alive and well in NY

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fixmystreet@reddit

Yep. One drives by my house almost every day. Once he was playing Christmas songs in mid-summer.

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sharkycharming@reddit

Every afternoon and evening between April and October, in my Baltimore City neighborhood. I live across the street from a playground, so I often see a long line of kids & parents waiting to buy when the ice cream truck pulls up. I've never gotten close enough to see if he's wearing a uniform, but I sincerely doubt it. That seems like more of a mid-20th century affectation.

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CigaretteWaterX@reddit

Yes, but they seem to visit parks and have stopped visiting neighborhoods.

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Key-Beginning-2201@reddit

Just had one in our neighborhood yesterday.

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wieldymouse@reddit

We used to call the ice cream truck the pinky dinky. Not sure where this phrasing came from. Only my younger sister, some Redditor from Ohio, and I seem to use it. Anyway, I haven't seen an ice cream truck in a long time. I'm not sure it would be profitable anymore. I did think I saw one in Haltern am See, Germany once a few years ago.

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BooksNCatsNWineNSnax@reddit

I see and hear them all the time in Northern California. When I lived in the Midwest, though, not a single one, and I was there for decades, so I think it’s regional, like so many other things here.

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Winter-Warlock8954@reddit

Ice cream trucks aren't as common as they were 30 years ago. The price of gas may have something to do with it.

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Asleep-Letterhead-16@reddit

yes :D my friends and I (~19 y/o) went looking for the ice cream truck around our neighborhood recently lol, it was fun running to catch up to it

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AnybodySeeMyKeys@reddit

Absolutely!

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Antitenant@reddit

The best time of year in NYC is when you start hearing the ice cream trucks again because it means it's finally warm out. They don't usually wear any special costume though, just regular causal clothing.

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racecarsp02@reddit

Yes

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No-Heat-436@reddit

Yes!

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GenZ2002@reddit

Where Im from it is 100% making a comeback

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joanfiggins@reddit

It depends on where you live. We live in a nicer neighborhood in the suburbs of a mid sized city. He comes on most sunny days between mid May and August because kids are out of school.

He doesn't come to the neighborhood next to us which is still nice but not as affluent. So even though we like a half mile from my friend in that neighborhood, his kids would tell you the ice cream man doesn't come around as where my kids would say he's here all the time.

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samtheninjapirate@reddit

I live in the hood and they are driving by multiple times a day every day. Not sure the affluence has anything to do with it...

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nikkinj@reddit

Yep

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inbigtreble30@reddit

Even in northern states like Wisconsin, summers frequently exceed 30°C for months at a time, so it's very easy to convince people to buy cold treats on a whim. We even used to have an ice cream truck even in my very small rural town up until covid.

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Outlaw_Josie_Snails@reddit

In my area, we have Mister Softee soft-serve ice cream trucks. As they travel through suburban neighborhoods, the trucks play a distinct jingle.

Traditionally, children hear this jingle and immediately run outside to look for the truck.

The jingle:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC670cjdpz8

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Traditional_Ideal_84@reddit

Michigan, and just seen him two Days ago in my neighborhood.

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Remote_Pick_1952@reddit

I'm in Utah and my neighborhood has an ice cream man

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CoderPro225@reddit

Really? Also n Utah and I haven’t seen one since I was a kid in the 80s/90s. Makes me sad for my nieces and nephew. I bet my younger brother doesn’t even remember it.

But I remember hearing it and racing home for money from Mom to get a delicious treat! Loved that part of summer!

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Remote_Pick_1952@reddit

I live in West Valley. There are two that I hear now and then.

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CoderPro225@reddit

You guys are lucky! I’m in Pleasant Grove. Haven’t heard one in decades. 😭😭

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ghostfire457@reddit

Depends on the area. It’s definitely rare for me to see it, but I’m in a very rural area so I imagine suburbs in bigger cities see it more often.

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Ill-Percentage-3276@reddit

No, they don't wear costumes. There has been an ice cream man everywhere ice lived, but even my boys mention how they are too damn expensive nowadays.

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Dgp68824402@reddit

There is still one who travels daily around the neighborhoods in my town during summer month. His truck plays Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin incessantly. (In North Carolina)

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Zesty-B230F@reddit

We have them. Kinda shady these days.

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Legitimate-March9792@reddit

Yes. He came down the street last night. His truck plays The Entertainer. I can hear it streets away. As a kid it came down the street every day in the summer but he just rang a bell.

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NJBarFly@reddit

Yes, they are very common here in NJ. Sometimes they come around pretty late at night and on days that aren't particularly warm. I think they sell drugs as a side hustle.

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No-Lettuce-5783@reddit

I remember them in the 1980s, and I would always get ice cream from them. My guy was called, "Big Dom." Which fit because I grew up in an Italian Neighborhood in NYC. He saw it when I got hit by a car after getting ice cream. He visited me in the hospital and brought me the ice cream I lost when I was hit by the car. It was a tight-knit neighborhood, and "Big Dom" was one of our cherished neighbors.

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Bake_knit_plant@reddit

They are around all the time in Ohio neighborhoods, and we have two major sports teams here - food trucks and ice cream trucks typically are sitting outside the stadiums before and during the game.

My mother always told me - speaking of creepy - that if the ice cream man was playing music that meant he was all out of ice cream and he was letting us know he was going back to the store to get some more. Love it when your mom lies to you :-)

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Bake_knit_plant@reddit

Edited to add - yes Puerto Rico is part of the United States - and there was a man on the beaches in Luquillo that had a push cart with great big wheels so he could go over the sand. He had the most unbelievable homemade fruit ices and you could get whatever flavor or mixture you wanted. I got strawberry and orange every time we saw him. My grandson got Coconut and Mango. And I mean he was cheap! I think a 32 oz cup was $8 and then a 16 oz cup was $6, hand scooped while you watched

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Cant-think-of-a-nam@reddit

Here in nj. Ice cream man goes all over. Not just the suburbs. They are all different you got the franchise ice cream truck mister softee which are independently operated and the random dude that puts a freezer in the back of his van and puts a lil speaker with a jungle. Never seen em wear costumes. They all wear normal clothes

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weeniehutjunior1234@reddit

Oh yeah. Ours comes to our neighborhood on Saturday nights around 8 pm, our 4 y/o kid gets excited for it all week. They work basically all week but go to different neighborhoods every day to try to hit the whole town, they have 2 trucks.

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atmeamidala@reddit

Yes... I hear the truck all the time, so I know they're out here slinging bombpops. I'm pissed right now because I never catch them though I hear the call for ice cream in the distance everyday especially since it's almost summer....

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olivefreak@reddit

We still get an ice cream truck driving through my neighborhood. They typically head to the pool/playground/tennis courts and sit there for a bit playing the ice cream song while parents and kids wander down to them.

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Quirky-Invite7664@reddit

Yes, we have one that comes around on weekdays! The music is still creepy.

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Cheap_Coffee@reddit

I haven't seen an ice cream truck in years.

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_WillCAD_@reddit

Not as common as it was in the 70s or 80s, but yes, it's still a thing. I get one in my suburban apartment complex at least once a week.

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hecking-doggo@reddit

Yeah, we had one when I was a kid. They disappeared and then a couple years ago another one started coming around.

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RexIsAMiiCostume@reddit

I don't see them much. Sometimes around tourist areas. Washington DC has loads of them.

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kilertree@reddit

Yes but it ain't what it use to be in Detroit. In the 90s we had two fleets of Ice Cream trucks off of i96 and greenfield.

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JoeFromStPaul@reddit

There's one in my neighborhood, in MN. You've got to love a cold Sponge Bob pop on a hot day.

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HoyAIAG@reddit

Yes for sure

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Acrobatic_Upstairs41@reddit

I can hear 2 different ice cream trucks driving around NY neighborhood right now! They're all over the city!

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Fluffy-kitten28@reddit

We have a truck that occasionally comes over. And I have to chase him down because he turns before my house.

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ProfessionQuick3461@reddit

Yep! I live in Los Angeles and the ice cream man drives down my street just about every day.

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names-suck@reddit

It's a dude in a food truck (fitted with lots of freezers) whose truck has big stickers on the side, showing the types of ice cream you can buy and how much they cost. He plays music as he drives around to get attention, so people will follow him to where he stops, and/or hear him coming and go towards the music. The ice cream man usually stops in the parking lot of a local park, and/or near a school, in my experience. Although, of course, if you go running after him he might pull over to make a sale.

I've never seen the ice cream man in a costume. It was definitely not creepy as a kid. I can absolutely see how it would become wonderful horror movie fodder, as an adult.

As I got older, I started seeing ice cream... golf carts??? Where the guy had a freezer on the back of the golf cart, basically. Which felt kind of cheap, to me, because part of the was ordering through the window under the little pop up shade that came out of the truck, and having the whole wall of options in front of you.

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not_a_burner0456025@reddit

They used to go through neighborhoods, that slowly became less common as refrigeration got cheaper, refrigerated sections at the grocery store used to be expensive so only the stuff that really needed to be refrigerated was. As costs came down, grocery stores got more freezer space, and grocery store ice cream became popular, and that hurt the ice cream truck business because people who had ice cream in their freezer at home weren't going out of the house to buy from the ice cream truck, so the numbers of trucks went down and more of them started focusing their business on public spaces like parks and beaches where customers wouldn't already have ice cream nearby.

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names-suck@reddit

Eh, the ice cream truck has never sold normal "you can buy this at the grocery store" ice cream, in my experience. They might have a few things that can be bought elsewhere, but a lot of their stock (and a lot of their appeal) is that they sell odd stuff you don't have at home. The ice cream truck would go through a lot of residential areas, and if you ran out quick enough, you might catch them there, too. Parks and schools are just easier business, I assume, because you can park the truck and play the music to bring everyone to you.

Like, yeah, I can buy a "Drumstick" at the grocery store, and maybe I can find the huge-ass fancy ones at some local gas stations, but the ice cream truck always has the huge-ass fancy Drumsticks. I've never seen a box of the bubblegum cartoon character ice creams, but the ice cream truck always has a bunch of those. I think I've seen boxes of the strawberry shortcake ones in the store, but the ice cream truck also sold a bunch of fancy popsicles you couldn't get at the store. AND. BIG DEAL. Ice cream trucks kept carrying ChocoTacos after Taco Bell stopped carrying them. I remember MUCH disappointment about the retirement of the ChocoTaco when Taco Bell stopped selling them, and MANY excited kids/teens discovering that the ice cream truck still had them.

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Trinx_@reddit

A couple weeks ago I was staying in rural Michigan with my bf. We're from Chicago. Sunday morning we heard music. "Do you think it's the ice cream man?" "Yeah, it's totally the ice cream man." "... oh it's church bells. Oops." "Well aren't we a couple of fatasses!"

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Substantial-Till1033@reddit

Absolutely. They're not as common as they were 20–30 years ago, but in many suburbs you'll still hear that iconic music on summer afternoons.

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JeffersonStarscream@reddit

There's an ice cream truck that drives around my neighborhood, but I usually only hear him out there late at night. I think he's selling drugs.

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Infinite-Penalty-495@reddit

We have an ice cream man, the truck plays Camptown Races if you know the song. The ice cream is really bad soft serve.

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Lefaid@reddit

It wasn't for me but I lived in a small town. The closest we had was a frozen goods truck that made planned deliveries.

Honestly, my kids have an ice cream truck drive by more frequently in the Netherlands than I did growing up in the US.

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JackTheHerper@reddit

In suburban/semi-rural Maryland, and they’re still here. Lots of planned communities here as well as tiny old railroad towns, so family homes close together with kids outside etc, good routes for ice cream trucks. Most of them take debit cards now too lol. Me and about eight friends were hanging out on a buddy’s porch one Sunday morning last summer after a night of drinking, and the ice cream man came by. Idk if he’d ever had a gaggle of thirty year olds flag him down and line up before but it was great lol

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17papers@reddit

Yes. When I was in college an ice cream truck came through our neighborhood a few times a week when the weather was good, always had to keep cash on hand

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Irrelevantitis@reddit

Yes. In my neighborhood it’s usually an extremely low-budget operation, basically a guy who installed a freezer and a loudspeaker on his car, pasted a giant menu on the door, and drives around selling prepackaged ice cream bars. But … the prices are reasonable, and the kids fucking SPRINT to catch up with him when he comes around. Maybe it’s a decent hustle, who am I to criticize?

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Rikishi6six9nine@reddit

Definitely not as common as it was when I was a kid growing up in the 90s. But I did see one the other day driving around stopped at an apartment complex last month with the music going.

Never seemed creepy as a kid. The only thought was how do I get some quarters and hopefully dollars off my parents for ice cream😅

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elswordfish@reddit

I’m in central KY and we have one go through my neighborhood every day during the spring and summer.

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guppie-beth@reddit

I live in NYC and there are ice cream trucks, playing their ice cream truck song, from May-September. Sometimes parked directly below me. Playing that song. For hours.

We have so many ice cream trucks that we have real ones and bootleg ones and gourmet bespoke ones.

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Particular-Coat-5892@reddit

Dude rolls through my apartment complex every day even in winter. I can never watch The Sting ever again because his truck blares The Entertainer non stop.

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Appropriate-Food1757@reddit

We have one nearby and he never stops and I think it’s a front to launder money

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kae0603@reddit

Yes. Many times a day you can hear the music and know the truck isn’t far away.

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Such_Mortgage_1916@reddit

We have an ice cream food truck that parks in the area most days. Doesn't drive up and down the streets like they did when I was a kid, but they do make a mean banana split in a cup!

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Apprehensive-Pop-201@reddit

They are! At least in decent size towns

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Mercutiofoodforworms@reddit

An ice cream truck drives through my neighborhood. It plays the music from Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros.

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Satsuki7104@reddit

There used to be one that would walk around with a cart in my neighborhood growing up but then one of the truck ones turned up in our neighborhood and drove him out of business. Nowadays I still see them in parks and specific neighborhoods but they don’t really travel as much anymore. I haven’t heard that classic music tune they all played while driving in a long time.

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Mike_in_San_Pedro@reddit

Yes!

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Primary_Luck6165@reddit

I’ve never experienced an ice cream truck while growing up and living in America. Funnily enough, my only experiences with an ice cream truck has been while I’ve lived in Norway. My Norwegian husband said it was a usual thing for them while growing up. It isn’t often that it comes around, just maybe a few times a year around us.

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geosand01@reddit

Yep, every Saturday between 5-6 , he drives through our neighborhood

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NeonDrifting@reddit

yea, the ice cream man still rolls around in a beat up van playing creepy carnival music and selling gas station quality ice cream to kids ...i live in California

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lky830@reddit

I’m in a midsize city in the South. Ice cream trucks here are sketchy at best (I’m convinced that they’re just a front for drug trafficking and money laundering). There was one that would always come barreling through my neighborhood, doing over twice the speed limit, looking like the entire van was held together with duct tape and a prayer, and the creepy music player was always in a pretty bad state of repair and always sounded quite unhinged. This dude would never stop for anybody. Kids would be out in the street, too, clutching their dollar bills, and homedude would just hit the gas and drive by even faster lol.

It’s still a thing, though, but only in the months that school is out for the summer. Sometimes I still hear them coming through the neighborhood, and it never sounds like they stop for anyone.

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definitlyspelledrong@reddit

Yes. He parks on my block for 10 min and the song he plays is looped in with a child's voice saying "HI" loudly every 30 seconds. My dogs go absolutely bananas when they hear the voice part.

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bwgulixk@reddit

Long Island suffolk county at least near stony Brook. Lived in two different areas ~15-20 min apart and they both have ice cream trucks come a few times a week

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781nnylasil@reddit

Yes

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dgmilo8085@reddit

Southern California checking in with an ice cream man that visits our neighborhood 4-5 days a week

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Hefty_Tip7383@reddit

We have them in the uk

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Greyface13@reddit

When I was a kid, all three neighborhoods I lived in (Baltimore, MD) had regular ice cream truck visits. This was in the sixties

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LastCookie3448@reddit

Yes, and if you're lucky you live an a neighborhood that's highly diverse, then you also get the elote man, the manapua man, the fruit lady, a tamale lady, and an antojitos truck, just to name a few.

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Footnotegirl1@reddit

Ice Cream truck goes everywhere, both suburban and urban neighborhoods (and even in heavily urban neighborhoods there was often an ice cream cart on a bike). And yes, they still very much exist. I live in a residential area of a good size US city (Minneapolis) and we have 2 different ice cream trucks that can be heard in our neighborhood on warm summer afternoons and evenings (you can tell because of different music players).

Just last weekend I was picking my kiddo up from an event in a suburban park, and just as the kids were released, an ice cream truck showed up in the parking lot. Diabolical timing on that guy's part.

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Accadius@reddit

There is a pink ice cream van that comes through my neighborhood every couple weeks during the summer. It is an ice cream woman. I dont have kids so have never bought any. I just know its a woman because she talks over a loudspeaker as she drives through.

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BeGladYouDidIBet@reddit

Yes. One comes down my street every day in the summer. I've seen him a few times this year. He'll also give you his phone number and he'll drive by

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Emotional_Ad5714@reddit

I'm in Saint Paul,MN, which is colder that most of Norway and just as urban as Oslo and we still have an ice cream man in the summer.

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medigapguy@reddit

One still travels through my neighborhood

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Accomplished-House28@reddit

The still exist. I saw one just a few days ago, in fact.

The drivers wear uniforms, and the trucka are the same boxy freezers-on-wheels you see in the movies. And yes, they do play that distinctive music. You can hear them coming from several blocks away.

Nothing creepy about them.

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ImperfectTapestry@reddit

I've very rarely seen an ice cream truck proper, mostly in urban areas where they can visit parks & get a lot of traffic all at once. Especially "summer destination" parks, like lakesides.

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tranquilrage73@reddit

Ohio, at least once a week in the summer.

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thirdmulligan@reddit

Checking in from Philadelphia, PA. Yes, ice cream trucks are still very popular during the warmer months. No they are not limited to the suburbs, we get plenty in this urban area. No the employees don't tend to wear costumes, but they will sell you drugs a lot of the time. The trucks are all pretty similar, yeah. Most of them are Mister Softee brand and they have their recognizable blue trucks and signature music (which, yes, is creepy sounding).

I love them and will literally chase them to get a shitty overpriced popsicle or dip cone. I'm middle-aged. The ice cream truck still rules.

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Marsupial-Old@reddit

Oh this brings some memories. When I was a kid in my hometown in the Southwest, we didn't have ice cream cream trucks, we had snow cone trucks. Same concept but instead of ice cream there was a man that made you a snow cone with a bunch of different flavors. Pickle snow cones were the best, and the guy in our neighborhood put a pickle spear in it for garnish. Since there weren't any ice cream trucks in my town, I thought they were made up TV and movie thing. l moved away and saw an ice cream truck as a 20 something year old, and I was I was floored. My whole life I thought it was fake and it turns out my hometown is just weird

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Silent_Scientist_991@reddit

I live in a suburb of Dallas, and an ice cream truck came rolling down my street a few days ago. It was stopped by a bunch of kids, and my wife and I went out and bought a few things.

When I was a kid (in the 70s) ice creams from a truck were around 50 to 75 cents each; now, they're around 4 bucks each - but there were worth it!

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ExileOnMeowStreet@reddit

Yes. I’m in San Francisco on top of a hill, I can hear the truck coming from blocks away. Every weekend he plays his loud off tune music as his truck slowly climbs the hill. My neighbor, lates 60’s possibly, waits just barely in the street with dollar bills clutched in her hand craning her neck to see him coming.

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Just_Me1973@reddit

I live in western Massachusetts in the residential area of a city. We have an ice cream truck that drives around our neighborhood in the summer. The repetitive little jingle it plays (Turkey in the Straw) makes me crazy.

The one we had when I was a kid just rang a bell as it drove around. Much better.

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Cogent_warrior@reddit

NorCal here - he was in the neighborhood two weeks ago. Anytime the temp exceeds 90⁰F, you can count on the ice cream man paying a visit.

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CuriousNetWanderer@reddit

In my part of the states we definitely have multiple competing ice cream men who typically frequent public parks with playgrounds rather than the suburbs. It's a very DIY operation. There's no ice cream shop that does this, instead individuals will just rig a van with the equipment necessary and proceed to patrol various parks.

Here, it's typically either a Hispanic guy with a great selection of ice cream, or a black dude who is chain smoking while handing out ice cream to kids and has a smaller selection. They're both great in their own way.

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Relentless-Dawdler@reddit

In CA here, I swear the ice cream man drives by our house and all around our neighborhood from 11a-6p every Saturday and Sunday. The music makes me mildly homicidal. He must have noise canceling headphones to have not lost his own mind.

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Hoopajoops@reddit

Not as common as they used to be largely because there are fewer kids outside, but we had one last year that would slowly drive around my apartment complex blasting his music.. he hasn't come back here yet this year. Wonder what happened to that guy

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Handyman_Ken@reddit

It is not too cold for ice cream trucks in Norway, maybe you just have bad clothing.

We have ice cream trucks in Fairbanks, Alaska.

(Ok, fine, only in summer)

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Intelligent_Pop1173@reddit

They’re still big in NY in the summers. Yes the music is creepy. No they don’t wear uniforms.

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-RedRocket-@reddit

I heard an ice cream truck just the other day, but I didn't run to track it down. Yes, it is a real thing and they are still around.

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MurphyCoDinoWrangler@reddit

This is my ice cream man

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eyetracker@reddit

I think of Michael Stipe even though I haven't seen this in years.

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wizard_friend@reddit

There was an ice cream truck that came around my neighborhood a lot in the early 2000’s. My parents told me to stay away from the man that operated it because he apparently had some sort of criminal record.

I will also add: I saw isbiler many times when I lived in Norway a few years ago, including in Stavanger and Sandnes, that were essentially the same as the ice cream trucks we have in the US.

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ThanosSnapsSlimJims@reddit

Yes, there is.

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Skithiryx@reddit

I live in Seattle and I see them at the parks a lot. I feel like some of them look real side hustle-y, just a guy with a van, a sign and a cooler full of ice and ice cream.

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Neat_Shallot_606@reddit

Yes. They are in a minivan and are Indian. (Portland, OR metro)

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DragonScrivner@reddit

I see (or hear) ice cream trucks pretty regularly at the park near my apartment building

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IvypoolFanIGuess@reddit

There's one in my neighborhood that only ever plays the Popeye the Sailor theme for some reason. It always comes on Saturdays and Sundays.

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YouFeedTheFish@reddit

Saw one yesterday in LA.

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aquay@reddit

yes

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Justthetip74@reddit

I had one when I was a kid. My brother is 7 years younger than me and didn't have one. I remember being sad for him

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yozaner1324@reddit

I saw a sketchy van selling ice cream bars near a park once. Otherwise, I've never seen an ice cream man/truck.

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BonsaiJellybean@reddit

Yeah, every day in my neighborhood. You can hear him for at least an hour driving around with the song playing. Mr. Softee

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thelonious-crunk@reddit

Drugs.

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chouse33@reddit

Drove by the house yesterday. So yeah.

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cfcblue26@reddit

I'm your ice cream man, stop me when I'm passing by.

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spidermans_mom@reddit

If you’re OUR ice cream man, slow TF DOWN PLEASE, we’ve been trying to give you our money for weeks!

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Moist_Rule9623@reddit

ALL FLAVORS AND PUSH UPS TOO! 😂 Diamond Dave for the win baby

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capsaicinintheeyes@reddit

👆Don't you trust this snake! ^({mildly NSFW})

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rantmb331@reddit

all my flavors are guaranteed to satisfy.

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UnfortunateSyzygy@reddit

There's ice cream trucks in the summer, but I don't frequent them often enough to know if it's just one guy. I live in a mid-size, kinda sprawl-y city, so it's usually a truck playing music and selling mass market packaged ice cream, like those fucked up cartoon characters on a stick and whatever.

In some nearby denser, hipper cities, they have people that push carts or ride cargo bikes that sell small batch indie ice cream and popsicles with unusual flavors (lavender and such). No uniforms, unless tattoo sleeves count.

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Away-Living5278@reddit

Nope. I used to get ice cream from the ice cream truck by my grandma's house in the 90s. I think it stopped coming about then. Her neighborhood aged up and there weren't many kids. And very few 70+ year olds running for ice cream.

That's the only place I've bought from a true I've cream truck.

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Interesting_Bunch323@reddit

Yes, and I saw one on the beach here in Texas just the other day

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CommanderKrieger@reddit

There was a few that would stop by the handful of elementary schools and middle schools when I was going through those grades. So that was at minimum a decade ago. No idea if they still do or not.

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dale1320@reddit

I'm a bit older than most here. 74 next month. I grew up in the 50s and 60s in Chicago and the suburbs. Spring, Summer and Fall would bring the "Good Humor" truck, which typically a pickup truck, usually Ford, with specially designed freezer with all sorts of locker doors. The driver wore a uniform. There was a rack of bells over the windshield, no music, with a simple lanyard to ring them.

That lasted until the 1970s, when the Good Humor Co. went bankrupt. At that time the trucks were sold off to individuals and small operations, and music started to be played. Uniforms faded away fairly quickly.

Until I left tbe Chicago area in the 00s, ice cream trucks were still a fairly common sight in the warm weather months.

I now live in Las Vegas. I see ice cream trucks regularly, but not as much as I did in Chicagoland.

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heydawn@reddit

The ice cream truck still shows up in my neighborhood. It is still plays the goofy music. The children (and some adults) still come running out. We have a woman driver and she's not creepy.

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10388392@reddit

My area has a ton of 'em. There's even an ice cream BOAT here that you need to either swim to or take your own boat.

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Smooth_Beginning_540@reddit

Coincidentally I saw an ice cream truck just a few days ago. No distinctive uniform. The truck played a 20 second synthesizer version of “Turkey in the Straw”, over and over. I pity the driver.

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72616262697473757775@reddit

I work across a massive parking lot from a low-income apartment complex and I hear the ice cream truck a couple times a week on my smoke breaks. It's always the same song and I have had violent thoughts about marching over there and shutting the music off and/or buying a vanilla crunch.

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Mediocre_Daikon6935@reddit

Of course.

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Unique_Statement7811@reddit

Yes. But usually just on weekends when the kids are around.

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Suniemi@reddit

YES. 😊

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dc912@reddit

I’m in NJ. Ice cream trucks are still a thing here, in both the suburbs and urban areas.

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BlackBartKuma@reddit

Yes. In Arizona, you can hear it every Saturday in the neighborhood. Im willing to think with the different types of food trucks, that it parks somewhere in town as well. Likely near the rec center where the kids and all the community sanctioned games are played. I doubt one day a week is enough to profit or make due.

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BeneficialShame8408@reddit

ice cream man goes through my work neighborhood. we're by some schools. they don't wear costumes lol

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madtowntripper@reddit

Every day here in Houston, TX. They even have an app you can request a stop at your house.

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Gorkymalorki@reddit

Same, every day here in San Antonio, the one in my neighborhood sells esquites, nachos, frito pie, as well as all the normal ice cream and Mexican candies.

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DearGabbyAbby@reddit

Southern CA here. Yes, we still get the white paneled ice cream truck. Around the serving window is the menu. Colorful photos of ice cream choices.

There’s been a bigger ice cream truck in the last couple years joining the regular ice cream truck. They sell hot dogs, nachos, soft serve ice cream, and shakes Really good, too.

What’s been funny is as I’m running out of my house to the new ice cream truck, I’m being joined by other excited adults with their wallets

The ice cream trucks around here play the usual “Pop Goes the Weasel” melody just like childhood. I don’t think it sounds creepy

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Ok_Profession_990@reddit

I saw one today in Baltimore

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semisubterranean@reddit

There's an ice cream truck in my town that I see at public parks on hot days. It usually parks near playgrounds. I don't think they go through neighborhoods though. When I was a kid, an ice cream truck would drive through my neighborhood, but my parents considered it a waste of money.

Many years ago, my brother and sister-in-law lived in a neighborhood near a major public university. They had an ice cream truck that would drive through their neighborhood at night, like 11 o'clock. It seemed weird kids would even be awake that late. Then my sister-in-law explained the ice cream truck also sold drugs. Suddenly it made much more sense.

And yes, it's the same music now as when I was a kid, and it sounds horrible.

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Good_Ad8057@reddit

Some places

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SinfullySinatra@reddit

Yes, they are still a thing. The music is more annoying than anything

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TheBSMachine@reddit

Pretty sure that song came out many years ago.

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Haunting-Middle-5801@reddit (OP)

NOPE! this one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8P5nYGFRXFI&list=RD8P5nYGFRXFI&index=1

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TheBSMachine@reddit

This is definitely based on like the old school image of the '50s/'60s ice cream man. I don't think you would see something like this anymore outside of like rural small towns maybe.

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Haunting-Middle-5801@reddit (OP)

is the song they sample the typical ice cream man music?

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TheBSMachine@reddit

Apparently, turkey in the straw is also called "do your ears hang low" in some places.

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TheBSMachine@reddit

It's called turkey in the straw, it's a traditional Southern American song. It's one of a couple songs that ice cream trucks play. The Entertainer by Scott Joplin is another one. Then there's a couple that were actually written for ice cream trucks by jingle writers, but I'm not really sure what else. I always remember hearing turkey in the straw or the entertainer.

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shelwood46@reddit

The only Ice Cream Man song I acknowledge is the one by Jonathan Richman. And I do not get them here in the boonies, or when I lived in the exurbs, but my relatives who live in actual small towns in South Jersey get them all the time, it was indeed a bit spooky when I was dogsitting for my cousin last month. I do not know what they look like because I am too old to be chasing them down the street. Also, I always assume they also sell weed.

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Haunting-Middle-5801@reddit (OP)

no! this one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHkZH3A8UZ0&list=RD8P5nYGFRXFI&index=4

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ceanahope@reddit

I have two types a couple times a weekm one is the traditional ice cream.truck (ours plays Christmas music for some odd reason) and the other is a paletero with a push cart and bells. We also have elotero with their horn (sellse elite, a tasty corn based snack). I have yet to see if we have any other push cart vendors.

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Nickvv52@reddit

I can hear the ice cream truck driving through the neighborhood occasionally, but I can't go to buy from him atm. I would be buying from him or her every time if I could walk

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lrfreddit@reddit

Lifelong MA resident and grew up 20 miles north of Boston. It’s more nostalgic now because they were all over in the 70s & 80s. All the kids went nuts when they heard that music, running to the trucks, yelling to their siblings to get $ from their parents so they could get in line. There was even soft serve in some trucks. These days it’s more rare to see them driving through neighborhoods and it’s usually at the beach or food truck events. I recall a funny piece in an Eddie Murphy show about the ice cream man, probably in the late 80s or early 90s.

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Electrical-Bedroom99@reddit

They don't drive around neighborhoods anymore where I live. Kids don't have $8 in their pocket for a push-up or a screwball. I do see them sitting in parks a lot though.

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indipit@reddit

Texas here. We have ice cream vans that run around with the creepy music, and have mass produced ice cream bars and popsicles.

I miss the soft serve truck that used to cone around when I was a kid.

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Designer-Sir2309@reddit

In the town I live in some guy has an old short yellow school bus that he fixed up and he drives it around town all summer long. I hear the little jingle at least a couple times a week at least.

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jacowab@reddit

Kind of, I remember hearing it driving around and sprinting out to get ice cream as a kid but now days I rarely see them and they are usually parked somewhere and not driving around.

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lefindecheri@reddit

Still hits my neighborhood in South Florida. Kind of sporadic though.

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Dallas2houston120@reddit

Yes my dad has been an ice cream man for almost 40 years

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Chilly_Pheesesteak@reddit

I live in St Louis, and used to see multiple daily when I was a kid. There a lot rarer now, but still around. I actually just heard one drive by yesterday! I've never had a creepy experience at one :)

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The-Arcalian@reddit

Around in the summer, yeah. You can hear the truck music.....

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Suitable-Lawyer-9397@reddit

Yes, his little "singing" truck comes down my street!

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iowanaquarist@reddit

Every day or two, all summer long.

Why would they wear costumes? They may or may not have a uniform, depending on the company and their policy. The trucks are vaguely similar -- in that they are all food trucks with windows in the side, menus plastered on the side, and large refrigerator sections. No, they are not creepy (being creepy would cut into the profits) and yes, they are popular, and people will chase down the music from blocks away.

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Thing_On_Your_Shelf@reddit

Not as common but yes still a thing. Saw one a few days ago

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Ghoulish_kitten@reddit

We have some yes but not in the 1950s aesthetic lol.

It’s just trucks driven by regular people, and Latino paleteros.

I prefer the bell of the paleteros. We see them less nowadays.

In the 90s we used to yell for free candy and get some thrown at us IIRC.

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Cynarina@reddit

i went to the ice cream man today, i work outside and i sprint when i hear that mister softee jingle. its probably way more of an urban than suburban thing actually. theyre not creepy or perceived that way at all its ice cream its joy

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Lilylake_55@reddit

I’m in SoCal and the ice cream truck comes around several times a week in the summer.

We also have push carts called paletas come around selling Mexican ice pops & sometimes snow cones.

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Adventurous_Bit1325@reddit

The corn is awesome also

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Lilylake_55@reddit

The carts selling corn unfortunately don’t ever come into my neighborhood.

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Mayor__Defacto@reddit

Ice Cream trucks are still pretty prolific in the US in both urban and suburban areas.

Various Ice Cream vendors used to do physical battle over who gets to sell where, at least in NYC - don’t know about these days but ten years ago, every Ice Cream truck had a baseball bat just in case.

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Loganpowered@reddit

I am from outside NYC and my brother has a place on cape cod. Ice Cream trucks are still a big thing in the summer.

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StrengthFew9197@reddit

Dallas suburbs and yes.

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StrawberryMilk817@reddit

there’s an ice cream truck that comes through my apartment complex and drives around the parking lot.

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Sparkle8022@reddit

Yes, they're in our neighborhood regularly.

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Obvious_Ship_7225@reddit

Yes, I’m in Los Angeles.

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LeatherDescription26@reddit

Yes, it depends on the neighborhood but if it’s in a spot where they think they’ll make more money than gas costs they’ll drive by

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_that_dude_J@reddit

Ice cream trucks are still around though they charge high monies for a single treat. It's obvious to most to buy from a grocery store. Some of the people running the trucks are kinda creepy.

There are a couple chain frozen treat companies that work in different states, more expensive final product that they create much like a crushed ice treat with flavored juices. "Kona" or something. They were in the news recently for servicing the asshat guards at Trump's detention centers.

For a short time there was a phenomenon of creepy ice cream trucks driving around random areas of the US. The vids popped up on social media. Could have been content for creepy channels. Who knows.

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magolding22@reddit

Living in southeastern Pennsylvania, I don't remember how long it is since the last time I saw an ice cream truck. Probably back in the previous millennium.

Last fall we moved a few miles. And now that the weather is getting hot, I have seen and/or heard an ice creamtruck on our street about two times in the last month.

So I guess that our new neighborhood is more profitable for ice cream trucks than the ones I lived in for the last few decades.

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NemeanMiniLion@reddit

There's a truck that drives through our neighborhood.

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Tree_Weasel@reddit

I live in San Antonio, TX. We have one that comes through our neighborhood in a residential area about every week in the summer and every 2 weeks from October to April. It’s hot here list of the year and the ice cream man does well.

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marty-mcfryguy@reddit

No idea what you're referring to, but folks driving an around ice cream truck and selling ice cream is perfectly normal in residential areas.

They tend to play the same public domain song(s) on speakers from the truck, signaling to people (mostly kids) where they are and to come buy some ice cream. It's pretty exciting to hear those tunes, esp if you're a kid.

Nothing creepy about it.

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No-Carry4971@reddit

Yes, all summer long

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brehaw@reddit

idk about everywhere else, but to echo other Californians’ sentiments: yes; we do be still having ice cream mans

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RiseIllustrious6044@reddit

https://youtu.be/8P5nYGFRXFI?si=nJDKpVXP-8MLt-ox

This song? My kids won’t stop asking me to play it! The ice cream man is not like this lol but still comes around on the weekends here in Central Louisiana

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Haunting-Middle-5801@reddit (OP)

yes lol. it's everywhere

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Anti-charizard@reddit

Does Norwegians not eat ice cream in summer? Winter I get, but is summer not hot for you?

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normiepitbullmom@reddit

I hear the ice cream man drive by sometimes still in the summer…I live in an apartment complex. Not too many kids here, sadly.

As a little girl in the 90s, I always had the same lady and she stopped at the end of my street. Seemed far back then but it was only two houses down. I lived outside of a major city and lots of kids were in my neighborhood. She also sold small fireworks, too. We would all be outside playing and keep cash in our pockets to get ready for her.

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Ericakat@reddit

There’s one in my neighborhood.

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KingPe0n@reddit

It’s a dying thing, but they still exist.

If I see one, I always try to buy something so they don’t completely disappear.

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flossiedaisy424@reddit

Yes we have them here in Chicago, and we also have the paleta cart guys, who push ice cream carts around the parks and beaches.

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HurryMammoth5823@reddit

Not around us. They had an ice cream food truck in a parking lot today. Got a single scoop for my kid for $7 & part of me died inside.

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Ok-Macaroon-4835@reddit

I live in Massachusetts and the same company that went to my home, comes to my kids home.

It’s a family run business that has been around for almost 40 years.

I worked there, for my first job, as a teen.

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mwskibumb@reddit

Phoenix, I hear him roll by on weekends.

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thatisnotmyknob@reddit

Oh god the jingle makes my eye twitch now after living across from a park.

If you wanted to torture me, that song would be a good start.

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ThePickleConnoisseur@reddit

One in a while they came in the summer. Not sure if it’s down anymore

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FlyingPaganSis@reddit

Yes. My neighborhood has an ice cream truck, a married couple of childhood friends have an ice cream truck, and my hometown still has an ice cream truck. We also have a mobile shaved ice stand.

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asmashingbore@reddit

These are really odd questions.

You seem off.

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clarkesanders1000@reddit

Green Bay, Wisconsin checking in: yes, they are still active here in the summer, I’ve been visiting them since I was in college housing, 1998. As others have said, I seem to see them less frequently. For example, I’ve been in my current house 3 years, and have seen the ice cream man going round the block, but haven’t been able to catch him. In my old house where I lived 18 years, I could catching him pretty reliably every Sunday afternoon.

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Least_Bat1259@reddit

Yes, but it’s the ice cream truck drives around the neighborhood that has a loud speaker and plays the entertainer by Scot Joplin usually at around 1-4pm on a Friday.

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StrongStyleDragon@reddit

I see them around.

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Historical-State-275@reddit

Yep! He always goes through our neighborhood so fast! I need to put some cash by the door so I’m ready for him.

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Hyper_Applesauce@reddit

I'm in Philly and they're everywhere. Mr Softee is the most common. There are bread truck style, some in like Chevy Express vans.

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UrgentLiving@reddit

Yes, we get a truck every so often. But not on a regular basis in the suburbs of California.

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SummertimeThrowaway2@reddit

They still exist but they’re not nearly as common the last few decades

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sillygoldfish1@reddit

100%

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morosco@reddit

I went camping last weekend, not too far from the nearest city, not the wilderness or anything, but it still, it was on a beautiful Idaho lake in the woods. Hottest part of the day, a ice cream truck rolls up. All of the kids in the campground frantically run over to it, and all the parents followed with their wallets. Genius.

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she-dont-use-jellyyy@reddit

Yep. I heard the truck today.

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greendogufo@reddit

Live in one of the most urban / dense areas of my state in midtown Omaha Nebraska and hear the ice cream man (“ding ding man”) in warmer months often. Live near a grade school.

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NetDork@reddit

I frequently walk a trail along a creek that passes behind a large apartment complex. I hear an ice cream truck there about half the time. They just don't seem to drive through regular neighborhoods like they did in the '80s.

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Somhairle77@reddit

We don't have a traditional ice cream truck, but there's a lady who drives a golf cart towing a trailer with a portable freezer.

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Cerebral-Knievel-1@reddit

I work in a warehouse and a bluebunny truck will cruise our lots about once a week.

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KongUnleashed@reddit

I still see one every now and again! As far as I know, they’re largely a suburban thing but I’ve also seen them show up in areas with lots of workers. Sometimes companies will pay a fee to have them bring their employees ice cream. I don’t recall ever having seen an ice cream man wearing a costume. And have never been creeped out by one.

There’s actually an ice cream truck in my city run exclusively by people with Down’s Syndrome. It’s called (I swear to god I’m not making this up) A Little Something Extra. They did a company event where I work and it was excellent. The guys who worked the truck were absolutely sweet as can be.

https://extraicecream.com/

(Link so people know I’m not making a shitty joke)

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LimeMargarita@reddit

We have one come by once a week. They are vans around here, and they play the generic ice cream truck music.

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Radiant-Video7257@reddit

California, I still see them around quite a bit.

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BuckTheStallion@reddit

California here, they’re around fairly regularly, mostly in urban and suburban areas. I’m going out on a limb and stating that they’ve probably been largely responsible for the rise of food truck culture too. But yeah, they’re often similar box trucks or old mail trucks because that’s the type of vehicle that works well for it. They’re normally super nice people just trying to make a living as a traveling vendor. Their music is typically public domain music or kids songs that are super catchy and easily looped.

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oneislandgirl@reddit

I rarely see one now. I can think of maybe twice in the past 15 years. When I was in school many years ago, one would come and park outside school at the end of the day.

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mitshoo@reddit

I remember seeing them A LOT more as a kid in the 90’s, and I think I saw one (or rather, heard one) last year for the first time in many years and did a bit of a double take. It was slightly nostalgic and made me smile, glad some things won’t change for the kids.

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Longjumping-Barber98@reddit

Hello

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slothboy@reddit

Yeah but he drives a mini van with peeling paint and some vinyl graphics slapped on the side

Also he doesn't speak much English

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Shervivor@reddit

Yup, they play annoying music quite loud, and for some reason it is often Christmas music in July. I am in the suburbs. Never seen them wearing a costume. The trucks are similar, but these days, more like any food truck, but with ice cream as the decor.

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