# Do any other countries beside the US have ice cream trucks? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 26, 2004, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-countries-beside-the-us-have-ice-cream-trucks/256995 "2004-07-26T22:37:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![MidnightRadio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@MidnightRadio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MidnightRadio)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2004, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-countries-beside-the-us-have-ice-cream-trucks/256995/41 "2004-07-27T21:39:20Z")
> [@Lord Mondegreen](#): > > The 1984 movie [Comfort and Joy](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087072/) (from the writer/director of “Gregory’s Girl” and “Local Hero”) included a feud between rival ice-cream truck operators in Glasgow. This would appear to indicate that Scotland also has them, or at least did have them 20 years ago. I think the best use of an ice cream truck in a movie was in _After Hours_. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2004, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-countries-beside-the-us-have-ice-cream-trucks/256995/42 "2004-07-27T21:45:26Z")
Did you know that most of the ice cream sold in ice cream trucks in the US is produced in Arizona? What??? You’ve never heard of **The Good YUMA Man**? :: rimshot :: MWAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH!!! ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2004, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-countries-beside-the-us-have-ice-cream-trucks/256995/43 "2004-07-27T21:53:30Z")
> [@vetbridge](#): > > Clamo, clamatis, omnes clamamus pro glace lactis!!! Very droll. Before i worked out what it meant, i thought you were implying that your local ice cream truck played Carmina Burana. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2004, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-countries-beside-the-us-have-ice-cream-trucks/256995/44 "2004-07-27T22:12:23Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Very droll. > > Before i worked out what it meant, i thought you were implying that your local ice cream truck played Carmina Burana. > > 😃 Yep, droll is what I was shooting for. BTW…“I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!” is the translation. And Carmina Burana Lyrics are found here: > **[Classical Net - Carl Orff - Carmina Burana Lyrics](http://www.classical.net/~music/comp.lst/works/orff-cb/carmlyr.php)** > > The Classical Net web site offers a comprehensive collection of information and news on classical music subjects including articles and CD reviews, composers and their music, the basic repertoire, recommended recordings and a CD buying guide. The... 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2004, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-countries-beside-the-us-have-ice-cream-trucks/256995/45 "2004-07-27T22:19:15Z")
> [@YoudNeverGuess](#): > > They tend to come around on dismal cloudy days - not just the sunny ones - but that’s most days here really. My impression is that on the _best_ days, they take themselves off to park up at the local attraction / beauty spot to grab the captive audience there. Yes, we have them in the UK … and most seem to play Greensleeves. A friend once told me that his parents (who left a lot to be desired in many ways) told him that when the icecream van starts playing its tune, it means it’s run out of icecream. He believed it for a long time. Mean or what? ☹ ---
**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2004, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-countries-beside-the-us-have-ice-cream-trucks/256995/46 "2004-07-27T22:21:57Z")
Here in Colombia they have little ice cream carts that someone pushes around through the streets. I see many of these throughout the city. They play boring music too. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-countries-beside-the-us-have-ice-cream-trucks/256995/47 "2004-07-28T06:01:10Z")
> [@Celyn](#): > > Oh, sarky **Lord Mondegreen** , but I’ll forgive you as it is quite a good board-name! 🙂 I should have added that I have always enjoyed my visits to Scotland - even my first one, which was in the middle of winter! As Billy Connolly says, there’s no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing. > [@](#): > > However, ice-crem vans usually tend to sell a range of chocoloate bars, and confectionary, and cigarettes/tobacoo as well. Really?! Well there’s some more of my ignorance successfully fought. > [@](#): > > Other pointless note - the film" COmfort and JOy" was actualy based n a true story. I think it was one of those dreadfull tales wherein a very very bad crimes is committed BTU the authorities manage to arrest and imprison the wqrng people, and keep them in jail for _years_ :eek: Once again, really?! An interesting snippet of information, and yet more of my ignorance is fought. (I really should resist the urge to comment that the convicted ice-cream vendors spent years in the cooler, but clearly I won’t.) ---
**Author:** ![teleute12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@teleute12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teleute12)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-countries-beside-the-us-have-ice-cream-trucks/256995/48 "2004-07-28T07:45:02Z")
When I was a kid, the ice cream man (what we called ice cream trucks) played “It’s a Small World” or “Turkey in the Straw”; I’ve heard “The Entertainer”, but now they’re playing some tune that, I was informed today, was popular in the year my mother was born ('48). True story - one summer quite a few years ago, a house in our subdivison burned down. (No one was seriously injured.) Everyone in the neighborhood was standing around gawking, including my sister and me; just as our parents were dragging us back home (we had to go run errands, or something dull like that), the ice cream man showed up. Well, I guess it wouldn’t’ve been right to be watching a show like that without snacks! ---
**Author:** ![Mort\_Furd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mort\_Furd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mort_Furd)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-countries-beside-the-us-have-ice-cream-trucks/256995/49 "2004-07-28T08:24:52Z")
Germany has ice cream trucks. They also have bakery trucks. The ones around here don’t play music, though. They just use a nasty sounding buzzer/bell thingy that makes me want to smack somebody. You can hear it from a long ways off, but if it were to go off while I was standing by the truck you’d see a headline like this in the news paper: “Ice cream truck driver hospitalized, local man in jail for ass-ault with an anally uncomfortable object.” ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-countries-beside-the-us-have-ice-cream-trucks/256995/50 "2004-07-28T12:07:15Z")
> [@capnfutile](#): > > \ Neither are there moose, bear, raccoons, skunks, or, **apparently, toothbrushes.** And this would mean what exactly? Or are you just trying to slag off the natives? ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-countries-beside-the-us-have-ice-cream-trucks/256995/51 "2004-07-28T13:34:51Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > The one in my street plays the Monty Python theme, badly out of tune. Is it the law that ice cream van music _must_ be out of tune? The local van here plays ‘O so lo mio’. Or at least the first bar and a half, it never gets further into the tune than that. And it sort of drifts out of tune as it stops. I’ve heard the Third Man theme around here too (also out of tune). Does anyone know what technology is used to play the music? I’m betting it isn’t a tape because that would wear out. The grating tinny quality is caused by the nasty horn speakers they use, but what lo-fi thigy actually plays the tune? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-countries-beside-the-us-have-ice-cream-trucks/256995/52 "2004-07-28T13:36:28Z")
> [@Lord Mondegreen](#): > > Personally, I’m surprised there would be a market for ice-cream in Scotland - must be for the two warm days of the year. Scotch trucks on the other hand would be a great idea. Interestingly, it seems that within the U.S. ice cream is more popular in the north than in the south. From here: [http://www.sendicecream.com/contriv.html](http://www.sendicecream.com/contriv.html) : “The Northern Central states have the highest per capita consumption of ice cream at 41.7 quarts. The top three cities in America that purchase the most ice cream on a per capita basis are: Portland, Oregon; St. Louis, Missouri; and Seattle, Washington.” Several sites also list the claim that Boston has the highest per capital ice cream consumption. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-countries-beside-the-us-have-ice-cream-trucks/256995/53 "2004-07-28T13:37:32Z")
Highest **per capita** , too. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![capnfutile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e0b2c6/32.png) [@capnfutile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capnfutile)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-countries-beside-the-us-have-ice-cream-trucks/256995/54 "2004-07-28T22:07:48Z")
> [@calm kiwi](#): > > And this would mean what exactly? Or are you just trying to slag off the natives? I’ve worked in retail here and in the States, and it is painfully obvious that New Zealand does not have the standards of oral hygiene that the States do. My father-in-law was a dentist in both countries and said the same. I hope you don’t take too much offence - I meant it as a light-hearted jab. I love New Zealand and its people. I do miss squirrels though. capn ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-countries-beside-the-us-have-ice-cream-trucks/256995/55 "2004-07-28T22:47:55Z")
Well I agree with you about the squirrels. Cute lil buggers they are. As to the other thing…Damn you for being so reasonable, I was all ready to be deeply offended 😃 (oh look, shiney teeth). Just to make me feel a teensy bit better is it ok if I say that Americans have better teeth but bigger bottoms? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![depocali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@depocali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/depocali)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-countries-beside-the-us-have-ice-cream-trucks/256995/56 "2004-07-29T19:17:52Z")
In NYC they no longer play music, it is kind of strange. Oh, they are called Mr. Softee…(no comment). [Silent Ice Cream](http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5165070) ---
**Author:** ![depocali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@depocali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/depocali)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-countries-beside-the-us-have-ice-cream-trucks/256995/57 "2004-07-29T19:25:21Z")
Although the regulations are not in force yet, I have noticied that the Ice Cream Trucks in Manhattan are not playing the music, maybe seeking to keep Bloomberg from passing the law. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-countries-beside-the-us-have-ice-cream-trucks/256995/58 "2004-07-29T19:56:27Z")
The ice cream truck that comes around my block used to play “Greensleeves,” but this seems to have been replaced by “Home on the Range.” It being a predominantly Mexican neighborhood, there are also ice cream vendors with push carts, who don’t play a song, but produce a constant, high-pitched tinkling. (Of bells, that is.) I’ve also heard ice cream trucks playing “Sailing, Sailing, Over the Bounding Main,” “Turkey in the Straw,” “The Entertainer,” and others, but the ditty that they all played when I was a kid in San Diego was something I’ve only ever known as “The Ice Cream Truck Song.” ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-countries-beside-the-us-have-ice-cream-trucks/256995/59 "2004-07-30T17:01:19Z")
There are ice cream trucks in Belgium now, I can safely say. One in our neighborhood keeps playing Mister Sandman and it’s about driving me insane. ---
**Author:** ![capnfutile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e0b2c6/32.png) [@capnfutile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capnfutile)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2004, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-countries-beside-the-us-have-ice-cream-trucks/256995/60 "2004-07-31T08:13:03Z")
> [@calm kiwi](#): > > As to the other thing…Damn you for being so reasonable, I was all ready to be deeply offended 😃 (oh look, shiney teeth). Just to make me feel a teensy bit better is it ok if I say that Americans have better teeth but bigger bottoms? 😉 Hehe - I’m in 100% agreement there. Kiwis defintely seem more fit than Yanks, though I’m afraid the proliferation of (American) fast food may change that. Most blokes will show evidence of having consumed their share of pints, but overall seem much more toned. And they like to wear shorts year-round to prove it, even on the jobsite. Back on topic, while the Mr. Whippy man plays “Yankee Doodle Dandy”, the milkie (milkman) plays “Greensleeves”. Are there many places left in the States that have milkmen? And we have yet to find a definitive answer on the method that ice cream trucks produce their sound. Obviously, a PA system, but what is the sound source? Tape loop? Digital sample? Any doper ice cream guys? capn [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-countries-beside-the-us-have-ice-cream-trucks/256995.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-countries-beside-the-us-have-ice-cream-trucks/256995.md?page=4)