We have them in Ireland too (also called ice-cream ‘vans’ here). I think they’re called Mr. Whippy too but no one refers to them as that and they always have ‘Mind that Child’ written on the back. They tend to come around on dismal cloudy days - not just the sunny ones - but that’s most days here really.
Most play Greensleeves too but I’ve also heard ones playing the ‘Teddy Bear’s Picnic’
The ice cream and cones are pretty poor quality but kids like them and they also sell a variety of fizzy sweets and plastic cups full of ice-cream with a luridly coloured ball of bubble gum in the bottom and radioactive looking lime or blood-like raspberry sauce drizzled over the top mmmm.
We seem to have a better class of ice cream van round here, because my local one plays a couple of bars of Mozart’s C Major Piano Sonata (K545). Very nice.
It’s called a 99. Apparently something to do with ‘99’ meaning ‘first class’ to Italians, of whom there are, or were, quite a few in the ice cream trade.
An ice-cream van round here plays the first bit of the ‘Match of the Day’ theme, which is slightly surprising because it’s not a copyright-free tune like the others mentioned here are. I presume the vendor has paid his royalties. Ahh, that’s why his ice-creams are expensive.
BTW, there are strict rules on how long and loud the chimes can be played here in the UK.
Just heard on the local news that an ice cream truck caused a guy to snap. An ice cream vendor was selling treats, when a man rushed outside of his house with a gun demanding that the vendor “Turn that thing off!” The vendor ran away and called police. If I heard correctly (still waking up, here) there was a bit of a stand off before the man was captured.
I don’t know the name of the song they played when I was a kid. I’ve never heard it except on an ice cream truck.
My best friend, at the time, was told by his grandparents that the ice cream man was “the Music Man”, and he drove around playing music so that little boys would take their naps. I kind of spoiled it when I let the cat out of the bag.
In L.A. the trucks look like armored cars. Poorly armored, but still… Heavy mesh over the windows. They also go through neighbourhoods very fast. And they’re dirty and ugly, unlike the ones we had in San Diego when I was little. Their high speeds prompted an in-joke by my (ex-)g/f: “Hey, you could always get hit by a speeding ice cream truck!”
In France or Italy they also have ice cream ‘boats’. That is women, usually topless as my father kept pointing out, on sea doos that go around to boats selling ice cream and sodas.
We lived across from a milk bar (corner store) when I was a kid. Mr Whippy would come within a couple of streets of our house - close enough that we could hear his music, far enough that he was long gone by the time we went looking for him. Ice creams from the store just aren’t the same as Mr Whippy’s icecream.
We have them in central Illinois. They come out every ~April and stay until ~October. They play “The Turkey in the Straw.”
Oddly enough, they seem to stick to not-so-good neighborhoods. Just yesterday as I was driving back to work (my office is in a rough neighborhood) I was behind an ice-cream truck. On the back of it was a painting of Fred Flintstone wearing a school crossing guard uniform, reminding people to watch out for children.
Back when I was a kid in the mid 70’s, we had an ice cream truck come down my street every day. However, the driver was really rude and would tell me and my brother to “Hurry up!” when we bought our ice cream. There was a family down the street with like seven kids (Catholics) and he didn’t like wasting time with us; he wanted to get to the Catholic house so he could sell more ice cream.
Here in Canada, well, Southern Ontario at least - we have both ice cream trucks and the bike things. We call the ice cream drucks “Dickie Dees”…no idea why. They play this really weird tune; I’ve never heard it besides on these trucks. Its definitely not Greensleeves or Turkey in the Straw.
The kids with the bike things (is there a name for these?) just ring a bell.
The kids on the trikes were also Dickie Dee. (Dickie Dee is the name of the brand of ice cream.)
I hear an ice-cream truck in our neighbourhood occaisionally. The name seems to have changed though–perhaps because Dickie Dee got bought out or something (aren’t they part of Good Humour now?)–but I suspect that no kid wands to go around in a vehicle labeled ‘Dickie’.
Oh, sarky Lord Mondegreen, but I’ll forgive you as it is quite a good board-name!
Well, we do get sun, and it shines in my eyyes, gving me a good excuse for terrible typing. However, ice-crem vans usually tend to sell a range of chocoloate bars, and confectionary, and cigarettes/tobacoo as well.
Thus, they need not be selling ice-cream, but sort of function as an extra, nerby shop.
If I feel moved to wander out in search of smokes, (um, LEGAL, I mean) then I would arrive at aice-cream van tht usually parks locally before wI would arrive at the shops. Oh, and they sell lemonade and similar fizzy drinks, too. And crisps.
A great idea for greedy and lazy people, in other words.
Oh, and I think I like the idea of a “Scotch” truck:)
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:
Wonder what else it sells, eh…? :dubious:
