While surfing, I came across a website that is a compedium of dumb laws : http://www.dumblaws.com
I browsed through the laws in various states and noticed a few had a law prohibiting carrying an ice cream cone in one’s back pocket. While each of the states has its own set of bizarre laws, I find it a strange coincidence that several share this prohibition.
Can anyone reveal the mysterious circumstances that prompted the creation of such a law? Was there a Great Ice Cream Riot of '14? Perhaps it was used as a concealed weapon–the criminal brandishing the cone at his unsuspecting victims and sneering, “Give me your money or the girl gets an ice cream headache!”
I’ve tried to solve the puzzle and failed and now turn to you seasoned veterans for advice.
Well the one for New York is only for sunday. So it was probably a religous-based law. Some preacher going from town to town preaching the evils of ice cream in the back pocket and hearing “Is that Sno-Cone or are you just happy to see me” or “Look at the two scoops on that girl!” Etc…
Why would the good people of these states actually want to carry ice-cream cones in their back pockets? It sounds potentially messy if the temperature is anywhere above freezing, and I should have thought that it would be, otherwise why buy the ice-cream? Also, I wonder when the last prosecution for such a crime was.
It may be a religious based law as Candyman suggests but Celyn gets to the heart of the matter and that is:
Why, when, and where did the citizens of these states start putting ice cream/ice cream cones in their back pockets? What caused this trend or fad to rise to such popularity that several states felt it necessary–for whatever reason–to create a law against it?
The closest I could come to a solution was a story about the invention of the ice-cream sundae. The short version is that there was a law against making/buying/drinking ice cream sodas on Sunday (somewhere…not sure where). A creative Soda Jerk created a Soda without the Soda water (ice cream and syrup only) to bypass the law. He called it the Sunday Soda. And later the Sundae. (That is not the complete story, but a paraphrase. Please forgive any errors).
Perhaps the ice cream cone in the back pocket was another attempt to circumvent some law?
I sure don’t know why people would even think about putting their ice-cream cones in their back pockets, but I’m curious, I’d like to know what’s the relevance of the thread subject?!?
And also, hi! Welcome to SDMB(straight dope message board)
Tevya, I have heard the “scream” rhyme too, so that makes two of us. BTW, is it only BACK pockets that the law cares about? Also, it occurs to me that women’s clothing, particularly some years ago, often would not have back pockets (we girlies caring more about the way the garment looks than about practicality - ha ha.). So it could have been something done primarily by adult males or children of either gender, not that this gets us any further.
Dumblaws.com is chock full of little factoids that aren’t true. The folks at dumblaws say that it is legal to beat your wife with a stick smaller in diameter than your thumb in several states. I would have believed it until I read this column by Cecil. If I were you, I’d verify the authenticity of this “dumb law” before worrying too much about why said law exists.
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream is a well known Dixieland tune (let’s start with that).
As for those laws I would like to see any evidence that they truly exists as I am very much in doubt. Just because it says it somewhere doesn’t make it so. Can someone show some proof?
My favorite silly provision in a law was the one that let you drive barefoot. It was a long standing provision in MT. Unfortunatly it was recently done away with when the state legislators reviewed and changed many of the older laws and their provisions. In Montana it was also illegal to commit sodomy. The definition of sodomy was a bit different when these laws were written though. As it was explained to me, sodomy included any sexual act other than a married couple engaging in the ‘missionary position’.
This is a bit off topic, sorry about that. Tevya, welcome to the SDMB! I grew up mostly in CA, and we screamed for ice cream also.
One thing that you have to keep in mind is that “Stupid Laws” type list often stretch the truth for comedic effect. For example, it says for Detroit, Michigan:
I think that the law prevents people from tieing any animal to a fire hydrant. Yeah, this includes alligators, but also more mundane pets like dogs.
Most of the “dumb laws” are like that, special cases of sensible laws. Another example: In Cleveland, it’s illegal to hunt mice without a license. True, but it’s also illegal to hunt any other mammal without a license. Perhaps in New York, the actual law is that it’s illegal to make or buy an ice-cream cone on Sundays, which is considerably less silly (a reaction to the sundae thing, perhaps?).
If the law in those jurisdictions actually state it is illegal to make or buy an ice cream cone (or any ice cream)on Sundays, it would not be illegal to put one in your back pocket, even on a Sunday. You could have bought it or made it on Sat. and took it out of the freezer. Of course, any such law would probably be unconstitutional.
Any rigid Sunday law is a “blue law,” which have as their foundation a code of severe laws for the regulation of religious and personal conduct in the colonies of Conn & New Haven. I don’t know the present status of these laws. Most jurisdictions have repealed them. Many would be unconstitutional, as they would have no basis for the discrimination, unlike certain alcohol-related laws, which do have a solid foundation.
I grew up mostly in CA, and we screamed for ice cream also.