It’s time to get nostalgic. It’s a hot summer day, and you’re playing with your friends outside; all of a sudden you hear those magical bells: the ice cream man. Everyone starts freaking out, one kid runs inside for money, kids are chasing the truck, and everyone else is chanting “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!” It’s a magical memory, so let’s bring you back a couple of years. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself hunting for your favorite when you’re done reading.
16. Oreo Ice Cream Sandwich
The Oreo franchise is fantastic; they have all the sweets covered from cookies, to cake, to ice cream. Of course, the summer favorite was the ice cream sandwich, which combined the best part of Oreos with ice cream. If this was your favorite as a kid, you totally still eat them today. If you want to try something new check out how to make this insane ice cream sandwich, which will bring you back to your childhood.
16. Candy Center Crunch Bar
A special thanks to Good Humor for making some of my all time favorite ice creams. This was how the sneaky kids cheated their parents into thinking that they were having one treat, when this was really just a candy bar inside of ice cream inside of another candy bar. If you ate this, you were definitely the trickster of your family.
14. Chocolate Eclair
This was a gourmet dessert made for children, fantastic. This wasn’t something that you would see all the other kids eating, it was more sophisticated and required a lot more attention because the outside crumbles would be falling off while the ice cream was melting. It was still worth it, and for the kids that powered through it, you grew up to be determined and mature.
13. Klondike Bars
What would you do for one of these? Would you run over your sibling to make sure you got the last one? Good. This dessert was really simple, and you didn’t need the ice cream truck to get one. You could pick a pack up at the store for basically the same price, but chasing the truck was half the summer fun. If these were your fav, you’re probably really competitive.
12. Creamsicle
These have probably been one of the most reinvented flavor combinations in the world. The creamy orange is very popular, and is really weird when you think about it. Despite that, it never stopped kids from sprinting to the ice cream truck to pick one up in the summer. If this was your favorite popsicle, you’re most likely really inventive and like to combine things to make something really cool.
11. Powerpuff Girls
Sugar, spice, and everything nice: these were the ingredients chosen to create the perfect ice cream. This ice pop promoted feminist power to young girls waiting in line at the ice cream truck. It’s totally okay that Bubbles always looked like she was dying, and when she started melting you started crying. If this was your childhood fave, you’re probably an empowered woman, super (pun intended) cool.
10. Fire Cracker
As patriotic as it gets, this ice pop was super cool. It would stain your lips red, your hands blue, and it tasted like lemons. This was a really confusing summer treat, but all of our parents supported it because ‘Murica. If you ate these all the time as a kid, you’re probably sporting Vineyard Vines or J Crew right now, how ~fashionable~.
9. Snickers Ice Cream Bar
This was a really intense version of the regular snickers, and would give any kid a sugary rush (read: stomach ache). I would feel so bad for kids who were allergic to peanuts, because they would miss out on so many treats. If you ate this as a kid you were probably really spoiled, because most parents wouldn’t even give their kid a regular snickers.
8. Chipwich
These were perfect for the kids who would steal cookies from the jar. This treat covered all sweetness check points and was so satisfying. It seems that even after my childhood was coming to an end, I still continued to sneak two cookies and smash some ice cream in between. If you still make these, you’re probably really crafty and love making things.
7. Push-Up Pops
These would melt in your mouth, and they were so good and sugary. I never even knew that these were made out of sherbet, mostly because I didn’t even know what sherbet was for the first half of my life. Bonus points for the ice cream man if he had the Flintstones ones. If Push Up Pops were your fav, you’re probably really mature for your age, because when I did learn about sherbet, I thought it was for old people (lol). Figure out how to make the adult version of the sherbet treat, which includes alcohol (bless up).
6. King Cone
The mac daddy of ice creams, this was on everyone’s list of top choices. These guys were amazingly big, and by the time you got halfway through the cone, you wanted to give up. We never did though; we would finish them until our bellies were full and our faces were covered in ice cream. If this was your top choice, you probably love to show off your skills in whatever you do, which is awesome.
5. Choco Taco
Don’t lie, you thought you were really cool when you ate one of these. They were exactly like a regular ice cream cone, but in a different shape. However, you can’t deny how ~trendy~ it was though. If this was your childhood favorite, you might consider yourself a hipster. It’s okay, though, because we all thought we were the sh*t when we ordered a Choco Taco.
4. Strawberry Shortcake
This was my personal favorite because I loved all the different layers. These were meant for the kids who didn’t want to compromise between fruity and creamy, and we are so thankful. It was always acceptable to eat these fast, because you had to finish them before they melted all over your hands in the summer. Kids who ate these probably grew up to be indecisive adults who have had trouble deciding on what to major in during college.
3. Snow Cones
These guys were super sugary and tasted like five different flavors. They were perfect for a hot day in the summer when you wanted to cool down. They also didn’t melt all over your hands because they were in a cup, which was a perk for parents. However, the sugar rush to follow was not. If you ate this religiously as a kid, you are most likely still addicted to sugar today.
2. Ice Cream Sandwich
Ah, the classic. This has been people’s favorites for generations; there’s a bunch of variations of it, too. This was for the kid who just enjoyed the simplicity of ice cream, and would appreciate every last bite. Amp up your childhood favorite with this deconstructed ice cream sandwich milkshake, and try not to drool. If this was your favorite, you are definitely an individual who appreciates the simple things in life.
1. Spongebob Popsicle
If this wasn’t your favorite ice cream to get as a kid, you probably didn’t watch nickelodeon that much either (read: you did not have a soul). This would always be sold out, and you could see every kid on the block eating one of these. It never quite looked like the picture, but the eyes were gum balls, so it was the best. If this was your childhood-go-to, you were just like the rest of us, which isn’t a bad thing at all.
There you go, all of your childhood favorites combined into one list. You can now start reminiscing on all of the summer days you waited around on the front yard for the ice cream truck. It’s okay to not act your age, so run through the sprinklers or throw a temper tantrum for toys; we won’t judge if you want to run to the store to try and find one of these guys and look at your old yearbook.