Good Humor Man vs. Mr. Softee

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Wednesday, June 19. 2013

Good Humor Man vs. Mr. Softee

When I was a kid, the Good Humor Man came down the street after suppertime, ringing his bell. I was partial to the vanilla thing coated with nuts, and the orange-raspberry popsicles.

How that guy made a living, just in summertime, with those 25 cent treats, is beyond me. Dad would give us each a quarter for them, but not every night. Maybe once a week. You would hear the jingle, and kids would evacuate their houses. Anyway, the union and gas prices put an end to that charming tradition.

Now they have the more urban Mr. Softee. He does not come into our village.

Posted by The Barrister in Our Essays, The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 13:57 | Comments (9) | Trackbacks (0)

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Just for a limon bar from a little pink ice cream van for $2.50.

The tune playing was same as 55 years ago.

#1 Leag on 2013-06-19 14:28 (Reply)

Mr. Softee is much better than Good Humor, although I was kind of partial to the orange cremesicles.

#2 Tom Francis on 2013-06-19 14:32 (Reply)

Orange cremesicles were just the best, Tom. Sealtest milk was great as well. When the milkman would head for a delivery, we would jump into the truck's cab to get a piece of chipped ice. Those were great times for us all. Now, they'd have the swat team involved somehow.

#2.1 Thalpy on 2013-06-19 15:38 (Reply)

I grew up with Good Humor, and preferred their ice creams to Mr. Softee. But the Good Humor man is long gone and even though both trolled my neighborhood when I was younger, Good Humor was the preferred kid's purchase.

Today, Mr. Softee is every few blocks here in NYC. I've grown used to what he has to offer, and I actually like his milkshakes quite a bit more than other offerings in stores.

It used to be about tastes. Now it's about limited choices.

#3 Bulldog on 2013-06-19 14:46 (Reply)

I preferred Good Humor and the truck itself was infinitely preferred. Several ruffians could keep the driver's attention focused on where he was going (playing ball in the road would do the trick) rather than his mirrors and another ruffian could mount the back bumper, pop open the rear door into the refrigerated box, and extract a box or two of goodies in seconds flat.

#4 Knucklehead (Link) on 2013-06-19 15:22 (Reply)

It's Ed Markey!

#5 Formerly known as Skeptic on 2013-06-19 17:16 (Reply)

We still have one in the summer - his truck plays 16 bars of "The Entertainer." I can't imagine how he makes enough to pay for stock and gas, never mind a profit.

#6 Assistant VIllage Idiot (Link) on 2013-06-19 18:41 (Reply)

I wonder similarly about the Family Video store down the street. I should count cars for a while and try to guess how many videos/games people would have to be renting to pay their rent.

#7 James the lesser (Link) on 2013-06-19 20:51 (Reply)

I remember summers at the family beach house with the Ray, the Good Humor Man, arriving just past noon every day. We'd hear the bells on his truck and there would be an exodus from the beach as the kids would come running with money in hand to but their favorite cold treats. My favorites where the Rocket Pops and the Chocolate Eclairs.

Ironically, many years later a new Good Humor Man (actually a young woman) took over Ray's route and it turned out she was his granddaughter. She was so surprised how many people remembered her grandfather and what he meant to us all. She told me that it was the same all along the route he used to cover.

Spare me the Mr. Softee and his many clones. All I want to do when I hear "The Entertainer" or "Turkey In The Straw" is pull out the old 12 gauge and silence the darned loudspeaker on the truck. Give me the sweet sound of those jingling bells any day!

#8 DCE (Link) on 2013-06-20 08:25 (Reply)

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Wednesday, June 19. 2013

Good Humor Man vs. Mr. Softee