Before summer meant scrolling for hours and binge-watching, it meant bike rides, sprinklers, and the perfect frozen treat. Whether from the ice cream truck or the fridge, these icy goodies defined the season. Here are 10 frozen favorites that bring back sunny memories.
10. Mickey’s Parade Ice Pops
During the ’80s and ’90s, Good Humor sold Disney character pops shaped like Mickey, Minnie, and Donald. Often called Mickey’s Parade Pops, these treats came in fruity flavors like cherry, orange, and grape. The memory of tearing open the plastic and realizing the face looks kind of weird still pop up in Facebook nostalgia groups.
9. Popsicle Sprinklers Bar
A ’90s favorite, this treat was a colorful vanilla ice cream dipped in chocolate and covered in rainbow sprinkles. Before it was discontinued in 2004, fans have always marveled at the rainbow crunch that gave sugar rush. Sadly, no official relaunch yet. Just fond memories.
8. Nutty Buddy Cone
Remember biting into a vanilla and chocolate swirl ice cream cone topped with nuts and chocolate? Yup, that’s the Nutty Buddy Cone. It was born in Massachusetts in the ’80s via Seymour Ice Cream. This nostalgic treat is still available (regionally only), bringing us back to memories of block parties and bike rides under sun-baked pavement.
7. Dippin’ Dots
How can we forget about the “ice cream of the future?” These tiny beads of cryogenically frozen ice cream were invented in the 1980s. A decade later, dozens of flavors and amusement-park vending bike sales soared. The good news is you can still enjoy that crunchy-cold and slow-melting explosion of flavor at select parks, stadiums, and via direct-to-home shipping.
6. Screwball
Imagine cherry-slush cone with a hidden gum ball at the tip…that was the Screwball! It was sold by ice cream trucks in the ’80s and ’90s and later on blue raspberry flavor and double-ball versions appeared. The cool-tongue thrill it brought is quite hard to forget.
5. Flintstones Push‑Up Pops
Remember pushing the sherbet up through a paper tube labeled Yabba‑Dabba Doo Orange? That’s right, we’re talking about the Flintstones Push‑Up Pops introduced by Nestlé in the early 1990s. Though the original Flintstones branding is long gone, you can still find modern Push-Up Pops being sold today.
4. Choco Taco
The taco-shaped waffle shell filled with ice cream and fudge, and then coated in peanuts and chocolate was pure genius. This treat was invented in Philadelphia in the 1980s, sold nationwide, and then became iconic. Though revived in copycat versions (looking at you, Cold Stone), the OG remains missing.
3. Jell‑O Pudding Pops
Jell-O Pudding Pops were launched in the 1970s and became popular in the ’80s, thanks to Bill Cosby ads. The creamy pudding-on-a-stick was available in vanilla, chocolate, and swirl flavors, sold until around 2011. No longer in stores, the Jell-O Pudding Pops are now a wistful memory of melted pudding drips.
2. Otter Pops
Otter Pops were a childhood summer favorite. Each pop had a colorful cartoon otter character like Louie-Bloo Raspberry. They first showed up in the ’70s, making snack time like a story time. Otter Pops are still around today and one slurp will bring you back to memories of bare feet and popsicle-stained smiles.
1. Bomb Pop
Remember unwrapping that red-blue-white rocket-shaped popsicle and feeling patriotic? Bomb Pops were first launched in the 1950s, trademarked in the 1970s, and became a must-have by the 1980s. Fans still vividly remember the cherry, lime, and blue raspberry flavors that hit like a firework.