13 Old-School Ice Cream Truck Treats You May Have Forgotten

If you listen closely, you can hear it in the distance ... the magical chime of the ice cream truck music-box beacon, ringing through the neighborhood and letting you know to get your money ready. The treats found in these mobile sugar shacks were unlike anything you could get in the store — at the time, anyway. In the years since, several of these unique creations have become available as grocery store picks that can transport you back to your ice cream truck era lickety-split.

Maybe it's been so long since you stood in line for a cool, creamy goody that you've forgotten all about the arctic allure held by an ice cream truck menu. Let's climb in the time travel mobile and take a spin down memory lane, to a time when your favorite snacks found their way to you; all you needed was a handful of change and an attentive ear to get in on the good stuff. These ice cream truck treats may have fallen out of fashion in favor of flashier fare, but their appeal is undeniably worth a revisit.

Two chocolate wafers of cake-like cookie crust containing a rectangular slice of vanilla ice cream that tasted like it came fresh from the churn? Yes, please and thank you! Grabbing an ice cream sandwich from the ice cream truck was like celebrating your birthday anytime you wanted to. These were the go-to soft-serve style treats, never so frozen that you couldn't take a bite as soon as you tore off the wrapper. They were also pliable enough to be wolfed down in three bites if you were hungry enough ... and let's be real: You were always hungry enough.

The trend these days is to layer ice cream sandwiches topped with whipped cream as a makeshift ice cream cake. The idea is clever and keeps these cool sammies on the radar for the younger set who may never know the excitement of choosing an ice cream sandwich from the mobile sweet station as it rolls through the neighborhood. Sure, it's easy enough to buy a box during your next grocery run; they're a standard among the frozen novelty section now. But it may never stir the total bliss generated by waiting for your ice cream sandwich pulled from the freezer of your neighborhood ice cream truck. Some moments just can't be recreated.

Drumsticks, the chocolate-topped cone crowned with the peanut crunchies, was an ice cream truck staple that reinvigorated ice cream when it launched in 1928. Could you ever forget breaking the shell with your teeth, digging out the peanuts before making swirls around the ice cream sphere with your tongue to catch the melting spots before they dropped? And when you reached the cone itself, you were surprised at first to find it soft instead of crunchy, but soon you came to accept the strange texture as a core element of the Drumstick experience.

The similar Nutty Buddy shared cooler space with its icy counterpart, but it was the Drumstick that made a name for itself in the post-ice cream truck age. Now you can find them in just about every food-selling location in the U.S., including the Walmart impulse freezer case that sells single Drumsticks as last-minute add-ons to your big-box haul. You never know when the urge to relive childhood ice cream enjoyment might strike, and you don't want to be caught unawares when it happens. Best to have a box on hand in your own freezer for the occasion, too.

Created in the mid-80s by Jack & Jill ice cream manager Alan Drazen of Philadelphia, the mythical Choco Taco was an inspired reimagining of the Drumstick, with greater surface area to hold an even more generous slice of ice cream. It modernized a vintage sweet in a way that broadened its cultural appeal as the idea of Taco Tuesday entered the zeitgeist, and gave cone fans a chance to experience their favorite blend of tastes and textures in a format that could be eaten sideways. Unreal!

The disappearance of the Choco Taco sent shockwaves through the snack world. What could ever possess the Klondike company to strike this popular piece from the company portfolio? The official word was that spiking product demand had driven execs to make the hard decision to discontinue Choco Taco production, but that sounds like a load of fudge topping. It's not difficult to spy a sly PR stunt similar to this being employed to spark a huge reintroduction down the line. Indeed, a reemergence was rumored to be in the works through Taco Bell and Salt & Straw chains for summer 2024. If this never comes to pass, you can always whip up your own homemade version to fill the gap left behind in your Choco Taco-craving soul.

An interactive sherbet tube that let you control your portion as you ate, the Push-Up was a novelty that came with a souvenir: A paper tube that resembled a toilet paper holder with a plastic straw-and-disc piston ice cream delivery gizmo you could use after the ice cream was gone, for everything from storing your allowance to holding your POGs. It was a sweet way to self-serve a cylinder of fluffy, orange-flavored delight, simple engineering that provided portion control to keep the melting mess to a minimum (though it only kept the tops of your shiny white Keds clean maybe half the time).

Push-Ups may have dropped off the ice cream lover's radar for a while, but attentive shoppers can find them in freezer sections as part of the Nestlé line, a psychedelic pop with old-school spirit. Now they're available in orange, cherry, and grape flavors, giving a new wave of ice cream devotees something novel to nosh on. The clever contraption is still in play, too, justifying both the name of the confection and your memory of being able to dispense your ice cream truck treat at your pace.

Knowing your ice cream treat contains a second treat hidden at the bottom ramped up the excitement of shelling out your hard-earned allowance money for a Two-Ball Screwball. Even the name hints at old-fashioned humor — a wink at the screwball comedies of the early age of cinema. This Screwball was a cool paper cone loaded with slushed ice in vibrant fruit flavors with a pair of gumballs lurking at the bottom. If you could avoid breaking your teeth on the frozen gumballs, you had a treat that would last long after the final drop of tangy, artificially-flavored ice was gone.

In reality, the Two-Ball Screwball was a devious combination of an Italian ice and a Sno-cone that prevented ice cream trucks from having to tote crushed ice and jugs of syrup around in addition to the frozen treats and candy novelties, though many offered both Sno-cones and Screwballs. If you wanted an icy indulgence that didn't spill out over the sides of its holder, the Two-Ball Screwball was the way to go. If you're still game, Good Humor knows how strong the pull toward childhood can be and stocks these treats under the Popsicle label in chain grocer freezer sections for your enjoyment. Remember: you're older now ... watch your teeth on those frozen gumballs.

The internet doesn't seem to hold record of the original Bullet Pop, but those of us who lived on the promise of ice cream truck treats remember clearly this tubular fruit pop with its swirled red-and-orange sweetness with a flavor like nothing else on the menu. It was one of the most colorful creations on the photo menu, designed to draw the eye and the tongue of ice cream fans who needed something juicy and fruit punch-like to quench both their hunger and their thirst. A Bullet Pop was more than just a popsicle with two flavors mixed together; it was a standout selection that only ice cream truck drivers knew how to find.

Kroger carries a reimagining of the original Bullet Pop called a Mighty Ice Pop, which captures the shape, swirled hues, and fruity flavor of the original. You can also find Monster Pops at Walmart in a frosty facsimile that's close enough to warrant a purchase, especially at a cool $3 a dozen. You may never be able to recapture the soothing sweetness of an actual ice cream truck childhood experience, but these copycats help you come pretty darn close.

The Dreamsicle holds an old-timey flavor combination that lasted long after the neighborhood ice cream truck craze quieted down. Sometimes known as a 50/50 bar, this pop presented a complementary blend of tangy citrus zing and creamy vanilla coolness that persists in soda flavors, homemade cakes, and even craft cocktails. The blend originated in 1905 as a concoction accidentally conjured up by unwitting frozen treat genius Frank Epperson. More recently, Wendy's launched a springtime promo featuring a Dreamsicle Frosty that captured the enchantment beautifully. The combo has gone beyond a simple trend to become a staple of treats infused with soothing vintage charm, a taste that's relatable across a wide swath of generations.

These days, Dreamsicles are one of the B-team ice cream creations that lingers near the back of the freezer case, until someone catches a glimpse of the orange and white pop on the front of the box and exclaims, "Hey — I remember these!" Suddenly, they're back on the stoop, waiting with coins in hand to pony up their pay for a juicy blast of orange and vanilla entertainment. Not bad for an ice cream truck treat that's more than 100 years old.

Ice cream trucks aimed for a more upscale crowd with the inclusion of the Chocolate Éclair and Strawberry Shortcake duo. These elegant Good Humor bars were different from the usual order, distinguished ice cream pops that emulated bakery-level desserts in taste and texture. A shell of vanilla ice cream encasing a gooey chocolate or strawberry core, wrapped in a sheath of matching crumbles enhanced with cookie-like crunchies? No indulgence on the menu could match the sophistication, which is why this pair was an acquired taste, something younger ice cream truckers grew into once the charm of the more childish treats faded.

If these two treats are better enjoyed by grown-ups, then good news: Good Humor generously provides both by the boxful in just about every grocery store frozen goodie section in America! This may be the one ice cream truck treat that gets better with (your) age and doesn't require a child's palate and sense of culinary deftness to be relished to the fullest. It's great news for anyone who chose to spend their lawn-mowing money on a more sophisticated prize and would love to sink their teeth into nostalgia on a stick.

If your ice cream truck exploits didn't include ice pops of your favorite cartoon characters complete with gumball eyes, you may have a little catching up to do. From the Powerpuff Girls to Sonic the Hedgehog, there was a who's who of animated faces gazing out from the poster, their hollow stares haunting yet entrancing enough to lure in hungry fans. Depending on your approach, you could either pop the eyes out right away and pocket them for later or leave them in and eat your way around them until they were all that was left. Either way, you had a bonus treat waiting for you when the stick was clean.

Popsicle captures the current cartoon character ice pop craze with SpongeBob SquarePants and Minions versions, minus the gumball ice (presumably considered a choking hazard for younger snackers). This is the perfect bridge between the ice cream truck set who had to chase down their treats and their offspring, who may never experience the sheer euphoria of watching their favorite movie and T.V. mascots in ice cream form gliding down their street. Parents may have to add their own gumball eyes, but it's a small price to pay for recapturing a youthful pleasure to share with their kids.

It wasn't just the patriotic red-white-and-blue layering of the classic Bomb Pop that stood skyrocket-and-shoulders above the ice cream truck treat crowd. Nor was it the cherry-blue-raspberry-lemon-lime flavor combination that tasted suspiciously close to 7UP, in the best possible way. No, what made a Bomb Pop the most distinctive treat in the truck was the soft-ice texture, a slushy sensation that let your teeth slide into the surface much easier than a standard popsicle. You could scrape the surface cautiously and avoid the ever-present brain freeze that sent so many ice cream truck patrons into a tizzy.

Bomb Pop is another vintage flavor that lingers on in Gen X and Millennial culture, showing up in liquor form to flood your system with the same syrupy sweetness as the frozen treat itself. As revered a taste of childhood history as this treat is, the Bomb Pop company churns out frozen follies in exciting variations like Spice to Nice, a hot-and-cool take, and Sour to Devour, a tongue-tingling version that taps into modern flavor lovers' fickle sensibilities. The good ol' original that set the standard is, of course, still sparking on an explosive ice cream truck nostalgia kick, inspiring store-brand knock-offs that never quite live up to the red, white, and blueprint. Still, it's nice to have options.

Nothing felt more special at the ice cream truck than a scoop-sized cup of ice cream that came with its own wooden spoon. Sure, it was more like a tiny paddle than a real spoon, and the bite you dug out would often go flying off the end of it and land in the street. That's the price you pay for trying to eat ice cream off the stick. But if you could master the motion and get the mound of creamy goodness from the cup to your mouth, the reward was a bite of unadulterated magic that took ice cream culture back to its roots.

This is one ice cream truck call-back that comes with a reality check: Did you ever get splinters in your tongue while snacking on your scoop? You bet you did. You most likely chewed into the wood to make toothpicks out of it when you were finished, because kids are going to kid no matter what. As a grown up, you can find ice cream cups from Blue Bell and wooden spoons at Amazon to accompany them. Take it easy with the spoon-chewing, though; you have an example to set for the next generation.

Wrapping vanilla ice cream on a stick in a crispy layer of crispy chocolate candy bar is a genius move few ice cream truck treats could aspire to. Nestlé Crunch Bar was the treat that pulled it off. Who wouldn't be drawn in by the prospect of having a thinned-out candy bar encircling their ice cream? It was a sneaky trick that gave you two treats in one — your chance to get away with something sweet that was actually sanctioned by the Magical Guild of Ice Cream Truckers, which isn't a real thing, but we would have believed it was if it meant getting our hands on a Nestlé Crunch Bar.

There are hints online that you can still find Nestlé Crunch Bar ice cream pops somewhere in the U.S., though attempts to nail down a box turned out to be a wild goose chase. Blue Bell pushes its kopy kat Krunch Bars, which are bound to taste delicious and satisfy your yearning for candy and ice cream in a single pop. But it'll never match the heightened hype of cracking off the crispy coating and saving the ice cream for last like you once did while waiting for your friends to make their ice cream truck purchases.

You can only find them called Fudge Pops now, in a half-Popsicle bullet form, but back in the day, they were called Fudgsicles, and they were the king of the ice cream truck. Old-fashioned enough to appeal to parents, yet hip enough to entrance kids, these gooey goodies replicated the thickest chocolate ice cream imaginable and stuck a stick in the end. There was even a banana-flavored version for anyone with poor taste in treats (that's a joke ... they were actually pretty tasty, too). The texture was so rich, you could drag out the end into wild shapes with every bite, and they'd hold their form until the next bite. Times were wild!

Why would Popsicle ever drop its full-sized Fudgsicle bars in favor of a new shape offered as solely a no-sugar treat? Maybe the market shifted and the company aims this more sensible sweet to the audience most likely to crave ice cream in this form. Anyone intrigued by a full-fledged fudge-like experience can take it up with Blue Bell and the box of full-sized fudge bars the company cleverly created to service those who still cling to the memory. At least someone in the ice cream world still honors this delicious tradition.