ICE CREAM, YOU SCREAM

Ghosts of Toronto's Past | Carys Owen 

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With the first snow fall of the season in the last few weeks, it seems that toque and mitten season is finally upon us. While this weather warms my cold heart, I know that I am mostly alone in that feeling. Many of you long for an excruciating Toronto summer, so I thought I would give us all a history lesson that will remind us of the warmer months and our favourite cold treat. Today, I will take you back in time and introduce you to an iconic summer symbol, the ice cream truck.

City of Toronto Archives, Globe and Mail fonds, Fonds 1266, Item 14442.

 But of course, ice cream came before the truck. Ice cream got its start in Toronto in 1850 when Thomas Webb opened the first Canadian ice cream parlour. William Neilson followed shortly after by selling ice cream on a commercial scale from a shop on Gladstone Street in 1893. By the 1900’s everyone and their mom was talking about ice cream. Back then, an ice cream cone only cost 5 cents (a far cry from the amount we shell out for frozen dairy product today). However, ice cream trucks such as the commonly known white Grumman trucks didn’t come out until the 1950’s with advances in refrigeration technology. Back in the day, these trucks were independently owned, each with their own recipe and special process and by the 1960’s the ice cream truck business was booming.

 

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While the sight and sounds of an ice cream truck strikes joy into the hearts of us all, they do have several dark sides to their history. Let’s start with the heartwarming jingle that many ice cream trucks play. As it turns out, this song has an extremely racist origin. It was originally released in 1916 by Columbia Records, written by actor Harry C. Browne. The song describes highly offensive depictions of black people eating ice cream, and while not all ice cream trucks use this song, many still do. But I warn you not to look up the lyrics as this will definitely ruin memories of your childhood.

City of Toronto Archives, Globe and Mail fonds, Fonds 1266, Item 17693.

When ice cream trucks began to emerge on the streets of Toronto, they were met with mixed reviews. Many people (mainly parents) saw the trucks as a public safety hazard and a disturbance of the peace. Residents began to push to have the trucks removed from Toronto streets. But with the occurrence of several accidents resulting in injury or death of children, the boycott seemed legitimate. Mobile ice cream was so exciting to children that the trucks seemed to be having a Pied Piper effect. Some public officials and media outlets countered these concerns by claiming that mothers and children should be held responsible for the adverse affects of ice cream trucks. It seems no one could decide if the iconic ice cream truck was a Pennywise-style death machine or a idilic source of constant delight.

 

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Despite the debates, in the 1960’s several Toronto neighbourhoods including Etobicoke, North York and Scarborough implemented a ban on ice cream trucks. These bans actually remained for several decades but eventually blew over. In today’s world, ice cream trucks are welcomed across the city, but despite this, the ice cream truck business is a tough one. With the presence of several ice cream creations Toronto restaurants seem to pump out each summer and an increase in the number of trucks, there is more competition than ever before. The humble ice cream truck owner is struggling to sell a cone these days. The business used to be quite lucrative as an owner of an ice cream truck could once sell for six months and have enough to last until winter. Sadly times have changed and this is no longer the case with truck owners seeking further employment to supplement their income.

City of Toronto Archives, Globe and Mail fonds, Fonds 1266, Item 14843.

Hopefully, as frozen water continues to fall from the sky for the next couple of months, you’ll all be dreaming of your favourite frozen treat. But before you head to McDonald’s for that vanilla cone, consider going to an ice cream truck. While the tradition of the ice cream truck doesn’t have a squeaky clean record, I think it’s a tradition worth keeping alive.