When it comes to summer in Britain, what do you think of? Sandy or stony beaches, picnics, pub gardens and the good old ice cream van, I’m guessing? Everyone loves to hear that little jingle as the ice cream van pulls round the corner (except those children who are told that the music playing means that the van is empty!). I was interested to see this infographic about the evolution of the ice cream van and I thought you might be too.
I’m actually quite disappointed and a little upset that there are so few ice cream vans nowadays. They were a staple of my childhood in summers past and probably for you too! I always loved hearing the chimes of our local van and we had the same driver for many, many years who learned all of our names and remembered our ‘usuals’. For me, it’s a 99 flake, how about you?
I’d love to see a resurgence of the ice cream van – it is such a staple of British history and having just 5000 compared to 20,000 in the 60’s and 70’s is really sad. Jack gets excited now when he sees and hears an ice cream van – it’d be a shame for them to die out completely but I feel it is almost inevitable with the dramatic decline.
Are you sad about the decline in our ice cream vans? What do you usually choose?
Written in collaboration with Van Monster