Next summer, Mister Softee will be celebrating 60 years of serving within the five boroughs of New York City.
And for reasons unexplained, New Yorkers simply never get tired of those trucks' cheerful jingle or Mr. Softee's smiling ice cream face. (Well, some folks have voiced their displeasure with that tune throughout the years, but you can't make all of the people-- especially New Yorkers-- happy all of the time, right?)
Back in the day, Mr. Softee's cups and cones were only twenty-five cents. Nowadays, the cheapest item on the truck is a plain cup of vanilla ice cream for three dollars. (And yes, times certainly have changed.)
Surprisingly, the Banana Boat is now a whopping seven bucks (not to mention 570 calories), while milkshakes clock in at five bucks (it's an dollar extra if you want it made with malt powder, but we'll get to more about that later on).
There's something for everyone on Mr. Softee's truck, but it's still their fresh, soft serve ice cream that's the bestseller to this very day.
All that being said, here are 8 great reasons why New Yorkers will forever have a spring/summer fling with Mr. Softee.
1. Their vanilla soft serve is the creamiest. Ever
The soft serve formula has been the same for the entire 60 years that Mr. Softee has been around.
"That other guy," Tom Carvel, was never able to match the simplicity of the ice cream coming out of those blue-and-white trucks-- not even Fudgie The Whale could do the trick in taking the soft serve ice cream crown from Mr. Softee.
You see, in this city, Mr. Softee's soft serve is simply unmatched. That's the way it has been for the last sixty years, and hopefully the way it will be for the next sixty.
2. That Mr. Softee jingle is a NYC classic
biancafrombrooklyn Mister Softee #mistersoftee #mrsoftee #icecream #sprinkles #ny #brooklyn #newyorkcity #summerdays #summer #treats #concretejungle #yummy
The great thing is that you can hear the jingle at least three blocks away because it always gets played extra loud (and for anyone who complains about the tune, we can't say that we sympathize with you.)
Some say that the Mr. Softee melody originated from an old tune circa 1916 called "Turkey In The Straw," but mistersoftee.com states that the song is actually from 1960 and was originally called, "The Whistler And His Dog."
And yes, the words and music are on Mr. Softee's website, in case you want to memorize the lyrics for yourself. You can even now download the jingle as a ringtone.
3. It's relatively cheap for NYC
nm_tech Trying to figure out if I should make the line or not? #icecream #Baruch #MrSoftee #longestlineever
You can still treat relatives and friends to a round of Mr. Softee without breaking open the bank, like you would at other ice cream establishments in this city.
(And yes, that even means you can even treat your wanna-be hipster cousin from Carroll Gardens who can't get all that chocolate sauce out of his beard... even with a handful of Wet Naps.)
4. The sundae sauces are out of this world
travlinfoodie Time for #dessert 😀 #strawberry #sundae #softserve #icecream #mistersoftee #sweet #foodie #fatfriday #instayum #eeeeeats #foodstagram
You can get sundaes with sauces that are hard to get in this day and age--like pineapple and butterscotch.
Also, don't forget that large maraschino cherry on top.
And, for some reason, Mr. Softee has traditionally never put whipped cream on their sundaes, but a lot of New Yorkers prefer them that way. Just ask for it!
,5. Mr. Softee drivers genuinely enjoy their jobs
uglynewyork Idol in my eyes. God of the game. Heart of the city. Ice Cream Cone Chain. Never be the same. Never be another. Number 1, #MrSoftee, also my Big Brother.
Those pleasant Mr. Softee drivers seem to genuinely enjoy their jobs, and they seem to love serving kids.
(Maybe someone needs to send these drivers to train the current crop of New York postal employees who all seem to have hair-trigger tempers? Even better, give them a free sundae of their choice one day a week all summer long!)
6. Tipping isn't necessary
You don't have to tip-- which seems to now be the norm at mom-and-pop ice cream shops (as well as all the ice cream chains) in New York City.
Don't change your ways, Mr. Softee, don't you ever change your ways!
7. Malt powder milkshake, anyone?
jmulababy Riding round wit that soft.. Mr. Softee of course.. #mrsoftee #mmm #milkshake #summertimefine
Mr. Softee trucks are pretty much the only place you can still get malt powder put into your milkshake-- well, other than at home!
(Hint: it's the Ovaltine brand and it's incredibly good at making your milkshake taste just like Malt Balls!)
8. Mr. Softee trucks are still the best looking food trucks in this city
tonyslope #newyorkcity #newyork #nyc #downtownnewyork #icecreamtruck #icecream #mrsoftee #mrsofteetruck #springtimeinnewyork #spring #streetphotography #nycstreet #happy #springfever #instanyc #hipstamatic
Bottom line is, in a city filled with thousands of food trucks (check out the cream of the crop here and here), this classic blue-and-white mobile truck is still the best-looking (and perhaps the best-tasting) one in the entire city.
It evokes memories of worry-free childhood for thousands of New Yorkers to this day, and keeps a classic feel to the face of a city that is changing more and more with each day.
(By the way, there is now amazingly nostalgic Mr. Softee merchandise available on mistersoftee.com-- including miniature replica trucks. And some of the trucks going around town even carry t-shirts you can buy... you know, so you can rep your Mr. Softee love all over this city.)
Can't get enough of NYC ice cream? Check out 10 Best Summer Spots for Ice Cream in NYC.
[Feature Image Courtesy: Kris Graves]