Top Five Retro Ice Cream Van Treats We’d Queue For Again
- jamiecrow2
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
There was a time when the sound of an ice cream van could bring an entire neighbourhood to a standstill.
Kids would appear from nowhere. Parents would suddenly become negotiators. Loose change would be frantically searched for down the back of the sofa.
And while the ice cream itself was often excellent, some treats became legendary simply because they came from the van. Whether at the park, the beach or parked outside the local swimming baths, these were the classics that made us sprint down the street before the music faded into the distance.
Here are five retro ice cream van treats we'd happily queue for all over again:
5. The Screwball
A simple idea, executed perfectly.
A plastic cone filled with bright pink ice cream and topped with a gumball that was somehow both the best and worst part of the experience.
The ice cream was delicious, but the real prize was reaching the gumball at the bottom. By then it was usually freezing cold, slightly sticky and tasted vaguely of strawberry.
None of that mattered.
Why we'd queue again:
Because half the fun was trying not to swallow the gumball by accident.
4. The Oyster
For many kids, the Oyster felt impossibly sophisticated.
Vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two shell-shaped wafers and rolled in coconut, it looked positively luxurious compared to some of the more brightly coloured alternatives.
Eating one without covering yourself in coconut flakes was virtually impossible.
Why we'd queue again:
Because it made you feel like an adult, even if you were only eight.
3. A Proper 99
The undisputed king of ice cream van purchases.
A towering swirl of soft-serve vanilla ice cream, a chocolate Flake stuck in the side, and—if you were lucky—a squirt of bright red strawberry sauce.
The challenge wasn't eating it.
The challenge was eating it before gravity got involved.
Why we'd queue again:
Because no supermarket version has ever quite matched the real thing.
2. The Fab
Part lolly, part ice cream, part sugary engineering marvel.
The Fab had everything: vanilla ice cream, a fruity coating and a layer of hundreds and thousands that usually ended up all over your hands, clothes and face.
It felt enormous when you were a child.
Looking back, it was mostly sugar and nostalgia.
Why we'd queue again:
Because eating one felt like the official start of summer.
1. The Funny Feet
Bright pink. Slightly alarming. Completely unforgettable.
The Funny Feet ice cream looked exactly what it was: an ice cream shaped like a foot.
Nobody questioned why. Nobody needed an explanation.
It became one of the most recognisable treats in British childhood, with generations of kids happily biting the toes off first while pretending this was perfectly normal behaviour.
Why we'd queue again:
Because some foods are powered almost entirely by nostalgia, and Funny Feet is one of them.
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