The Good
Humor Man
- I doubt whether
the world holds for anyone a more soul-stirring
- surprise than the
first adventure with ice cream.
Heywood Campbell Broun
Who can forget the
cool, creamy delight of ice cream on a stick and the sound of the bell
forewarning you of an approaching Good Humor truck? Since
1920, these cool treats have captured the hearts and taste buds of American kids
and adults alike, with unique treats reminiscent of the good things in life.
In 1920, Harry
Burt, a Youngstown, Ohio candy maker, created a recipe for coating ice cream
with chocolate. His daughter, the first to try it, liked the flavor but hated
the chocolaty mess. Her brother, Harry Jr., suggested freezing the coated ice
cream onto a wooden stick, and the Good Humor Bar was born.
Burt named his
invention the Good Humor Bar, capitalizing on the belief that a person’s humor
was related to the humor of his palate. He immediately filed for a patent for
his creation, but it took three years and a personal visit to Washington, D.C.,
armed with a five-gallon pail of Good Humor bars, before he was granted
exclusive rights for his ice cream treats.
Burt drew public
attention to Good Humor Bars by delivering them in white trucks, complete with
bells, and driven by men in crisp, white uniforms. They promoted a clean,
wholesome, and trustworthy image along with a very cheery manner.
The qualifications for
becoming a Good Humor Man included the ability to be friendly with children and
look after their safety. Burt was so successful in molding the image of the Good
Humor Man that virtues such as enthusiasm, friendliness, and honesty had come to
be associated with his company. Newspaper reports of the local Good Humor Man
rushing a baby to a hospital for treatment and performing various other good
deeds only added to the venerable image of his company.
The only people who didn’t
take an immediate liking to Good Humor Men were some Chicago gangsters who, when
refused protection money, blew up several of the Good Humor trucks.
Fortunately, the trucks were insured, and the publicity only served to heighten
the popularity of the treat.
In 2006, the building in Youngstown, Ohio where
Burt created the Good Humor Bar was honored in Parade magazine as one of
the places that helped shape America's history and culture. Eating Good Humor
Bars will long be remembered as a special juncture on those dog day afternoons
of our long past childhood.
By Cheryl Miller
| 
