Most People Didn't Know That The Klondike Ice Cream Bar Was Invented Right Here In Ohio
By Sarah McCosham|Published January 29, 2024
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Sarah McCosham
Author
I write like it's my job - because it is! I have a Master's in English and love words: crossword puzzles, Scrabble games, Wordle, and, of course, good, old-fashioned books.
I'm a writer and editor at OnlyInYourState, and a contributing writer at Cincinnati Magazine. I love the Great Outdoors and am endlessly awestruck by this beautiful country of ours. Coffee keeps me going, yoga keeps me sane, my kids keep me grounded, and my writing keeps me inspired.
What would you do (ooh-ooh) for a Klondike Bar?If you grew up in the ’80s and ’90s like me, then you know exactly how this jingle goes. (And now you have it stuck in your head… sorry about that!) There are some really unique inventions from Ohio, but the Klondike Ice Cream Bar is easily the coolest. Today we’re sharing the scoop on this iconic ice cream bar that was invented in Ohio.
"What would you do for a Klondike Bar? In terms of catchy advertising jingles, it's hard to beat Klondike's.
The history of this iconic American treat is nothing short of fascinating. The Klondike bar was created by Ohio's Isaly Dairy Company in the early 1920s and named after the Klondike River in Canada -- hence its polar bear mascot.
Cut, dipped, and wrapped by hand, the frozen treats were tedious to make until the '60s when Polarmatic machines automated the entire process, rolling out 75 Klondikes/minute, a process that remains to this day.
Unlike a traditional frozen popsicle or ice cream bar, the Klondike Bar does not have a stick due to its size, a point often touted in advertising. This little hand-held wonder was a hit, eventually catapulting Isaly's to icon status.
It's worth noting that William Isaly was quite the ice cream inventor; in 1910, when he needed to draw customers in, he increased comes from 2 ounces to 4 ounces, turning what was normally considered a "kid's treat" into an adult-sized dessert, too.
With several tried-and-true frozen desserts perfected, the first Isaly's shop opened in Mansfield, Ohio, over 100 years ago. In the century since, this Ohio-born business has become a bona fide American icon, thanks, in part, to the delicious Klondike Bar.
In 1976, American businessman Henry Clarke purchased the rights to the Klondike bar. Clarke is credited for introduced Klondike bars to consumers throughout the United States during the 1980s; under his leadership, sales of the humble, foil-wrapped ice cream bar increased from $800,000 annually at the time of the acquisition by Clabir to more than $60 million. Later, the rights to the name were sold to Good Humor-Breyers, a division of Unilever.
According to Statista, 38.34 million Americans ate at least one Klondike bar in 2020, making it the most popular novelty treat in America. While there are lots of varieties of Klondike Bars in grocery store freezers today, in my opinion, nothing quite compares to the delicious simplicity of the original Klondike Bar.
Did you know about this sweet Ohio invention? Of all the things invented in Ohio, the Klondike Ice Cream Bar ranks at the top of the list… it’s an All-American classic, after all! The next time you’re enjoying one of these delicious frozen treats on a hot, sticky summer day in the Buckeye State, raise a bar to William Isaly!
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