1 : Eskimo Pie
2 : External Links
Eskimo Pie is a brand name for a chocolate-covered vanilla ice cream bar wrapped in foil, the first such dessert sold in the United States.
Danish immigrant Christian K. Nelson, a schoolteacher and candy store owner, claimed to have received the inspiration for the Eskimo Pie in 1920 when a boy in his store was unable to decide whether to spend his money on ice cream or a chocolate bar. After experimenting with different ways to adhere melted chocolate to bricks of ice cream, Nelson began selling his invention under the name "I-Scream Bars." In 1921, he filed for a patent, and secured an agreement with chocolate manufacturer Russell Stover to mass-produce them under the new trademarked name "Eskimo Pie." After the patent was approved on January 24, 1922, Nelson franchised the product, allowing ice cream manufacturers to produce them with that name. Stover sold his share of the business, and Nelson became independently wealthy off the royalties from the sale of Eskimo Pies.
Christian Nelson then sold his share of the business to the United States Foil Company (now Reynolds), which made the Eskimo Pie wrappers. He was able to retire young, but rejoined the company to continue his innovations, inventing new methods of manufacturing and shipping Eskimo Pies and serving as an executive until his ultimate retirement in 1961. Nelson died in 1992 at the age of 99.
The Eskimo Pie is still sold today by an independent company, despite the deprecated use of the word "Eskimo." The popular recognition of the brand has been surpassed in recent years by the Klondike bar.
External Links
History, from the Smithsonian Institution
Official
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