Mr Whippy

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This article is about the businesses associated with the Mr. Whippy name. For the ice-cream products themselves, see soft-serve ice cream.

Mr. Whippy (UK)
TypeCompany and franchise
IndustryFood
Retail
Direct service
Founded1958; 63 years ago (1958)
FounderDominic Facchino
FateMerged with Wall's (ice cream)
Headquarters
United Kingdom
Key people
Peter Woodhams
ProductsFrozen yogurt
Soft serves
Beverages

Mr. Whippy (or Mister Whippy) is a genericized trademark commonly used to refer to soft serve ice cream in a cone. The mark has been adopted as the business name of many manufacturers, distributors and sellers of ice cream and frozen yogurt products around the world.

History[]

The company originated when British businessman Dominic Facchino visited the United States and saw the Mister Softee ice cream franchise, selling soft serve ice cream from mobile ice cream vans. Unable to license the brand in the UK, Facchino set up his own Mr. Whippy franchise in Birmingham, England, in 1958,[1] starting with a fleet of six vans. Outside the United Kingdom, the company franchised internationally to Australia in 1962 by sending ten vans on a ship from Southampton to Sydney, following success, a second batch was set the year after, consisting of 24 vans. Following great success in Australia, Facchino decided to also franchise in New Zealand, sending 24 vans over. The company also franchised for a brief time on the Spanish island of Mallorca.[2][3]

Vintage Bedford CF Mr Whippy van in Sydney, Australia, in 2010

The company was purchased by Wall's and Unilever in 1966. The company's franchise in Australia continued until the mid 1970s, after which the physical vehicle fleet was sold to private operators. During the franchise period from Mr. Whippy in the UK, around two-hundred Commer Karrier vans were imported from the UK to Australia, and fifty Austins were imported into New Zealand.[4]

As of present day[when?], in New Zealand, there are around 36 Mr.Whippy franchisees operating 58 vans. General Foods Limited (subsequently Tip Top) acquired the master rights for New Zealand in the early 1980s. The Isuzu Elf became the standard Mr Whippy van and an orange and white colour scheme replaced the original pink and white. In early 2000, Tip Top sold the master franchise to Peter Woodhams, the Waikato Mr Whippy franchisee, who in turn sold the master franchise to Flying Kiwi Holdings (a business owned and run by Nick Cairns, Scot and Geliana Graham) in 2006. The Mr Whippy vans became modernised, using Ford Transit and Fiat Ducato models, various Fuso variants and Tatua replaced as the provider of the Mr Whippy UHT ice cream mix.[citation needed]

Australia[]

Mr. Whippy van in London in 2015

In 1982, the trademark "Mr Whippy" was registered in Australia by ice cream parlour company Mr Whippy Pty Ltd. Today, the Franchised Food Company owns the brand.

Mr. Whippy Australia
TypeCompany and franchise
Industry
  • Food
  • Retail
  • Direct service
Products
  • Frozen yogurt
  • Soft serves
  • Beverages
ParentFranchised Food Company
Website

In popular culture[]

  • A Mr. Whippy ice cream truck is seen in the Beatles film Help! (1965).
  • Mr. Whippy was a song by Australian singer John Farnham, as the B-side to "One". It was referenced in the Australian show Wentworth (prison), season 3 episode 8.
  • The Good, the Bad & the Queen released a song called 'Mr. Whippy' on the B-side to their single Herculean, featuring vocals from Eslam Jawaad.
  • Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley in Harry Potter films) bought a 1974 Mr. Whippy Bedford van to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming an ice cream man. He drives around local villages, giving free ice creams and lollipops to children.[citation needed]
  • Tim Minchin mentions a Mr. Whippy van in his skit “On Human Logic”

References[]

  1. ^ Velasquez, S. J. "The weird tale behind ice cream jingles". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  2. ^ "Mr Whippy licked into shape for summer". Sydney Morning Herald. 4 September 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  3. ^ "Heat on Mr Whippy imitators". The West Australian. 14 September 2015. Archived from the original on 11 November 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  4. ^ "» History". Retrieved 12 July 2020.

External links[]

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