The Classic Ice Cream Flavor Blue Bell Claims To Have Invented
There are tons of flavors of ice cream out there, and you undoubtedly have a favorite. But there is one flavor of ice cream that's so popular it has actually created something of a controversy over which brand is responsible for inventing it. While chocolate and vanilla ice cream are both classics, it's actually another classic flavor that is the center of so much drama: cookies and cream ice cream. Besides, with so many people who do love this flavor at some point or other, it is understandable that every ice cream brand wants to lay claim to inventing the flavor.
Blue Bell has even made a pretty definitive statement on the subject, too. On its website, the ice cream brand says, "We were first to create this innovative flavor." However, the other contender with a claim to coming up with cookies and cream ice cream is John Harrison, who was the official ice cream taster in 1980 for Edy's and Dreyer's (via Serious Eats).
The claim of who has invented cookies and cream ice cream is constantly challenged
Though Blue Bell has laid claim to this flavor, it has faced resistance from more competitors, too. Though the credit is disputed, a story from The New York Times once said that it was Blue Bell that "pioneered the flavor." This is largely due to the fact that the brand was the first to add Nabisco's Oreo cookies into the ice cream by hand. Today, Blue Bell can't even do that because Nabisco also owns ice cream brands like Klondike, Breyer's, and Good Humour, all of which have exclusive license to use real Oreo cookies in their ice creams.
Other people who have tried to claim the invention include a dairy plant manager, Shirley Seas, and students, Joe Leedom and Joe Van Treek. They say they invented Oreo ice cream in 1979 at South Dakota State University, according to the school. Herrell's Ice Cream founder Steve Herrell also made a claim that he discovered the flavor after starting his company in 1973.
To combat all of these other claims, Blue Bell actually filed a trademark for cookies and cream flavor in 1981. It was a smart tactic to try to officially end the war over who officially created the flavor, but it didn't stick. According to the trademark office, the application was "refused, dismissed, or invalidated" by 1984. No one may ever know who really was the first to dream up this flavor. Whether it was Blue Bell or another brand, it's still a beloved favorite today.