“Forget art. Put your trust in ice-cream” – Charles Baxter
The world will never fall short of ice cream lovers. The soft and sweet texture floating in your mouth has the power to uplift the darkest of moods and turn good days into a Disneyland dream.
If you always say ‘yes’ to ice-cream, you must have heard of this world-renowned brand: Baskin Robbins.
But there is one secret that Baskin-Robbins wants you to know and it’s hidden in plain sight. Before I proceed to tell you what it is, let’s have a quick look at the brand’s history.
Burton ‘Burt’ Baskin and Irvine ‘Irv’ Robbins were brothers-in-law and owners of their own respective ice cream parlors: Burton’s Ice Cream Shop and Snowbird Ice Cream. In 1945, they decided to merge their businesses and co-founded Baskin-Robbins. It is now the world’s largest chain of ice cream specialty shop restaurants.
Now look at their logo below:
You will notice that the logo is made up of two colors, blue and pink. If you only focus on the pink section, the number 31 will stand out. This number implies that there are 31 available flavors of ice cream. This idea was executed to emphasize the fun, energetic and positive spirit of the brand. It stood for the brand’s belief in customer satisfaction through providing the opportunity to explore all delicious ice cream zest every day of the month, hence the ‘31 flavors’.
Read also: Most unusual ice cream flavors you need to try this summer.
This inspired idea of exciting the taste buds came from the advertising company Ogilvy and Mather in 1953. Baskin and Robbins believed that their customers should be given the chance to taste all 31 flavors before deciding on their favorite of the day. Such a brilliant approach to the child-like spirit in people has undoubtedly popularized their franchise over the years.
People took an immediate liking to the brand’s fun-soaked idea. And it gave them a marketing edge that has stood the test of time. So, if you ever find yourself inside a Baskin-Robbins ice cream parlor, don’t stop at one, but feel free to ask for your ’31 flavors’!
Know the names of the original Baskin-Robbins flavors:
- Banana Nut Fudge
- Black Walnut
- Burgundy Cherry
- Butterscotch Ribbon
- Cherry Macaroon
- Chocolate
- Chocolate Almond
- Chocolate Chip
- Chocolate Fudge
- Chocolate Mint
- Chocolate Ribbon
- Coffee
- Coffee Candy
- Date Nut
- Egg Nog
- French Vanilla
- Green Mint Stick
- Lemon Crisp
- Lemon Custard
- Lemon Sherbet
- Maple Nut
- Orange Sherbet
- Peach
- Peppermint Fudge Ribbon
- Peppermint Stick
- Pineapple Sherbet
- Raspberry Sherbet
- Rocky Road
- Strawberry
- Vanilla
- Vanilla Burnt Almond.
Fun Fact:
Much before co-founding Baskin-Robbins, Burton Baskin owned a men’s apparel retail store in the Palmer House in Chicago. After marrying Irvine Robbins’ sister Shirley in 1942, he had enlisted in the Navy. When he was released from service early, Irvine had already been running Snowbird Ice Cream in Glendale, California.
Soon after, he convinced Burt that selling ice cream was more fun than selling men’s shirts and trousers. In the next few months, Burton’s Ice Cream Shop was opened.
It’s always good to know the history behind something that is a huge part of your life. And ice creams, well.
Read also: Ever heard about the ice cream museum?
