LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. — The Bomb Pop — the iconic red, white, and blue rocket-shaped popsicle — was born in Kansas City, and 71 years later, it's still one of the city's most beloved frozen treats.
Drew Somervell, an ice cream man for the Kansas City Ice Cream Company, keeps the tradition alive, rolling through neighborhoods and delivering a little joy with every stop.
The Kansas City Ice Cream Company is the exclusive Blue Bunny ice cream distributor in the region — a subsidiary of Wells Enterprises, Inc., that owns Bomb Pop.
"I get to drive through the neighborhoods and see little explosions of joy happen," Somervell said.
The Bomb Pop was created in July 1955 by D.S. Abernethy and James Merritt of Merritt Foods with Kansas City as its birthplace.
The rocket-shaped popsicle has three identifiable flavors, cherry, lime, and blue raspberry.
Seven decades later, it remains a best seller — and with America celebrating its 250th birthday, demand is higher than ever.
"They go through about a pallet a week," Somervell said.
The treat's patriotic look and nostalgic flavor aren't lost on customers of all ages.
22-year-old Jarrin Sanders, who bought ice cream from Somervell's truck Thursday, said the experience takes him straight back to childhood.
"It's the sound, the look, the sounds everything man, brings me back to being a kid when I was stress free," Sanders said.
Somervell said the magic of the ice cream truck isn't limited by the age of the customer.
"People put their own limitations on their age and those that don't, they get to experience the same experience when they were five," Somervell said.
And when it comes to the Bomb Pop, Somervell said there's something about getting it straight from the ice cream truck that can't be replicated.
"It hits different off the truck," he said. Everybody knows that."
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