A novelty ice cream idea that was a big hit with youngsters in the 60's and 70's was the Tonibell Miniball - a plastic ball filled with ice cream. To tuck into the contents you removed the lid, and when the ice cream was all gone you just snapped the lid back on, then you could have a game of football, tennis and so on, with it. They were sold in various colours and they came with a flat wooden spoon. This advert is dated June 1968 but I can recall when I was at Craigie High school in 1970-74, the 70's ones had either a gobstopper or bubblegum inside as an added extra feature. Needless to say we had many games of football in the playground with them too.
I've no idea when they stopped selling them, I don't have any memory of having ever seen them after my school days, but they were popular in their day, and one of the rare occasions when kids didn't get in trouble for playing with their food!
My dad worked on one of Freds Ice cream vans when I was a bairn and this has brought back some memories. If I remember right these balls were pretty hard and kinda hurt if you tried headin them.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for posting this.People thought me quite mad when I asked if they remembered these icecream balls.At last I have the proof that I didn't dream having them in 1968 aged 5....lol
ReplyDeleteOmg! I had the same reaction from people when I mentioned my memory flashback of eating these yummy ice cream balls in 1968 in new Zealand.. I too was 5yrs old 😀👍
DeleteMaxene
I remember them advertising these on television at the time.
ReplyDeleteNever worked as a ball though, the lid always used to fly out as soon as you kicked it, or hit it with a bat.
I remember them well, they were one of our favourite treats and my brother still has one!...without the icecream of course:)
ReplyDeleteI had one in Hobart when I was about 5in the 1970s
ReplyDeleteOmg I thought I was mad remembering an ice cream ball when I had my tonsils out as a five year old , and eating heaps of ice cream balls. They existed.
ReplyDeleteWow, just searched for these. I remember them well.
ReplyDeleteI've still got my original one bought around 1968. I left it in the loft of my old house when we moved in 1972, but I revisited the house in 1991 and found the ball exactly where I'd left it. Now had it back for 29 years. (It's a yellow one - there were six colours in all.) I don't remember ever seeing them on sale in the '70s though, nor did they seem to be advertised in comics after the initial '60s ads.
ReplyDeleteI remember these ice cream novelty footballs I'm sure from the early seventies..used to walk to a confectioners near home on a summer afternoon to get them..an orange colour I remember...remarkable how they appear on the net! after all this time.
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