Prized Cup | Up Close with the Hoodsie Cup
In a world of glamorous specialty ice creams, the no-nonsense Hoodsie keeps a hold on New England’s heart.
By Jessica Battilana|Dec 03 2020|
Hoodsie Cup
Photo Credit: Adam DetourFor seven decades and counting, scores of New Englanders have participated in a beloved ritual: Grabbing the paper tab at its edge, we pull the lid from a Hoodsie Cup, lick it, then scoop the chocolate and vanilla ice cream from the paper cup using the paddle-like spoon.
When Hoodsie Cups debuted in 1947, the cups cost a nickel and the collectible lids featured celebrities of the time, including baseball players and movie stars like Bob Hope, Ginger Rogers, and John Wayne. Little else has changed about this three-ounce cup of ice cream, now an iconic regional treat that’s part of birthday parties and ball games alike. (Hoodsie maker HP Hood is the official dairy of the Boston Red Sox, and the cups bear the team logo.)
Photo Credit : Adam Detour
Today you can purchase Hoodsie Cups from ice cream trucks and grocery stores in every state in New England and parts of upstate New York, but more are sold in Massachusetts, where HP Hood has been headquartered since its founding in 1846, than anywhere else.
The Bay State also boasts Operation Hoodsie Cup, a collaboration between Hood and the Boston Police Department. Officers drive a custom ice cream truck to various neighborhoods and events throughout the city, distributing free Hoodsies. In a typical summer, the BPD gives out about 10,000 cups a month to residents both young and old.
But for most kids around here, the Hoodsie Cup needs no introduction. In the words of Matthew Jennings, author of Homegrown: Cooking from My New England Roots: “Hoodsie Cups are a New Englander’s birthright, as much a part of our culinary culture as fried clams, fluffernutters, and frozen lemonade.” We break out bags of them when kids convene for twilight bike rides. We pull individual cups from convenience store reach-in freezers. When given the option at the snack bar, we opt for a Hoodsie Cup instead of the neon-colored cartoon-branded ice cream bar du jour.
And no matter the season, if we go to a kid’s birthday party we invariably find, resting next to the cake, the Hoodsie Cup. Then we do what generations have done before: Peel off the lid, unwrap our paddle, and get to work before the ice cream melts to foam.
Thank you for reminding me of that wonderful childhood treat. I grew up in Rhode Island in the 1950’s, and I still remember a class trip to a dairy farm to learn about where our milk and dairy products come from. The highlight of the trip was the Hoodsie Cup we all got before we got on the school bus to leave the farm. I’m delighted to know that Hood is still making these special treats and that they have partnered with the Boston Police Department to offer a free special treat to kids and their families. Well done!
Yes, we purchase them here in Connecticut, too. There is no wooden paddle/spoon included, however.
Ahhhh, such memories are conjured up, remembering Archie’s store on the corner of Main Street, Oakland RI – barber shop, general store, and more located on the first floor of our “town hall!” We lived next door and loved to run errands for Mom, especially when she said we could buy a Hoodie with the change!!
I remember the hoodsie cups well .
Yup that always was a favorite. Wooden paddle spoon and all.
I can remember Hoodsie cups much earlier than 1947! For at least two summers, around the 4th of July, I was at Sandy Beach in Hough’s Neck when we were offered free Hoodsies. We moved away from Hough’s Neck in 1944.
I now live in Minnesota and am deeply sadden by the fact that there are no Hoodsie Cups to be found! Guess that is a loss for Minnesotans because they are missing out on a wonderful product!
Always referred to them simply as “Hoodsies,” not “Hoodsie Cups.” I can still remember the feel and taste of the wood paddle. And remember the old advertising jingle: “You can feel good. Good about Hood!”
They were the highlight of classroom birthday treats!!
Mom always wanted a Hoodsie to watch the Red Sox and was disappointed if I couldn’t find them. She usually only ate /12 and saved the other 1/2 for the next game <3
I too grew up in Boston MA And the Hoodsie is still one of my favorites.
Love them but miss the wooden spoon!
Hoosier cups were always the lunch dessert the day before school vacations began. Didn’t matter what day of the week it was.