History
Jimmies | New England Lexicon
Jimmies (known as “sprinkles” outside New England) are the granddaddy of ice cream toppings, but where did the name “jimmies” come from?
By Yankee Magazine|Aug 06 2020|
Jimmies (known as sprinkles outside New England) are a classic ice cream topper.
Photo Credit: Thinkstock
Photo Credit : Thinkstock
The Jimmies / Sprinkles Debate
Letters from Our Readers
January 1995: Your sweet story in the August 1994 edition describing the creation of “jimmies” triggered a poignant childhood memory. A special after-school treat was a visit to the pharmacy in South Peabody, Massachusetts, for an ice cream cone. One day, during the height of World War II, I asked Mr. Balligan, the owner, for a vanilla cone with jimmies. His quick response was: “No Jimmies — Jimmy gone to war.” –Miriam A. Quinlan-Towey, Arlington, VAComments from Facebook
Some of our friendly Facebook fans have also weighed in. When I was going to secretarial school in Boston many moons ago, one of my classmates, from NJ, was really missing her boyfriend, named Jimmy. We got together and got her a cheering-up basket and put “Jimmies” from Brigham’s (where else??) in it along with other essential items. She looked at us puzzled and said, “Why are you giving me sprinkles?” –Jan B. Some think there ARE sprinkles out there, but they’re not the same as jimmies. Jimmies and sprinkles are two different things. Sprinkles are small round and different colors. –Kimberly R. Of course, not everyone agrees with that, either. As a New Englander, everyone I know always called them sprinkles or shots. Never once were they called jimmies, not even in the ice cream shops. –Rosalie C.More New England Ice Cream
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The original Brigham’s in Arlington, MA where the ice cream was made saw many a fan. As a teen and with a driver’s licence we would go from Somerville to Arlington after church for an ice cream and occasional sandwich or hot dog.
Today, when my son visits from Vermont, home of Ben & Jerry, I’ll head to the supermarket for Brigham’s vanilla. His favorite. Naturally, it is the ice cream of choice to top any berry dessert or holiday pie. I miss the Brigham Ice Cream shoppes
Growing up, I was told that Jimmies had a much more racist meaning. That there were rainbow *sprinkles* and chocolate *jimmies*–that they were a reference to the stereotype of Jim Crow. This might be an answer that was used later as an explanation, much like backronyms, but it still always gave me pause. (I grew up in Chelmsford, MA in the 80s and 90s, to give context to where and when I was encountering this phrase.)
In Connecticut, we old-timers call those things scattered on ice cream “chocolate shot”.
I grew up in Upton in the 30-50’s. Always asked for ‘Jimmies’ My brother’s name is Jimmy. We’d say ‘Jimmies’ for Jimmy. My 7 children also asked for ‘Jimmies’
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I always thought the same thing..that it came from a racist meaning and so I avoid using that term.
Right on Charlotte! They are chocolate shot.
Any rumors of Jimmies being linked to racism are just that…rumors.
Here is further info on the origin of the name “jimmies” being associated with Brigham’s…It is from the Mr. Sprinkles website: http://www.mr-sprinkles.com/about
If you are in New England, be sure to ask for “jimmies” and not sprinkles at the supermarket. The name “jimmies” has an interesting history. Dr. Sidney Farber was a renowned cancer researcher who co-founded the famous Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. He also founded a charity named after one of his child patients. The Jimmy Fund has raised millions over the years to help fight childhood cancers.
Dr. Farber worked at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital early in his career. A nephew, Edward Brigham, opened an ice cream restaurant called Brigham’s and charged an extra penny for chocolate sprinkles on a cone, which benefited The Jimmy Fund. Soon, all of New England called sprinkles by the local name.
I was born and raised in CT. and we always called them chocolate shots or sprinkles. I moved to NH in my early twenties (30 years ago now). I will never forget the first time I went out and got an ice cream cone and the person making the cone asked me ” do you want jimmies on that?” I must have looked like an idiot when I responded “Jimmies what?”. I still laugh and tell this story whenever someone mentions jimmies.
Jimmies were chocolate and for ice cream and sprinkles were all colors and were for cakes and cupcakes.
My brother worked at the Friendly’s in West Boylston MA and they called them jimmies there. To me, jimmies are chocolate, and tiny logs. Sprinkles are multi-colored, and can be log-shaped or round and go on cupcakes.
Did any one have jimmie sandwiches! Butter, wonder bread and jimmies! Yum sometimes we added bananas
I worked at Friendly’s in Newburyport, MA and several other Friendly’s in New England. They were always referred to as Jimmies. No idea where the name came from it was just a given. Some people called them chocolate covered ants:)
I grew up in Milwaukee, WI. The chocolate ones were called “jimmies”. Always a treat to have a cone with jimmies on top,
Jimmies are chocolate. sprinkles are all colors
And I’m born and reared in nh since1960!
Rumford, RI – “Jimmies” are chocolate and the multi colored are “Rainbow Sprinkles” or just “Sprinkles”. That is what we called them in our house anyway. Noting like a pistachio ice cream with jimmies from Sunshine Creamery in Rumford, RI.
Lived in CT all my life and even worked at a Friendly’s as a teen, and it’s only ever been sprinkles or shots – no jimmies here!
Grew up on Brigham’s vanilla butterscotch sundaes! Jimmies are chocolate, sprinkles are rainbow ;+>
I always heard the term came from a child’s birthday party. His name was Jimmy. Because he was the birthday boy his mother put some chocolate sprinkles in his ice cream. When the other children asked for some she said no, these are jimmies, for his special day. I also worked at Brigham’s ice cream growing up and they were always referred to as jimmies.
I definitely knew about the word jimmies as a kid growing up in the Hartford area. But I think for me shots are chocolate and sprinkles are rainbow colored. Jimmies is a word I recognize but probably don’t use.
Jimmys are chocolate sprinkles are colors.
-Boston,MA
The brown ones were always the chocolate jimmies and the rainbow ones were rainbow jimmies in Lowell
Grew up in Vermont ànd they were always Jimmies up there! When I moved to Canada in 2006, and tried to order a cone with Jimmies they looked at me like I was from Mars!
I grew up in Philadelphia and they were always jimmies there too. Not just New England calls them that.
Originally from Boston area, grew up in central NH, everyone I know called them jimmies! Moved to PA and no one knows what they are. Have to call them sprinkles here.
As others have said Jimmies are a Brigham’s term and are tied to the Jimmy Fund. I ‘ve heard it went back to the 1950s the Kenmore Square Brigham’s donating Jimmy purchases on game days to the Red Sox Jimmy Fund.
I ‘ve known them as “jimmies” for nearly 70 yrs here in NJ.
I always called them, “jimmies.” That’s what my parents called them. But when out of New England I have to refer to them as “sprinkles” as they don’t know what the heck I’m referring to. They think I’m looking for a person named “Jimmy.” My favorite memory as a child was a vanilla cone dipped in an abundance of jimmies, however my favorite flavored ice cream is coffee. Barbara, Aug. 16, 2019
I grew up in southern NH and they were always called jimmies and the different colored ones were either rainbow jimmies or sprinkles. My daughter was born in GA and we moved all over the states (military family), but I raised her right – she calls them jimmies. 😉
best known flavor of ice cream in Rhode Island is Coffee. The best one is the Autocrat Coffee Milk Ice Cream pints made in R.I. by a company that I checked and is 89 years old called Warwick Ice Cream Co.. It is all Natural and has the best taste of any coffee ice cream in the marketplace. No Jimmies on this product.
I’m from South Jersey, born in 1956. We’ve always called them Jimmies. Vanilla frozen custard with chocolate jimmies….mmmmm
In Connecticut they were called shots. I still use that word when ordering them to be put on a cone but now most people don’t know that term.
I wonder why that word was used years ago.
Brought up Near Brigham’s, Harvard Sq, Cambridge. Every Sunday would walk
over to Brigham’s with cousins and friends for our delightful ice cream and
chocolate jimmies? Even when in night school at Harvard 1957 always went
across the square for ice cream. Brigham’s could not be beat!
Jimmies are chocolate
Sprinkles are colored!
Jimmies are brown , and tasty,
Sprinkles are not!
Amen sistah!
I grew up in Milwaukee WI and we always called them jimmies. In Milwaukee, they were chocolate and were tiny and capsule-shaped. I have a recipe in my grandmother’s handwriting for a Jimmy Cake, which called for a cup of them!! I never heard of sprinkles until we moved to central IL in the ’70s.
I grew up in New Jersey and they have always been “Jimmies”. Nothing New England, nothing racial, just chocolate sprinkles called Jimmies.
Born in Brockton, MA and and for the last 50 years I have called them Jimmies!
I worked at Kathy-Johns Ice Cream Parlor in Mansfield, CT and we offered jimmies (chocolate sprinkles). The nearby UCONN Dairy bar had blue and white sprinkles.
Grew up in Maine. They were always called jimmies especially going to icecream takeouts….never had any debate on it. It was simply what they were called. Although I remember that it referred to the capsule shaped ones, I don’t believe color had anything to do with it. Rainbow or chocolate didn’t matter. Jimmies were what they were called!! This was my childhood experience!!
I grew up in northern New Jersey and we always called them sprinkles.
Growing up in Worcester, MA we always called them jimmies no matter the color. The crunchy ones are the best, less waxy tasting. Sprinkles were the round colored beads called nonpareils.
Born and raised in Connecticut and always called them Jimmies…both parents grew up in the northeastern part of the state so perhaps that’s part of it? When we lived in Fairfield County, no one knew what I was talking about. But yes, some of us in CT did call them Jimmies.
Look, they are and always will be jimmies. Period. End of conversation. From Gloucester, MA
That’s right!!!
Born in Hyde Park, always heard them called jimmies. They were always chocolate, though. Much later when I saw the multi colors I heard those called sprinkles. Chocolate always jimmies, nothing else.
From Bucks County, PA. Always called then jimmies.
I grew up in Randolph, and Jimmies are those capsule shaped things on ice cream whether they are chocolate or coloured. Sprinkles are what you would call nonpareils. I never knew that some people thought this a racist term until I read this article- if there would be purple capsules we would call them purple jimmies.
Jimmies are also a Philadelphia/South Jersey thing. Growing up at the shore in South Jersey during the 80s, we only called them jimmies. If we wanted rainbow, then we asked for rainbow jimmies. I never heard the term sprinkles until I went down south.
Born and raised in NJ, always called them sprinkles. I knew what Jimmies were but we never called them that…
Born in 1962, I grew up in Boston, with both my friends & family always preferring Brigham’s over Friendly’s. Besides the base flavors of Vanilla, Chocolate, Coffee & Strawberry being much more distinct, the Jimmie’s were also special. Not only because they were chocolate and “capsule or log shaped” as many have described, but they were also smaller & darker chocolate than any jimmies or sprinkles from any other ice cream shops. I surely miss them and agree with anyone saying that the larger sprinkles, either (tryna be) chocolate or rainbow, add texture but taste like wax. I’m not familiar with the term Jimmies being considered racist. I like the story about Dana-Farber and The Jimmie Fund and sincerely hope it’s indeed true!!
I grew up on the Connecticut shore in the 1960’s & 70’s and we always called these Jimmies. We’d stop by Mr Frosty’s ice cream stand and get a soft cone with jimmies or chocolate dipped after being on the boat all day. Jimmies were chocolate or rainbow. Great memories.
Growing up on Maryland’s Eastern Shore I always heard them referred to as Jimmies. That was many years ago. I would not refer to them today as such with the possibility of offending someone.
I’m from West Hartford, CT, and got my ice cream from Friendly’s, Carvel and Baskin-Robbins growing up in the early 1980s – jimmies and shots were interchangeable terms for chocolate or rainbow “sprinkles” at all of those places, regardless of color. Probably heard shots more than jimmies but definitely heard both and the terms travel in New England.
I am an old 89 yr old Ct native. The only thing we called sprinkles were “SHOTS” and if I am correct they were only chocolate.
I grew up south of Boston. Brighams was our Ice Cream store and we always called them Jimmies. “Chocolate Jimmies, or Rainbow Jimmies.”. I remember reading the story of Jimmies on a paper menu at brigham’s. A mom was hosting a birthday party for her son Jimmy. Dessert was ice cream. As a special treat for the birthday boy, she shaved little pieces of chocolate to put on his ice cream. When the other guests said they wanted some too, she said “No, that’s Jimmies.”
I remember that in the 60’s my aunt from Connecticut was visiting and we went t Friendly’s for ice cream. They asked her if she wanted jimmies on her cone. She had no idea what they were taking about. She always called them chocolate shot.
Grew up in Lexington in the 80’s and early 90’s. I remember calling the chocolate sprinkles “jimmys” and the rainbow sprinkles “sprinkles”, although I’ve heard other people refer to rainbow sprinkles as “rainbow sprinkles”. We had a Brigham’s and Friendly’s across the street from each other near the firestation. The Friendly’s is now a Starbuck’s and the Brigham’s got absorbed by the Stop and Shop. I miss Friendly’s, and to a lesser extent, Brigham’s.
* rainbow jimmies. erp.
Growing up in Connecticut during the 21st century, I’ve always known them as sprinkles, no matter what color they are. Only in Boston did I hear them called Jimmies. Even my 79-year-old Great Aunt has always called them sprinkles (except for when she lived in Boston).