Monday, August 10, 2009
Lost Memphis Remember the Merrymobiles
Posted by Vance Lauderdale on Mon, Aug 10, 2009 at 1:31 PM
The brainchild of a local ice-cream vendor named Robert Heffelfinger, these red, white, and blue merry-go-rounds on three wheels rolled down suburban streets in the summertime. The putt-putt of the little one-cylinder engines and tinkling bells suspended from the aluminum canopy told every kid in the neighborhood, "The Merrymobile's here!" and they'd scramble outside and wait on the curb, their fists clutching nickels and dimes. The driver could reach into freezers on either side of his seat and hand out ice-cold popsicles, Buried Treasures, Drumsticks, Eskimo Pies, and other mouthwatering delights. The prices were a treat, too. Back then, a popsicle cost six cents, an ice-cream sandwich a dime.
At one time, some 80 Merrymobiles operated out of the Merrymobile Ice Cream Company's headquarters on Broad, but by 1973 the fleet had dwindled to a dozen. When the firm went out of business a few years later, most of the little cars ended up in a dump in Tipton County (or so I heard). But a handful survived, and one from the early 1950s, identified by a metal tag as number 43, sat forlornly outside Sid's Auto Frame Alignment Shop in Millington for years.
Several years ago, that one was purchased and fully restored by Joe Patty, a nice fellow who's the owner of the Lickety-Split Ice Cream Company in Memphis. It was quite a job, since it was missing its lights, wheels, and engine (which was replaced with an engine from a golf cart). But once again people took joy at the sight of a Merrymobile trundling along the streets of Memphis. There was just something about these things that made you smile. Joe's little Merrymobile is still in use today, usually for special events since it's kind of pokey on the roads. If you'd like to see photos of the Merrymobile restoration project, go here: http://www.licketyspliticecream.net/merry.html
In the meantime, I thought you'd enjoy a glimpse of this fleet of Merrymobiles, taken from a 1969 Hutchison School yearbook. If you want to show the school's "Most Popular" student — in this case, Dabney Coors — what better way than to perch her atop some Merrymobiles?
Comments (9)
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Oh joyous rapture! The sight of the Merrymobile that awaited us at the top of the hill after school. My request was always the same: sky blue popsicle. A few years back, when my daughter was a teen and still into Old Navy, we walked into the store and she was a little embarrassed when a little girl squeal came out of her mother's mouth saying, "Oooh, it's the MERRYMOBILE!" They were using what appeared to be a renovated Merrymobile from ages of old as a display that had myriads of their colorful t-shirts folded and laid out around the circular shelf where the magical icy delights used to be hidden below. As I shared the history of the Merrymobile with my daughter, we were brought a little closer together that day, as she was reminded I was once a child too.
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Of course, I have every jingle I have ever heard locked away among the damaged neurons ...
(Sing to the tune of "Here we go 'round the mulberry bush)
We're waiting for the Merrymobile,
the Merrymobile, the Merrymobile,
We're waiting for the Merrymobile,
We meet it every day!
I remember those wonderful Merrymobiles! We lived in a cove and our Merrymobile had no choice but to stop and turn around. This gave us a little extra time to come flying out the front door, jump straight off the porch while clearing the holly bushes, and roll down the hill to the curb, still clutching the few coins it took to buy a piece of heaven. Mine was a "Nutty Buddy"! There is a restored Merrymobile in Horn Lake. I can't remember what is now written on it, but it is unmistakable! :)
Not long ago, I was at a party and ran into a gentleman I hadn't seen in almost 30 years. We chatted some and agreed to meet for lunch at a later date. While enjoying our lunch we reminisced about our youth in the Memphis of the late '50s and early '60s. Of all the things we talked about, nothing drew as great of a response as when I asked him if he remembered the Merrymobiles. His face glowed as he said, "Do I ever!" To a small child then, there was something almost magical about those mobile carousels and the treats they contained. It probably made good business sense to replace them with trucks when they did and of course the ice cream was still the same, but to us, some of the "magic" was gone.
http://www.pablooceanique.com
I am really feeling very good after watching Merrymobiles images, what is great about it is, it brings joy in many lives.
There's 1 still around today.
http://www.angelfire.com/ex2/licketysplit/…
http://www.angelfire.com/ex2/licketysplit/…
Pease take a look at my Facebook link. I will have an all original MerryMobile restoration project done in the next couple of weeks and I have created a page with the info. Thanks!!
Kelly Jones
Louisville, Kentucky
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/MerryMobile/174302215974453
A hot humid day in the middle of summer and an orange dream popsicle from the MerryMobile!! The best!
