Eskimo Pie Ice Cream Bars Officially Have A New Name: Edy's Pie
Update, October 6, 2020: Dreyer's announced this week that it had chosen a new name for its ice cream bars, formerly named Eskimo Pie. They'll now be rebranded as "Edy's Pie."
The company confirmed the change to The TODAY Show and said the new name was chosen to honor the company's founder, Joseph Edy.
“The name Edy’s Pie was chosen in honor of one of our company’s founders, candy maker Joseph Edy, as well as a form of tribute to the entrepreneurial origins of this treat,” head of marketing for Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream Elizabell Marquez told the outlet: “The Eskimo Pie was created over 100 years ago by a candy store owner who wanted to appease a young boy’s indecision on whether to buy ice cream or a chocolate bar with his nickel—he invented a way to coat ice cream with melted chocolate, and the rest was history.”
You can expect to see updated packaging with the new name in early 2021.
Original, June 22, 2020: Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream announced this week that its Eskimo Pie ice cream bars will be getting a new brand name, acknowledging in a statement that the current name is "derogatory."
In a statement obtained by Fox Business, Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, the U.S. subsidiary for Froneri, which acquired Nestle USA Ice Cream late last year, said that the move is part of the company's larger review of its products.
“We are committed to being a part of the solution on racial equality, and recognize the term is derogatory,” said head of marketing for its parent Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream Elizabell Marquez in a statement obtained by the outlet: “This move is part of a larger review to ensure our company and brands reflect our people values.”
It's not clear when the change will occur or what the new name will be.
The ice cream bar, which is vanilla ice cream with a chocolate coating, and was America's first chocolate-covered ice cream bar, was patented in 1922. As Smithsonian Magazine pointed out, its name "traded heavily on a stereotype" of indigenous people in the Arctic. You can read more about the word and why it's considered to be a derogatory term by many here.
This news comes as several food brands have pledged to change or reevaluate their packaging because of images and names that have racist origins. Just last week, Quaker Oats announced it would be changing the logo and name of its Aunt Jemima brand, acknowledging that its "origins are based on a racial stereotype." Mars also announced that it would "evolve" its Uncle Ben's branding and Conagra Foods told Forbes on Wednesday that it has "begun a complete brand and packaging review on Mrs. Butterworth’s."
You Might Also Like
