Monday, November 7, 2011

Dippin' Dots Demise?

Dippin' Dots--little beads of ice cream sold in a cup for 3-6 bucks. For years, my kids have been begging me for the tiny globes of goodness. In a variety of flavors, Dippin' Dots has enchanted children (and adults) from the get go.


I never got very excited about them, myself. I prefer my ice cream rich, thick, and scoopable. I also prefer my ice cream inexpensive, and it seemed ridiculous to pay such an exorbitant amount for what looked like popsicles run through a food processor.

Apparently, I'm not alone. Dippin' Dots recently filed for bankruptcy according the the Wall Street Journal. You can read all about it in Katy Stetch's article, "Dippin' Dots Tries To Avoid a Meltdown," which is linked.

It got me to thinking about other ice cream phenomenons I rarely see anymore. Take TCBY frozen yogurt. Twenty years ago a franchise opened near us, and for months the line snaked out the door. The soft serve treat was good, but it, too, was expensive.

We used to see Baskin Robbins and Dairy Queens everywhere, but I have to drive to a major city to find one anymore.

One ice cream franchise I see everywhere, or at least it seems like it, is Cold Stone Creamery. We tried it once, and it was yummy, but four tiny bowls cost more than a fast food meal. I simply can't justify making Cold Stone Creamery a habit at those prices.

Most of our ice cream is purchased on sale and consumed at home. My favorite brand is Edy's, and I'm a huge fan of their low fat selections. Occasionally, we'll indulge in a McFlurry, or, if it's summertime, we'll stop at one of our local, seasonal ice cream joints. We also like to make our own shakes and smoothies.

Still, my children will mourn the loss of Dippin' Dots. As for me, I'll smile inside knowing I won't have to listen to, "Ooo, look, Dippin' Dots..." when we head to the zoo, an amusement park, or the mall.

Have you ever tried Dippin' Dots? Are you sad they may no longer be available?

Have a lovely Monday!

29 comments:

  1. DiDs are okay, but I'm like you on the cost. My fav is a small chocolate soft serve at DQ for $1.49, and There's literally one about a mile from my house. yes, we go weekly. And I wonder why I can't lose weight? :-/

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  2. Oh, Dippin' Dots! I remember being at the NY State Fair for a week with 4H, and getting free samples once a day from the Dippin' Dots venders. I once bought a full cup, and found I actually preferred the samples; those little "dots" were way better when dumped into your mouth in one fell swoop than when you had to spoon them in. In my opinion, anyway!

    So although they have some nostalgic value for me, I won't mourn their loss too much. As long as there's always a Ben & Jerry's in VT, I'm good.

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  3. I loved DQ for the soft serve. But we have a great place near out lake for that on summer days. So no, I won't miss them too much!

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  4. Kerry: I know--ice cream is tooooo good! And I've always loved DQ. Bring on the Blizzards!

    ELouise: Too funny that the samples were better! It's funny how that works, isn't it? :)

    Laura: I adore summer ice cream stands. We found a fab one "Captain Sundae" by the campground we vacationed at this year. Of course, we called it "Cappy's." :)

    Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  5. The cost kills my motivation! I love ice cream the old fashioned way- in the freezer section of the grocery store:)

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  6. This is a pretty good analogy for writers too. Commonly we see the fads come and go but in the end it's about what the consumer, the audience, wants. If we're not giving them what they want when they want it, the demand will fade. Let's hope we're not the next DiDs..

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  7. I've never had them. I'm not a huge ice cream fan to begin with. I like it occasionally during the summer, but not something I crave when the temps drop into the 20s and 30s

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  8. Yikes, I don't know that I've ever had Dippin' Dots.

    I agree about Cold Stone though. Way too expensive for me.

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  9. I'm with you on the traditional rich, creamy versions of ice cream. I tried Dippin' Dots once from a vendor. They were so cold they burned my tongue, and I wasn't impressed with the flavor so much once they melted. I certainly won't be shedding a tear when they go.

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  10. I had chocolate and mint Dippin Dots about a month or so ago at the Indianapolis Zoo. I enjoyed it - not something I would want all of the time.

    On the down side - the serving was way over priced for what I got.

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  11. Our daughter had Dippin' Dots a couple of times but wasn't all that impressed. We took her to Cold Stone once, and my hubby and I choked on the prices. These days when she's home from college our gal gets store-brand ice cream and is happy with it, which makes my hubby and me much happier.

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  12. Every waterpark we've been to had dippin' dots - SO glad to see that go! I like Cold Stone. We don't do it so much because around here at least, the portions are HUGE. And, yumm, those waffle cones!

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  13. I think I may have had Dippin Dots years ago. I agree with you on the price, though. We have boutique frozen yogurt shops here where you can add your own combinations of flavors and toppings. I like the novelty, but I can't justify paying 5 or 6 bucks for two scoops of yogurt. Seriously.

    On a different note, I awarded you the Tell Me About Yourself blog award. I'll be posting about it tomorrow. Hope you'll check it out. No pressure to participate if you're busy, though :-)

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  14. Tried it once, not a fan:) We have lots of good for you, frozen yogurt stores popping up around us. We have a favorite and they are reasonable and healthy to boot! It's our favorite place to go for a treat:)

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  15. We have a dairy farm nearby that, I swear, makes some of the creamiest stuff on earth. Love Robb's ice cream!
    ~ Wendy

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  16. I didn't know that Dippin' Dots took a downturn!
    My kids LOVE Dippin Dots too. But yes, they are so expensive!!
    My motherinlaw even brought some home from the mall in a special container for my daughter's bday party. I'm glad I didn't have to pay for that treat for the party!
    My fave ice cream place is DQ. The Cold Stone near us closed, probably because people just can't pay those prices anymore.

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  17. Yeah, my kids always want those Dippin' Dots, too. We had them once somewhere--can't remember--and they were okay. Banana Split, I think :) But you're right, kind of expensive. We don't buy ice cream often, so even a $1 cone from McDonald's is a treat. However, they did open this new frozen yogurt place by us and they kids ALWAYS want to go there. Their prices are, thankfully, fairly reasonable.

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  18. LOL, My husband always goes on about getting Dippin Dots at the zoo, and I just can't get excited about it. Blech.

    We're big connoisseurs of Edy's Grand Light and Dairy Queen around here. :)

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  19. Oh, love, love, love all these comments!! And it's so nice to know I'm not alone on the price and value of ice cream. I often feel like a "mean" mom, but come on--some of these treats cost way too much. :)

    Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  20. Jill:
    Never heard of Dippin'Dots. We are DQ people. There used to be on a block and a half from our house. Now, there's one over by the University that sometimes gets our business.
    A lady I know and her husband opened an ice cream shop about a mile and a half up the road from us. It's rather expensive.
    Sometimes, we get our ice cream fix from the grocery store. It's easier on the budget.

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  21. I've never had Dippin Dots, and I don't like ice cream because it's too sweet (I never can eat past the first bite). But I love gelato if it's done well. I love the fad of gourmet coffee shops making gelato. I hope it doesn't die out too soon.

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  22. I'm always sad when something's no longer available! I also get a little guilty feeling. Like maybe if I had cared a little more, then it'd still be around.

    And then I remember that it was $3-6 a cup, and the guilt goes away.

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  23. I love Dippin' Dots! But I'm with you, the prices are too steep and my mouth gets so tired working to melt the things. LOL

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  24. Ha! It's funny how we can feel guilt/sympathy for businesses we don't even like! And I've heard wonderful things about Gelato. I will be trying it. :)

    Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  25. So sad to hear about Dippin' Dots demise. :(

    I rarely eat ice cream. I might as well slather it on my thighs because that's right where the calories go. And I'm trying very hard to keep the weight off.

    Now chocolate is another matter. :)

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  26. Hi Jill -

    I can't eat ice cream, but we have both a Baskin Robbins and DQ in our town. I've never heard of Dippin' Dots.

    Blessings,
    Susan :)

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  27. So true Jill. No one likes this "ice cream" for long. It has a short life span. People try it but always go back to regular creamy ice cream and leave the hard frozen pellets to melt away.

    Thank you for this article.

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  28. Thank you for this article Jill. I agree with you-much prefer soft creamy traditional ice cream. Dippin dots has had its day. People may try it, but they eventually return to the smooth beloved creamy REAL ice cream.

    Dippin' Dots corporate is putting a spin on their re-org bankruptcy trying to downplay it, but anyone whose been associated with this company knows they are going down!

    Former Dippin' Dots franchisee.

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  29. A true writer and journalist should know that it's very important to do your homework before making assumptions that may or may not be correct. Dippin' Dots filed for Chapter 11...a reorganization of finances. They are still in business and have no plans of not continuing and are conducting business as usual. With the recent economic downturn, MANY businesses have failed, including Dippin' Dot individual franchisees. Regardless of what your ice cream preferences are, it would do you good to know what you are talking about before spreading untrue tales.

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