Feb20

it’s it.

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Gastro Obscura tell us what it’s it – This classic San Franciscan ice cream sandwich is it, isn’t it?

What’s so delicious that everyone exclaims it’s “IT!”? It’s an It’s It, of course. These ice cream sandwiches, featuring two old-fashioned oatmeal cookies dipped in dark chocolate, have been a San Francisco Bay Area classic since 1928.

George Whitney, inventor of the It’s It, was known as “The P.T. Barnum of the Golden Gate.”  Whitney managed and later owned, a seaside amusement park called Playland-at-the-Beach, located on Ocean Beach in San Francisco. It was at Playland that Whitney first began peddling the original It’s It, using vanilla ice cream.

The frozen goodness became an instant hit at Playland, where it was sold exclusively for more than 40 years. After the amusement park closed down in 1972, a man named George Mavros continued selling It’s Its on Ocean Beach. Eventually, It’s Its found new ownership and an urban home in SoMa in San Francisco, where they steadily gained traction as a popular treat, on or off the beach.

In 1976, a larger factory opened nearby to accommodate the increasing demand for It’s Its. This location is still operational, and now reportedly makes 100,000 treats per day. It is also home to a factory store, where visitors can try all seven varieties of It’s Its, including vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, mint, cappuccino, pumpkin spice, and, most recently, green tea.

Today, It’s Its are sold in 8 states. Clearly, the classic confection’s reputation precedes itself: In 2011, It’s Its sold a reported 14 million sandwiches, despite spending no money on advertising.

 

what’s your favorite treat that makes you say ‘it’s it?’

“it is what it is, it is what you make it.”

-james durbin

60 responses »

  1. For me, my “It’s it” is Venetian Mints made by Montango Candies right here in Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania. They are a third generation family-owned and operated business hand-crafting delicious confections since 1947. Their products are all natural, with no preservatives, and still hand-crafted the same way they did it over sixty years ago.

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  6. They have a bakery here, Lady M. They make a cake called Mille crepe. It’s not really a cake but about twenty layers of crepes with a think layer of cream in between each layer. It manages to be light and immensely satisfying at the same time. Clearly my favorite…

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  10. I love ice cream sandwiches but not with cookies, just the regular ones. I’m not sure what my favorite treat is, because I wouldn’t want to hurt the feelings of ALL the things I think are delicious. Although, I must admit to being partial to GHIRARDELLI’S INTENSE DARK/SEA SALT SOIREE…in a big way. Eating it makes me feel like a magician, since I can make a bar, or bag, disappear in no time.

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  14. Sounds yummy! The name feels like classic 1980’s marketing to me. Like bubble gum tape, remember that? It wasn’t very good tasting, but the marketing was clever. What kid doesn’t want to chew on a measuring tapes worth of bubble gum? Ha,ha,ha

    BTW: I published a post last night called “Allegories & Interlopers” inspired by your post “Child’s story” which is hot-linked at the bottom of it. The post took an unexpected turn, but weaved together well so I let it be. I always struggle with how much to share and how much to keep guarded.

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