You know the phrase: “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!”
Ice cream is one of the most classic snacks you can get in Disney World or really anywhere! We’ve seen all kinds of unique ice cream in Disney World and Disneyland, from gingerbread-flavored ice cream to a sweet treat that’s meant to taste like BREAD?! But, if you want to learn about a REALLY unique ice cream treat that almost got made, read on!
There is a BBC Radio 4 podcast that you can check out on the BBC Radio webpage called “You’re Dead to Me.” The podcast is described as a “funny history podcast that learns and laughs about the past.” The host of the show have covered a whole bunch of different topics over its season, and during one episode they discussed The History of Ice Cream.
If you’re a fan of this cold, classic, and delicious treat, then that title alone might be enough to draw you in. But, there’s a special little secret shared right in the beginning of the episode that you NEED to know about.
During the episode, the host had Dr. Annie Gray on as a guest. Dr. Gray is a food historian, an author, and more. And Dr. Gray’s dad was actually a food scientist who helped develop “street ice cream” back in the 90s.
During the podcast, Dr. Gray actually discusses an ice cream product that her dad worked on, which never quite made it to the shelves. At one point during her father’s career, Nestle was working with Disney on tying in products to the films. At the time, a film called “Pooh’s Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin” had come out (this was back in 1997). Dr. Gray shared that during the film Pooh gets stuck in a big pit. So, one of the things that they actually developed was an ice cream called “Pooh in a Hole.”
Yes. Re-read that name and just let that sink in. Pooh. in. a. Hole.
According to Dr. Gray, the idea was for it to be a little jellied Pooh stuck in a pit (or potentially a honey pot) with ice cream all around it. The product supposedly nearly made it to the shelves until someone pointed out that the little jellied Pooh could be a choking hazard for little kids. The product was reportedly dropped in favor of other things like honey pots and Tigger tails. Anyone ever have those while they were a kid? We just hit with a MAJOR wave of nostalgia.
So, Pooh in a Hole ice cream was almost a thing. Pooh in a hole. We’re more amazed that the name itself (and not the potential choking hazard) didn’t stop this treat from being created. There are just so many dangerous things (you know, related to some bodily functions) that can be interpreted when you put the word Pooh in a sentence if you catch our drift.
It’s amazing and hilarious to hear about some of those Disney things that never came to fruition. Who knows? Maybe one day we’ll get an ice cream with Pooh secretly hidden inside of it or some other special creations with unique names.
Click here to listen to the full history of ice cream episode!
What do you think? Would you have eaten Pooh in a Hole ice cream? Tell us in the comments!