Dickie Dee

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From 1959 to 2002 Dickie Dee Ice Cream was Canada's national ice cream vending company. Started in 1959 by the Barish family, it grew to be one of the largest ice cream vending companies in North America. At its peak, Dickie Dee had approximately 1500 Ice Cream Pedal Bikes (more like a tricycle) across Canada and in the Northern US. The bike was really a backwards trike with a fiberglass compartment on the front. Dickie Dee also had a Fleet of Ice Cream Trucks that sold their wares in areas that had hills and could not easily be serviced by the traditional bikes. In the 1980s Dickie Dee sold a line of products called the "Space Fleet". Space Fleet items were jumbo sized and were very popular.

During the late 1980s and early 90s Dickie Dee promoted its products at gas stations and retail outlets through unique freezers called "Bubble Cabinets" which were display chest type freezers with a clear plastic dome shaped lid that allowed customers to look inside and see the products.

Dickie Dee maintained a network of distributors to operate its equipment. Distributors leased the equipment and purchased the products from designated company suppliers. Small distributorships were turnkey operations that could be run from a family garage while larger centres had warehouses and yards.

In 1992 Dickie Dee was sold to Unilever and became a division of Good Humor-Breyers. Good Humor-Breyers maintained the Dickie Dee Brand and Program until approximately 2002. Today much of the remaining equipment is privately owned by former distributors who are still in the business and maintain independent operations.