What Flavor Is Superman Ice Cream?
POV: You stroll into your local scoop shop, scan the scrumptious selection of ice cream flavors displayed behind the glass, and one particularly vibrant option catches your eye. You refer to the label and find that it boasts the name of a D.C. Comics icon (or a similar, punny name that evades copyright infringements). Are you confused? Intrigued? Curious about how ice cream can taste like a superhero? If you ever have found yourself in this situation, you deserve an explanation. The truth is, there is no uniform superman flavor across all scoop shops.
Superman ice cream is one of the magnificently uncommon ice cream flavors across the U.S. It is comprised of red, yellow, and blue swirls — the same color scheme adorning the "Kryptonian armor" of the superhero for whom the flavor is named. It was born in Michigan in the 1930s and remains a classic treat in the Midwest. While appealing to the eye, these colors create ambiguity in flavor. Even if you take a sample taste, you may not be able to put your finger on the exact flavor notes presented to you.
The myriad flavors that might make up your Superman ice cream
Because Superman ice cream does not come in one standard flavor, individual producers and scoop shops will choose flavors of their own volition. Each color may represent an individual flavor coming together in the colorful combination.
The original red, yellow, and blue ice cream was created by Stroh Ice Cream Company, and the flavors corresponded to the colors. Red was Red Pop (named for a strawberry soda) yellow was lemon, and blue was Blue Moon, another popular Midwestern flavor with an equivocal taste of its own.Seriously, no one seems to know what the flavor of Blue Moon ice cream actually is.
In the decades since, ice cream producers have strayed from this original flavor combination. For instance, the Perry's Ice Cream "Super Hero: flavor features blue raspberry, cherry bubble gum and lemon, while the Hershey Creamery Company's Superman features Blue Moon, strawberry, banana.
Superman's bright colors are made to draw you in
On the other hand, some Superman ice cream variants may feature only one flavor across all colors. For example, the Scooper Hero ice cream from Blue Bunny boasts the signature red, yellow, and blue swirl, but they are all vanilla flavored.
You may wonder what the point of multi-colored, one-note ice cream is. Simply put, people are drawn to bright colors. Studies have shown the impact of color on appetite and the perception of flavor, and they suggest that people are more likely to eat brightly colored foods than their duller counterparts. Since colorful fruits and vegetables tend to be riper and more flavorful in nature, it makes sense that our brains are wired to positively associate more vibrant colors. Many other colorful food products also contain only one flavor, whether the consumer realizes it or not — rainbow sprinkles, Froot Loops (sorry to disappoint) — the list goes on and on.
What's more, the signature swirl of red, yellow, and blue may evoke nostalgia and familiarity for consumers. Superman ice cream is a beloved Midwestern staple sweet, no matter the flavor it actually contains.