[1] The original Bomb Pop (photos #1, #2, #3, #4, and #10 © Bomb Pop | Blue Bunny).
[2] Banana Fudge Bomb Pops.
[3] Nerds-flavored Bomb Pops.
[4] Bomb Pop Extremes are super-sour.
[5] The back of the chuck wagon folded down to create a workspace with cabinets of utensils and ingredients (photos #6, #7, #12, and #13 © National Cowboy Museum.
[6] A chuck wagon cook at a re-enactor event. There are many re-enactor events annually in the West. See the footnote* below for some of them.
[7] From ham sandwiches…(photo © Kyle Nieber | Unsplash).
[8] …to lobster rolls (photo © Cousins Maine Lobster).
[9] Can’t afford to open a donut shop? Make it a donut food truck (photo © Rejoice Denhere | Unsplash).
[10] Perhaps the best known food truck is the taco truck (photo © The Township Of North Bergen).
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This week celebrates National Bomb Pop Day, the last Thursday of the month, and National Food Truck Day, the last Friday.
Celebrate with us as we recall the origins of these two food holidays.
THE BOMB POP
The Bomb Pop, originally called the Rocket Pop, is a classic American frozen novelty with a history dating back to the height of Cold War-era patriotism.
It was created in 1955 in Kansas City, Missouri by James S. Merritt and D.S. “Doc” Abernathy, co-founders of Merritt Foods.
Their red (cherry), white (lime), and blue (blue raspberry) rocket-shaped ice pop was an instant success, not only on Independence Day but throughout ice pop season.
Instead of a straight ice pop, it was molded to resemble a rocket—a nod to the burgeoning space age and American military patriotism during the Cold War, s 45-year standoff between the West and the U.S.S.R. that ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The Space Race began on August 2, 1955, when the Soviet Union responded to the U.S. announcement of the program to launch artificial satellites with a similar initiative. (The space race has its origins in the nuclear arms race between the two nations following the World War II.)
The name was shortly changed to Bomb Pop, likely for marketing impact as “bomb” carried a stronger punch and aligned with the explosive popularity and patriotic imagery of the treat. The name was snappier, and also more distinctive and trademarkable.
“Bomb” also evoked the idea of something cool in mid-century slang.
The Bomb Pop was an ice cream truck staple, and celebrates its 70th birthday in August.
As an anniversary promotion, you can head to BombPop.com/70Years to upload win a box of Bomb Pops. Each day, 70 fans will receive refund for a 12-pack of Original Bomb Pops—minus a nickel, the original price.
Head to the website to upload your receipt and “spot a nickel” (the original price of the Bomb Pop) in the presented lineup.
[11] Enter to possibly win a 12-pack for a nickle (photo © Bomb Pops | Blue Bunny).
In 1991, Merritt Foods was sold to Wells’ Dairy (now Wells Enterprises), the makers of Blue Bunny ice cream.
Bomb Pop has since expanded into many flavor variants and licensed character-themed versions, but the red-white-blue original remains the iconic version.
> The history of the Popsicle®, the original ice pop.
> The history of ice cream.
> The different types of frozen desserts: a photo glossary.
> A year of ice cream holidays.
THE HISTORY OF THE FOOD TRUCK
Food trucks have been serving meals on the go since the late 1800s, originating as horse-drawn chuck wagons to feed cattle herders during long cattle drives across the American frontier.
The first mobile kitchen, they were designed to be completely self-sufficient, allowing cooks to prepare meals wherever the herd stopped.
The “chuck” in chuck wagon comes from the slang term chuck, which means food or provisions—particularly the kind of hearty, simple fare that cowboys would eat on the trail.
Anyone who has seen a western film has no doubt seen a chuck wagon, with “cookie” feeding the cowboys. The cook (called “cookie”) was often the second most important person on a cattle drive after the trail boss.
[12] One of Charles Foodnight’s chuck wagons, on display at the National Cowboy Museum in Oklahoma City. See more about the covered wagon top in the footnote† below.
The most famous design was created by Charles Goodnight in 1866, who converted a military surplus wagon into a covered wagon version a mobile kitchen (photo #11, above and footnote† below). Made of sturdy wood, his well-designed and outfitted chuck wagon included:
Chuck Box: The rear portion of the wagon was built as a large wooden cabinet with a hinged lid that folded down to create a work surface for the cook. Inside the cabinet were compartments and drawers for utensils, spices, coffee, beans, flour, and other non-perishable ingredients.
Storage Areas: The wagon bed held larger sacks of supplies—beans, coffee, flour, salt pork, and sometimes live chickens in cages.
Water barrels: Often mounted on the sides of the wagon.
Cooking Equipment: Standard cookware included a coffee pot, Dutch oven, frying pans, and other cast iron cookware.
Cooney: A rawhide sling beneath the wagon for carrying fuel (wood or dried buffalo chips).
Possum Belly: A cowhide hammock slung under the wagon for storing extra equipment or fuel.
[13] Some chuck wagons had a top (called the tilt) that enabled the canvas to be pulled out and staked for a protective canopy.
> Check out this great video on the history of the chuck wagon.
Want to know what the canopy on a covered wagon was called? Check out the footnote†.
Motorized Vehicles Appear
When motorized vehicles became common in the early 1900s, lunch wagons in cities started to use trucks instead of horses, but they retained many of the same organizational principles: compact storage, efficient workspace, and the ability to serve food quickly from a mobile platform.
The transition from horse-drawn wagons to motorized food trucks happened gradually through the early 20th century, but served the same purpose: bringing prepared food directly to hungry people.
In the early 1900s, lunch wagons appeared in urban areas to serve factory workers.
Ice cream trucks became widespread in the mid-20th century, bringing sweet treats directly to neighborhoods.
Taco trucks emerged in the 1970s and 80s, particularly in Los Angeles, serving Mexican-American communities and introducing gourmet street food to a broader audience.
Gourmet Food Trucks
The real food truck revolution began in the 2000s with the rise of gourmet food trucks.
In Los Angeles in 2008 Roy Choi’s Kogi BBQ truck is often credited with sparking the modern gourmet food truck movement by serving Korean-Mexican fusion cuisine and using social media to announce locations.
His success showed that food trucks could offer restaurant-quality food at accessible prices. Lobster sandwich food trucks and other high-end products followed.
Similarly, specialty bakers have embraced food trucks to sell cupcakes, donuts, bao, and other popular foods, their current locations daily via social media.
Today, food trucks—both everyday and finer cuisine—represent a significant part of the food service industry, offering everything from artisanal grilled cheese to authentic ethnic cuisines.
Just as important, they’ve become “incubators for culinary entrepreneurs who want their own restaurants, and the much lower startup costs (compared to traditional brick-and-mortar establishments) enable more people to get into the business.
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*Chuck wagon re-enactment events can be readily found across the country. These events typically feature authentic 1880s chuck wagons using historic cooking methods, Western reenactors, live entertainment, and opportunities to experience what life was like during the cattle drive era. Many are competitive cook-offs where teams compete for championship titles using traditional Dutch oven cooking techniques. Some notable events:
> Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Annual Chuck Wagon Festival in May.
> Llano, Texas, Llano River Chuck Wagon Cook-off. This celebration is a past winner of the “Best Chuck Wagon Event” by the American Chuck Wagon Association, and True West Magazine’s Reader’s Choice for the “Best Chuck Wagon Cook-Off.” Held on National Food Truck Day.
> Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, Chuck Wagon Cookoff. Held on National Food Truck Day.
> Chandler, Arizona, held on National Food Truck Day. Authentic 1880s chuck wagon teams use historic cooking methods to create the best five-course meals fit for the trail. (Note that cowboys on the trail generally got just biscuits, beans, coffee, and sometimes pie.) Held on National Food Truck Day.
> Abilene, Texas, Western Heritage Classic Cookoff Champion competition, with dozens of chuck wagons from across the southwest competing. Held on National Food Truck Day.
> Cookeville, Tennessee, Demonstration Day, includes a Chuckwagon Festival Kids Cook-Off, immersive Wild West reenactments, and wagon rides. Held on National Food Truck Day.
The white canopy on top of a covered wagon is called a “tilt” or more commonly a “wagon.” Other terms that have been used include bonnet, canvas cover (the fabric it’s made from), wagon top, and prairie schooner top (the wagons themselves were called prairie schooners because their white canvas covers resembled ship sails from a distance).
The cover was usually made of canvas or other heavy cloth, stretched over wooden hoops or bows that created the distinctive arched shape. It provided essential protection from sun, rain, and dust during long journeys across the frontier. As you can see in photo #__, it could also be stretched out to create a canopy to shield cowboys from the sun during their meal break.
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