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Carvel is marking a milestone in ice cream history as its signature Flying Saucer sandwich — inspired by America’s 1950s-era UFO craze — turns 75 this week.
Billed as the “original round ice cream sandwich,” the Flying Saucer features soft-serve vanilla sandwiched between two chocolate wafers. Created by founder Tom Carvel, it debuted in 1951.
The treat’s name and shape were inspired by the UFO obsession sweeping the country at the time, according to the company.
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In 1947, a pilot’s widely publicized report of a “flying saucer” sighting sparked hundreds of similar claims across the U.S., according to History.com and historical accounts.
This led to a full-blown cultural fixation heading into the 1950s, when Carvel’s Flying Saucer launched along with the opening of the company’s 100th store, according to Westchester magazine.
The Flying Saucer, introduced in 1951, features Carvel’s soft-serve ice cream between two chocolate wafers. (Thomas Cordy/Palm Beach Post/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
The milestone followed Carvel’s founding in 1934, when Tom Carvel began selling melting ice cream roadside after his truck broke down in Hartsdale, New York, according to reports.
Customers embraced the texture, later branded as “soft serve,” helping to launch what became the country’s first retail ice-cream franchise.
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“From Tom Carvel’s first roadside stand in 1934 to the creation of the Flying Saucer during the 1950s UFO craze, our brand has always embraced a spirit of imagination and fun,” Marissa Sharpless, Carvel’s vice president of marketing, said in a company news release.
The nostalgic Flying Saucer treat remains one of Carvel’s most recognizable menu items. (Thomas Cordy/Palm Beach Post/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
The dessert is one of Carvel’s most recognizable menu items, alongside its novelty ice-cream cakes, with over two million flying off shelves last year.
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“The Flying Saucer endured the test of time because it is simple, nostalgic and the taste has remained unchanged,” the company told Digital. “It is a treat that resonates across generations, one that parents pass down to their kids, who become fans themselves because it tastes just as good as it did 75 years ago.”
Oversized Flying Saucer inflatables “crash-landed” at select Carvel locations to mark the treat’s anniversary. (Thomas Cordy/Palm Beach Post/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
The Friday anniversary coincides with the first day of spring, with Carvel offering the treat for 75 cents at participating locations.
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Carvel is also leaning into the treat’s out-of-this-world theme with oversized Flying Saucer inflatables that have “crash-landed” at three historic shop locations in Coney Island, New York; Massapequa, New York; and West Palm Beach, Florida.
Carvel has grown into a global brand with more than 300 U.S. locations. (iStock)
The sites were chosen for their ties to the brand’s history. The Coney Island shop has been operated by the same family for four generations, the Massapequa location reflects Carvel’s New York roots, and the Florida store was once used by Carvel to test new products during the winter, according to the company.
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Today, Carvel has more than 300 U.S. locations and hundreds more worldwide.
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Beyond the one-day promotion, loyalty members can purchase a six-pack of Flying Saucers for $7.50 this weekend, while a weekday deal offers buy-one, get-one 50% off six-packs Monday through Thursday.
