A long time ago, just across the Great Highway, where the land is over, and the ocean begins, there was Playland at the Beach, San Francisco’s old amusement park. On the weekend, it could draw more than 50,000 people, dying to spend a couple of hours under the flickering lights to eat hamburgers and pies. But the park was closed in 1972. The roller coasters, the merry-go-round, and the Laughing Sal are long gone, but one thing remains. It’s ice cream. It’s It.

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The History of It’s It Ice cream

By Smith, James R. – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

In 1928, George Whitney, one of the owners of Playland at the Beach, put one scoop of vanilla ice cream between two large oatmeal cookies and dipped everything in dark chocolate. Being so thrilled with this new combination, he exclaimed: “It’s it!” and that is how this legendary ice cream sandwich got its name.

For the next 40 years, It’s It was available exclusively at Playland at the Beach until 1972, when the park was demolished. In 1974, the already loved by everyone ice cream found a new home in downtown San Francisco, where it was produced in a small facility. It wasn’t until 1976 that the company moved to the current factory in Burlingame, near the San Francisco Airport.

Oatmeal cookies, vanilla, and six more delicious flavors

The original It’s It is vanilla flavored. But over the years, six more flavors were added: chocolate, cappuccino (my absolute favorite), mint, green tea, strawberry, and pumpkin. In the Bay Area, you can find It’s It in supermarkets and grocery stores (although not all the flavors are always available), or you can order online from here.

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Why I’m so obsessed with It’s It? I mean, it could have been any other ice cream sandwich. To be honest, before trying It’s It, I wasn’t too much into sandwiched ice cream simply because I generally didn’t like chocolate cookies. But I always loved oatmeal and oatmeal cookies. And cappuccino/coffee-flavored ice cream. And most of all, I have always loved foods that tell a story because these stories add flavor and magic to items that are already pretty flavorful on their own.

@IT’S IT Ice cream

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