Ben & Jerry’s Schweddy Balls ice cream became an instant success the moment it was announced but now the Saturday Night Live inspired ice cream has run into a hurdle, the blacklisting of the flavor at some supermarket chains.
The ice cream which features fudge-covered rum balls and was inspired by an SNL Alec Baldwin skit from 1998 has been met with protests from the typical wackadoo organizations including the One Million Moms organization.
That group of overprotective moms have been pressuring retailers to remove the product or face boycotts at their stores, they have also begged parents to write to Ben & Jerry’s to stop production of the product, stating that the “locker room humor” isn’t good for young children.
At this time most chains refusing to carry the flavor have not said whether the One Millions Moms group led to their decision.
In the meantime Suzi Robinson, a spokeswoman for the Quincy, Mass.-based Stop & Shop chain told Boston.com:
“We haven’t received any complaints that we’re not carrying that flavor. However, if we do get feedback from customers that they want it, we’ll certainly revisit the decision.”
Other chains refusing to carry the flavor including Roche Bros. and Big Y grocery chains and Publix which controls locations all over the southeaster U.S. I personally checked both Schnuck’s stores in my area (Central, IL) and was not able to find the flavor which could be due to regional distribution if not a direct ban on the product.
In the meantime Ben & Jerry’s appears to be getting the last laugh versus One Million Moms, announcing on Thursday that the new flavor has quickly become the company’s best selling “limited-edition” flavor.
Perhaps if parental groups like One Million Moms spent more time speaking with their children and spending time with them something as trivial as the name schweddy balls won’t matter. I can picture it now: “Hey mom want to go to the zoo?… Sorry son/daughter I can’t this year I’m too busy protecting you and other peoples children from trivial matters that you don’t carry about or even notice.”
