The Ice Cream Man -1950s

Like all kids, we looked forward to the ice cream man in the 1950s in the Bronx. If we were out playing when he came we would scream up at the window for ma to throw down money. That is, if we were allowed to have ice cream. 

Money would be thrown down in a hanky that was tied or pinned.  If she didn't hear us screaming we would have to run up the flights of stairs (8 in my case) burst in the door screaming the ice cream man is here!

This is how we got ice cream back in the stone age. 😄

Yes, a push cart. I remember we had a nice ice cream man on our block.  Sometimes he gave out little gifts to the kids.  One time he gave me a big chalkware piggy bank! I was So Happy!

My mother put it on top of her bureau. Soon I had a nickel to put in it! I am saving money!

Even sooner I wanted the nickel to buy candy.  I grabbed the pig...and dropped it. 😢

It cracked all over the floor, but I got my nickel while my mother swept up my piggy bank. I hounded the ice cream man for awhile but he never gave me another piggy bank. sigh

At times he would run out of ice cream.  Just on our long block, with apartment (tenement) buildings on both sides of the road,  would have hundreds of kids. 

After all, we were the baby boomers.