Snow cones are not just for summer.

Watching my dog Moe eagerly nibble the freshly fallen snow, a readily available frozen treat that miraculously turned to water conjured up snowy childhood memories. After the exertion of rolling 3 balls of heavy snow to build a lumpy snowman, I built up an appetite and thirst. With my woolen mittens covered with little crystals of snow, I would scoop up double handfuls of heavy wet snow placing it in a paper Dixie cup to eat as a melt-in-your-mouth refreshing snack.

It was like summertime in the winter because eating a real snow cone was generally something reserved for summertime walks on the boardwalk at Long Beach where Italian shaved ice snow cones were sold at seasonal stands. Flavored with an assortment of day-glo-colored syrup, it was wet, sweet, and satisfying.

Frosty the Sno-Man

Some lucky kids could have a snow cone all year round right in their own home.

And you didn’t need actual snow to create it! All that was required was a Frigidaire.

A toy I coveted as a child but never owned was Hasboro’s Frosty Sno-Man Sno-Cone Machine. Like an Easy Bake Oven, it allowed you to create familiar snacks at home, without the help of Mom.

According to the TV commercials that ran continuously beginning in 1967 it not only would make you popular with all the kids it could help you earn extra money too by selling it to others at your own sno-cone stand raking in enough dough to keep you well stocked in all the Archie Comic books you could buy.

In real life, Frosty stood at just 10” tall but this sturdy white plastic figurine was a powerhouse factory for icy treats.

Just load ice cubes from your own freezer into the top of Frosty’s head, push the frozen cubes down using Frosty’s plastic hat, and then manually crank a red circular grinder on the back to create ice shavings. When pulverization was complete, just scoop out the “snow” with the red plastic shovel, and place it into the funnel-shaped paper cups that came as a part of Frosty’s accessory package.

The best part of the sno-cone was the sweetener and Hasbro provided five chemical laden flavor choices: orange, grape, pineapple, blueberry, and pink lemonade.

Then sit back and relax as you watch the kids race to your home in their PF Flyers for a chance at their own homemade sno-cone.

And neighborhood dogs would race over too.

Southern Sno-Balls

To some, the signature treat is known as a snow cone and to others as shaved ice but in New Orleans, it’s called a snowball. Since 1936 Hansen’s Snow Bliz has offered a sweet treat in New Orleans.

It’s no wonder that my Louisiana lab Moe gravitated to this snowy, icy delicacy.

His home state was the home of the first sno-ball and is wildly popular there.

Who knew?

What I learned from Moe, Louisiana snowballs ( or sno-balls)  are not the same as what is known as “snow cones” in the rest of the country.

Snow cones consist of coarse crunchy ice while snowballs are made from fine fluffy shaved ice that’s easier to eat.

The ice man delivering ice was once a common sight.

Kids ( and dogs) have long loved icy treats, especially in sweltering southern summer.

Before refrigeration and freezers children would follow ice wagons asking for ice shavings to eat to cool down in the sweltering summer.

Soon vendors in cities like New Orleans set up pushcarts and hand-shaved ice from the blocks. After filling a paper cone with shaved ice, they would pour one of the original syrup flavors on top—strawberry, pineapple, or spearmint.

A big leap forward came in the 1930s when two New Orleans snowball pioneers, Ernest Hansen, and George Ortolano independently invented electric ice-shaving machines. It didn’t take long for the snowball machines to become available commercially, and the snowball craze to take off.

In 1934, inventor Ernest Hansen patented the first known “ice block shaver” He was inspired to create a more refined and hygienic version of the popular Italian ice sold from push-carts in the city. His wife Mary created many flavors of fresh syrups to flavor his finely shaved artificial “snow”.

In 1936 they took it to the streets and opened Hansen’s Snow Blitz.

Sno-Wizard

By this time, grocer George Ortolano had invented his own ice-shaving machine, which he later called the Sno-Wizard. Ortolano redeveloped his original wooden machine into one made of galvanized metal after he began receiving requests from people who wanted to use his machine to start their own businesses. He drew up blueprints and set his product into automated production.

Ortolano’s Sno-Wizards are now the primary sno-ball machines used in Louisiana and throughout the Gulf Coast.

The invention of the snowball machine helped the treat become popular throughout all of South Louisiana. Snowball stands popped up everywhere from Baton Rouge to Lake Charles, and in dozens of small towns in between. Today, you can find sno-ball stands throughout all of Louisiana.

Moe may miss his Louisiana sno-ball stands but there is plenty of New York snow for him to satisfy his Southern cravings.