The History of Klondike Bars

William Isaly started the Mansfield Pure Milk Company in Mansfield, Ohio in 1902 to sell milk from his own cows to local hotels and restaurants. After purchasing two more milk companies, he began producing ice cream at his plants and eventually decided to sell the ice cream directly to customers by opening his own stores. In the 1920s, he developed the now-famous chocolate-covered Klondike bar. The original Klondike bars were handmade by dipping square slices of ice cream into pans of milk chocolate. The company offered the bars in six flavors, including Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Cherry, Maple, and Grape. (Vanilla remains the most iconic today, and while most of the others were discontinued, there are several new flavors available today, including Mint Chocolate Chip and Cookies & Crème.) During the Prohibition years, ice cream was extremely popular, and Isaly’s business boomed. When the Great Depression struck, Klondike bars and other affordable offerings helped Islay’s business continue to thrive and cemented the popularity of the treats. Islay’s stores began to decline in the late 1940s, and in 1970, the last two Mansfield locations were shuttered. However, the company’s Klondike bars continued to thrive. Until the 1970s, they were only sold in Pennsylvania and Ohio, but toward the end of the decade, the treat was made available in Florida, New York, and New England, and availability was later expanded nationally. The iconic “What Would You Do for a Klondike?” jingle was released in 1982, boosting the Klondike bar’s popularity tremendously. By the 1990s, it had become the best-selling novelty ice cream treat in the country. Today, Klondike bars remain immensely popular, especially during the summer months.