In 1965 my brother and I neither knew nor cared that the Merrymobile was a slow-moving road hog on the streets of Memphis.  From our vantage point in the Lamar Terrace it's jingling bells were a siren's song.  For about five cents one could by a popsicle, which in my world was always a flavor called Sky Blue...  They sold more expensive products like the "Rockets" made up mainly in bullet-shaped ice cream, but they probably did not sell too many in the Lamar Terrace.

The creator of the Merrymobiles was a man named Robert Heffelfinger.  Every summer he sent these low-powered (one-cylinder) contraptions into the streets of Memphis to attract hot and hungry youngsters.  Carrying a full barrage of ice cream sandwiches, Eskimo pies, bullets, popsicles and drumsticks the Merrymobile driver received, if nothing else, the unerring devotion of Memphis's children.  They were slow and took up most of the road, so their popularity with adults was a bit less.

The shop which was based on Broad Street at one time had 80 Merrymobiles on the street.  Mostly covering Memphis, but also stretching out to places such as Des Moines.  By 1973 the number of Merrymobiles went down to about a dozen.  The business closed and the remaining big, slow but brightly covered Popsicle Meccas were disposed of in a Tipton County salvage yard.

One survived and sat unattended in front of an auto shop in Millington, just north of Memphis.  Around 2004 the remaining hulk was bought and restored by Joe Patty a local entrepreneur, police officer and owner of Lickety Split, a seller of premium ice cream that specializes in providing on-site ice cream sells for social events.  While the web site still exists (at www.licketyspliticecream.net) and still has the before and after restoration pictures of the Merrymobile, the company has been trying to sell the restored vehicle.  At last notice this restored vehicle had been offered on auction at eBay.  Asking prices appear to have ranged from $5,000 to $6,500, but I am not certain at this time if it has been sold.