Written by Mikenna Richardson on behalf of the Orillia Museum of Art & History (OMAH)
As the weather has been so cold recently, it seems fitting to turn our minds to summer. With warm days (hopefully) around the corner, we should be bracing for those classic heat-relieving treats, especially ice cream.
Orillia has a unique connection to ice cream, since it was a manufacturing centre for ice cream scoops. This began in the 1920s, when the Fisher Motor Company began to manufacture the scoops as ice cream gained popularity after the First World War. With the improvement of refrigeration, more people were able to store small amounts of ice cream and serve it to themselves. This was also when French’s Stand opened in Orillia.
The Fisher Motor Company merged with Tudhope Metal Specialties Ltd. in 1928 and continued to sell a few sizes of scoops. In 1950, the company introduced a colour system to determine the scoop size. From smallest to largest, the colours were yellow, red, green, blue, and black. The scoop featured in the photo above has a dark blue handle, meaning it was the second-largest size available.
These scoops became popular not just in homes but also in restaurants and ice cream parlours, helping to standardize portion sizes. They were especially useful during the Great Depression, when serving sizes were monitored to increase the number of people who could be served from a one-gallon container of ice cream. The durable, easy-to-use design made them a favourite among professionals and home users alike.
Today, vintage Tudhope scoops are sought after by collectors, and their legacy remains an important part of Orillia’s industrial history.
Next week, we will feature another object from the OMAH collection that showcases our local history.