"Hokey Pokey" Originator Dead (1907)

[Sam Clements]

I think Doug is correct.  Using Ancestry.com, I found no cites from
1860-1886 in any context discussing ice cream.   But an 1887 cite is
interesting:

>From the Statesville(NC) Landmark, June 30, 1887, p. ?, col. 4,
   Titled "OUR NEW YORK LETTERS"

     Down town on the narrow streets where the crowds press sunstrokes
happen.  The Ice cart is a cool thing and in some of the poorer parts of the
city it is looked for as eagerly as the mail train at a country station.
Little dirty-legged children run after it, gather about it when it stops and
when the iceman breaks off a big lump scramble for the chips  The small boy
is never so happy as when he can steal a ride on the ice cart, unless,
indded, it is when he can buy "hokey-pokey" ice cream.  Hokey-pokey ice
cream is manufactured and sold by the Italians.  Its composition is a
mystery.  It is hawked about the streets in freezers on little hand-carts
bearing the legend in fantastic letters, "Hokey-Pokey Ice Cream."  The small
boy, by hook or by crook, obtains a cent and makes for that cart.  The
Italian removes the top of the freezer, dips up a dab of parti-colored ice
cream with a large spoon and serves it on a bit of brown paper.  The small
boy takes two or three little bites at it, then licks it all up and sucks
the paper.

And another cite, from the Bangor(ME) Daily Whig and Courier, June 6, 1891,
p. 1, col.  4

     The Italian "hokey pokey" cart which has appeared here in Brewer in
summers past, was yesterday again upon the streets.  The gong attached to it
sounds so nearly like the electric car gongs, that at least one person and
probably more, was deceived by it, and hastened to catch the car, which was
nowhere in sight.




----- Original Message -----
From: "Douglas G. Wilson" <douglas at NB.NET>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Saturday, October 04, 2003 10:46 PM
Subject: Re: "Hokey Pokey" Originator Dead (1907)


> >>(1) When was Sam born?
> >
> >According to the ref: 1877.
>
> I think this is erroneous. The quotation reports his death as an "aged
> citizen" in 1907, right?
>
> >The Italian ice-cream vendor references pre-date 1877.
>
> Can one pre-1877 citation be provided?
>
> >>(2) Can the term "hokey-pokey" for ice cream or so be found before about
> >>1880?
> >
> >"hokey-pokey" wasn't a reference to ice cream, but was a reference to
> >the Italian ice-cream peddlars.
>
> OED shows "hokey-pokey" referring to ice cream (1884-5). I find "hokey
> pokey man" in the desired sense from late 19th century but I take this as
> approximately "ice cream man", with "hokey pokey" = "ice cream
> [product/novelty/item]".
>
> No reason "ecco un poco" or so couldn't be the origin ... of course
altered
> to "hokey-pokey" to match the pre-existing English phrase, = "hocus-pocus"
> apparently. Evidence is lacking though AFAIK.
>
> But again: is there evidence of use of the expression for ice cream OR
> vendor before 1880 or so? [Maybe there is, I don't know. Current OED for
> example is not available to hoi polloi. (^_^)]
>
> -- Doug Wilson
>