Not just any ice cream, Ben and Jerry’s newest flavor: Schweddy Balls.
Don’t let the name fool you, the limited edition ice cream doesn’t include the stench of perspiration. However, it does feature balls.
Not those kind.
Regardless, a conservative parent group doesn’t like the sound, taste or insinuation of Schweddy Balls and it wants you to hate the frozen treat too.
The group, dubbed One Milllion Moms, is asking parents around the world to boycott the ice cream with the fetid sweat name.
“The vulgar new flavor has turned something as innocent as ice cream into something repulsive,” the American Family Association affiliated group posted on its website. “Not exactly what you want a child asking for at the supermarket.”
No, but calling the new concoction by its list of ingredients may be a mouthful for most children. Try saying, “vanilla ice cream with a hint of rum and loaded with fudge covered rum and milk chocolate malt balls” before your mom rolls the shopping cart out of the frozen food section, and you might just break a sweat in the process.
For you non-“Saturday Night Live” fans, the controversial ice cream flavor’s name is inspired by a popular skit which aired on the legendary comedy show a few years ago. In it Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon star as radio hosts on a show called “Delicious Dish.” Enter Alec Baldwin as Pete Schweddy, the fictional owner of Season’s Eatings Bakery. Baldwin’s character calmly explains to the radio show hostesses that he has a variety of “Schweddy balls” that he’s debuting at the bakery— popcorn balls, cheese balls, rum balls, etc.
To this day, the “Schweddy Balls” skit is ranked as of SNL’s most hilarious spoofs.
Only One Million Moms is not laughing.
On its website the group urges parents to “please send Ben and Jerry’s Public Relations Manager, Sean Greenwood, an email letter requesting that no additional Schweddy Balls ice cream be distributed. Also, highly recommend they refrain from producing another batch with this name or any other offensive names or you will no longer be able to purchase their products.”
As for the company’s reaction to the boycott brouhaha, Greenwood told ABC News that in the last three days, he’s only heard from “about 600 moms — not a million” — complaining about the new flavor. What’s more, Greenwood shares with ABC that Ben and Jerry has received hundreds of emails praising the flavor’s name.
“This is just about silly fun,” Greenwood told ABC. “We didn’t name it for shock value. We did it because it’s a funny skit.”
Are you offended by the ice cream’s name? How would you react if your kids asked for a scoop of “Schweddy Balls”?
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