"We're going where no ice cream van has gone before."
The chime of an ice cream truck is the official song of summer. In London, England, that song is Rod Stewart's "We Are Sailing" and can be heard from the banks of the River Thames.
The first ever amphibious ice cream van set sail yesterday, the brainchild of stand-up comedian David Mounfield.
The HMS Flake 99 was commissioned by the makers of Cadbury ice cream, Fredericks, to mark National Ice Cream Week.
The cheerful publicity stunt is about to go on tour.
"We are now considering taking the remarkable vehicle across the Channel and onto the canals of Venice to champion Britain's beaches and give our continental cousins the ultimate taste of the British summertime," a Fredericks spokesperson said.
Mounfield's amphibious idea came after U.K. councils increased the number of exclusion zones for ice cream vans.
"There is also a lot of rivalry along the British seafronts, so I thought why not create an ice cream van that could take to the water and beat off the competition," Mounfield told Newslite, adding that a van in the water appeals to customers like himself, who don't want to have to leave the surf to get an ice cream.
Swim-up customers may be few so far, but the sight of the little yellow van is spreading cheer nonetheless.
"We did have a River Police safety boat pull up and cheekily ask for a free one — which of course, we were happy to accommodate," Mounfield said.
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