Ice cream mascot mistaken for Klansman

Rejoice Atlantans! The longtime reign of Whatizit as the world’s worst mascot has mercifully come to an end.

Florida drivers must not take eye exams.

Florida drivers must not take eye exams.

Unfortunately for the owners of a Florida ice cream shop, their mistake melted their business.

The problem? Motorists driving by the Ocala business are mistaking the white-hooded ice cream cone mascot for a Ku Klux Klan protester.

One woman was “so frightened by the white dollop patrolling the street corner that she called her husband crying and refused to drive through the intersection,” reports Ocala.com.

The store manager says she’d never heard of the KKK until rumors started swirling like chocolate syrup atop a 3-scoop parfait on a sunny day.

The fluffy white mascot, adorned with colored sprinkles atop a brown waffle cone torso, has been fired, but it may be too late. Monday, only employees were in the store.

“We’re a friendly environment, family-oriented,” owner Liza Diaz said. “We’re not (racist). We’re very friendly, very religious.”

38 comments Add your comment

Grace

September 28th, 2011
1:18 pm

Really?? Uh… you could not tell from the brown bottom half (the cone) and the sprinkles on thehat top that it was an ice cream cone. Come on people do you not now know your history and know what a KKK outfit looks like? Please! Give me a break!

Blake SMith

September 30th, 2011
7:56 am

Lesson learned? Ice-cream mascots should be chocolate.

J

October 3rd, 2011
9:00 am

Just looking for something else to call racist…

atl

October 3rd, 2011
3:49 pm

that is hilarious story!!!!…lol!!

Dan

October 4th, 2011
7:24 am

I do not believe the female driver was afraid to drive through the intersection. Nor do I believe she was that afraid. I think she was outraged and put the fear out as a claim to victimhood. What an absurd reaction.

Jane Cunningham

October 6th, 2011
5:38 pm

they should make him strawberry

Me

October 10th, 2011
3:40 pm

If the KKK uniform included a wffle cone, maybe they wouldn’t have been as scary or have been taken seriously. Hmmm. Too bad we can’t go back in time and change someone’s mind about their original outfits.