Buzz
In the late 1940s, Thomas Carvel, a Greek immigrant, established the Carvel College of Ice Cream Knowledge to train franchisees in the meticulous handling and distribution of his signature soft serve cones, which he had created in 1934. Known for his exacting standards, Carvel would become frustrated if he found a store owner skimping on portions, serving only three ounces instead of the mandated ounces. Customers, particularly children, could easily detect the difference.
"When a child realizes they’re not getting their full cone, you’ve lost them as a customer," Carvel stated to The New York Times in 1985. "And that’s how you risk losing the entire chain."
Carvel’s uncompromising standards occasionally sparked controversy, such as the 1979 antitrust lawsuit filed by franchisees over his demand that they purchase overpriced napkins and supplies exclusively from Carvel. However, his innovative approach propelled the 865-location Carvel chain to an impressive $300 million in sales by 1985.
The company’s expansion was significantly driven by its unique ice cream cakes, such as Hug Me the Bear and Fudgie the Whale. However, no dessert captured the public’s imagination quite like Cookie Puss, the cone-nosed birthday cake that became iconic through 1970s advertisements, a 1983 Beastie Boys track, and a memorable segment on The Howard Stern Show.
While stores often adjusted the design of Cookie Puss, it always remained close to its roots: the likeness of Carvel.
(L-R): Cookie Puss, Cookie O'Puss, Tom Carvel. Courtesy of Carvel
Seizing the moment, Carvel built a soft-serve machine in his garage and patented it. Recognizing that selling the machines led to frequent misuse, he established the Carvel Corporation in 1947, filling states with Carvel stores and amassing significant wealth.
Carvel understood that his name alone wasn’t enough to set his stores apart from other ice cream parlors. In 1951, their ice cream sandwiches were named Flying Saucers, and Carvel encouraged franchisees to come up with more distinctive product ideas.
In the early 1970s, a participant at the College of Ice Cream Knowledge showed Carvel a cake shaped like a humanoid figure. Featuring a cone to resemble Carvel’s prominent nose, the cake impressed him. He saw the potential for anthropomorphic cakes to strengthen the Carvel brand. Soon, a lineup—including Fudgie the Whale and Hug Me the Bear—was introduced, offering 50-plus ounces of frozen cake that stores could customize for birthdays.
To promote the brand, Carvel launched regional TV ads in the 1970s and 1980s featuring Cookie Puss. These low-budget spots aired on Saturday mornings and late nights, with Carvel himself narrating in his distinctive voice. He promoted Fudgie for Father’s Day, Cookie Puss for any occasion, Cookie O’Puss for St. Patrick’s Day, Dumpy the Pumpkin for Halloween, and Cupie Puss for other sugary celebrations.
In 1985, Carvel released plush toys of Cookie Puss and Fudgie, aiming to create mascots that could rival Ronald McDonald in popularity and become cultural icons beyond the company’s control.
Even those who never tasted Cookie Puss knew of him due to the widespread ads. The Beastie Boys immortalized him in their 1983 single "Cooky Puss," inspired by a prank call Adam Horovitz made to a Carvel store asking to speak to Cookie Puss. (Rumor has it Carvel considered legal action until his nephew, a Beasties fan, intervened.)
In 1991, The Howard Stern Show revived Cookie Puss’s fame when Stern spent an excessive amount of time mocking staffer Fred Norris for gifting his mother a Cookie Puss on Mother’s Day. Using audio effects, Stern altered his voice to mimic Cookie Puss’s unique tone:
Stern: Hey, Fred. Why didn’t you get your mom a Fudgie the Whale? Is it because Cookie Puss is the best? ... I don’t think you really cared about your mother.
Norris: Thanks for judging me, Cookie Puss.
Stern: Tom Carvel was an odd guy. I wish he’d named me Rambo. Rambo the Cake.
Cookie Puss’s golden era ended in 1993 when Carvel’s new owners (Tom Carvel had sold the company in 1989 for $80 million) enlisted a professional ad agency to craft a sleek campaign. Carvel passed away in 1990, and his niece later made a strange allegation that he was murdered so his aides could seize the Cookie Puss fortune. The claim was eventually withdrawn.
Today, Puss, Fudgie, and their companions can still be spotted at the roughly 400 Carvel locations. The company’s somewhat revised history now asserts that Cookie Puss is an extraterrestrial from the Planet Birthday.
Regardless of its fictional backstory, Cookie Puss still closely resembles Tom Carvel. The inspiration behind Dumpy the Pumpkin, however, remains a mystery.
