A Polar Bear, the Eldora Ice Cream Company ..... and a flood of memories

There will be someone who is an expert on the Eldorada range of ice creams and lollies.

Back in the 1950s and 60s I just took them for granted.

And anyone born in the first half of the last century I guess will remember the Polar Bear which appeared on the adverts for their products.

I had all but forgotten the ice creams, but this advert in the Eagle comic for 1959 brought the memories flooding back, and particular the Topper lollies which came in a strawberry flavoured outer coating.

The ice cream inside was whiter, than the Walls or Lyons alternatives and I think I was never as keen on it.

Added to which, I think Eldorado was slightly cheaper than its two main rivals, but here I may be unfair on their products.

And as you do I went looking for their history which is still a piece of research in progress.

I think they originated in London in the 1920s, but so far apart from a reference to the minutes of the business from 1925-1960 in The National Archives,* I have only a handful of images of the Polar Bear, a news story of a gas explosion in their Lambeth factory, and a promotional film advert from the BFI entitled Beautiful Women.**

Along with an exchange in the House of Commons from 1931 which suggests the company had questionable employment conditions.***

So I await someone with more information or an ability to ferret out the full story.

And in the meantime I close with a link to which an interesting blog on Ice cream posters of the past.****

Location; Eldorado Ice Cream

Picture, advert for Topper Ice Cream Lollie, 1959, from the Eagle Comic, May 30, 1959, Vol. 10 No.22

* Eldorado Ice Cream Ltd, wholesale ice cream manufacturers, The National Archives https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/c/F178809

** Eldorado Ice CreamBeautiful Women https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-eldorado-ice-cream-ad-beautiful-women-1937-online

*** ELDORADO ICE CREAM COMPANY, HC Deb 09 June 1931 vol 253 c805, https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1931/jun/09/eldorado-ice-cream-company

**** REFRESH YOUR MEMORIES OF THE ICE CREAM ADS AND POSTERS OF BYGONE DAYS, HTTPS://WWW.PIXARTPRINTING.CO.UK/BLOG/ICE-CREAM-ADVERTS/