The name originates from the Mr. Whippy franchise which originated in the United Kingdom, selling soft-serve ice cream to the public from mobile vans. The company originated when British businessman Dominic Facchino visited the United States and saw their Mr. Softee ice-cream franchise, unable to franchise the Mr. Softee brand in the UK, Facchino set up the Mr. Whippy franchise in 1958. The business commenced in Birmingham, England with a fleet of six ice-cream vans. Outside of the United Kingdom, the company franchised internationally to Australia in 1962 by sending ten vans on a ship from Southampton to Sydney, following success, a second batch was set the year after, consisting of twenty-four vans. Following great success in Australia, Facchino decided to also franchise in New Zealand, sending twenty four vans over. The company also franchised for a brief time on the Spanish island of Mallorca. The company would eventually be purchased in by Wall's and Unilever in 1966. The company's franchise in Australia continued until the mid 1970s, after which the physical vehicle fleet was sold to private operators. During the franchise period from Mr. Whippy in the UK, around two-hundred Commer Karrier vans were imported from the UK to Australia, and fifty Austins were imported into New Zealand. As of present day, in New Zealand, there are around 36 Mr.Whippy franchisees operating 58 vans. General Foods Limited acquired the master franchise rights for New Zealand in the early 1980s. The Isuzu Elf became the standard Mr Whippy van and an orange and white colour scheme replaced the original pink and white. In early 2000, Tip Top sold the master franchise to Peter Woodhams, the Waikato Mr Whippy franchisee, who in turn sold the master franchise to Flying Kiwi Holdings in 2006. The Mr Whippy vans became modernised, using Ford Transit and Fiat Ducato models, various Fuso variants and Tatua replaced Fonterra Brands NZ as the provider of the Mr Whippy UHT ice cream mix.
Other uses
In 1982, the trademark "Mr Whippy" was registered in Australia by ice cream parlour company Mr Whippy Pty Ltd. Today, the Franchised Food Company owns the brand. As of present day, there are many companies in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and the United States who all trade with the Mr. Whippy name.
Mr. Whippy was a song by Australian singer John Farnham, as the B-side to "One". It was referenced in the Australian show Wentworth, season 3 episode 8.
Rupert Grint bought a 1974 Mr. Whippy Bedford van to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming an ice cream man. He drives around local villages, giving free ice creams and lollipops to children.
