That question started in the comments to our June 20 entry and we thought we’d continue the debate here. We also added a new poll (at right). Do you eat ice cream straight out of the box? Go ahead, be honest.
So what IS the difference between sprinkles and jimmies? Actually they’re the same thing, it just depends on where you’re from. If you’re a resident of Philadelphia, Boston and many parts of New England, you might ask for jimmies if you want those tiny cylindrical candies on your ice cream. New Yorkers and a majority of other people call them sprinkles.
So where does the jimmies name come from? Popular legend has it that the Just Born candy company in Bethlehem, PA began producing sprinkles in the 1930s and, since a gentleman named Jimmy ran the sprinkles machine, the product was naturally nicknamed after its maker.
Some people maintain that sprinkles are multicolored and jimmies specifically refer to the chocolate variety. But no matter what you call them or how you use them, they seem to make everything taste a little better. Here in Lancaster County, we call them sprinkles, but we’d be interested to hear your thoughts on the great sprinkles vs. jimmies debate!
Tags: ice cream, jimmies, sprinkles, turkey hill
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If you’ve got a technical question about the ice cream making process or some other inquiry about the nuances of America’s favorite treat, chances are Ernie has the answer. He might not be able to answer all questions, but he’ll try his best and some may be featured on the Ice Cream Journal.
50 miles from NYC on the Jersey shore – we call them sprinkles! Even our favorite ice cream hang-out has “sprinkles” written on their menu board. Either way they are yummy!
Sorry folks, I don’t care for either one. My husband loves them though.
I have only known them by “sprinkles”, but by either name – they’re wonderful!
I’m a sprinkles girl. My husband brought us sprinkles back from the Netherlands that they use for toast in the morning. I think I prefer them on ice cream!
That Explains It! I’m a native Central NY’er and when we moved to Ohio for a bit, We kept asking for sprinkles and finally they kept saying, “you mean jimmies?” They charged like 50cents extra for em too….and only seemed to have rainbow…I’m a chocolate sprinkle fan!Haha
Thanks for the History lesson!
I’ve only known them as sprinkles until i saw my little sister watching a cartoon and the cartoon used the word jimmies. I thought that those people were weird and that it probably was a made up word. I’m glad to learn that the words sprinkles and jimmies all ammounts to what region you live in. Next time I stop by the New England region, I’ll show off by using the word jimmies in front of all the other tourists, lol.
I’m from NY and we have always called them sprinkles. We knew “jimmies” as the little silver beads that were put
on cakes or ice cream. All are yummy!!
I have to have sprinkles on my ice cream… LOVE them. Born and raised on Long Island NY, lived for a while in PA and now CT, I get a lot of strange looks when I ask for heroes (subs, grinders or hoagies, depending on where you live), and of course sprinkles… oh well… You can take the girl out of NY, but you can’t take the NY out of the girl!
Central Jersey here…and those things you put on icecream are called sprinkles. “Jimmies” is something definatly not put on icecream. It’s something used under the boardwalk.
:O)
Just last night, my husband was making a sundae with fixin’s left over from our son’s graduation party. I asked him if he wanted “jimmy dips” (the word our ice cream truck driver used for long chocolate sprinkles in the fifties and early sixties in Levittown, New York), but he had no idea what I was talking about. He grew up in another part of Long Island.
We’re from NJ and they’re called Sprinkles. Our grandchildren always wanted them!
Here in NE Ohio, we call them sprinkles. I’ve never even heard of Jimmies.
Turkey Hill, pretzels, and now Jimmies? Does all the best food come from Pennsylvania?
Im from NJ and ive always known them as sprinkle even though Ive heard people call them jimmies. I perfer rainbow to the chocolate, maybe cause im not too much of a chocolate person(unless of course its the chocolate pb cup from turkey hil..Thats my FAVE)
I’m from good old York County PA & I’ve always known them as Sprinkles! Also glad to see from the latest poll that 55% of people eat ice cream right out of the box with no shame! Throw some nuts and/or sprinkles in & you have a real treat!
I do not understand the whole sprinkle thing. Personally I do not like them and thought that only kids enjoy them. Guess I was wrong there. I grew up in Northern NJ and they were sprinkles but I think the chocolate ones were jimmies.
Jimmies, eh? Never heard of that (native Ohioan, long time western NY-er.) I just call ‘em sprinkles. Our local ice cream place has a mix of sprinkles and other goodies that they call “twinkle coat”… pretty good!
We call the little round multi-colored balls “sprinkles” and the items in the picture for today “jimmies”. The little silver balls on wedding cakes we call dragees. Personally, I like jimmies. (And yes, I admit that sometimes I grab a spoonful or two from the box of icecream!)
My mother used “Jimmies” on lots of things when I was small, I thought she nemaed them after me.
where do you make your commeicals for Turkey Hill ice cream? are they done in the lovely rolling hills of Lancaster? Also I can’t wait to taste the new Rootbeer Float and Chocolate Coconut. Another question on ice cream toppings there is chocolate topping and fudge topping how do you get the fudge topping so much thicker and so it stays that way?
As always, welcome to all of our new readers. We hope you decide to become regular readers (and contributors) in our Ice Cream Journal community.
LINDA – We tape our commercials at various places, but we have used the beautiful farms and scenery of Lancaster County in some of our commercials, most recently for our Duetto commercials.
In other news, we’re happy to see that over 70 percent of you admit to eating ice cream right out of the container. No shame in that! When you gotta have some, you gotta have some!
I’m 20 minutes from Pittsburgh and around here we call them sprinkles, and we also like our ice cream cones dipped in hot chocolate sauce. YUM!
My son loves the colored ones…@ our house we call them sprinkles.But I like my ice cream without.
Sprinkles in Akron, OH, but never use them
“Sprinkles” are multi-colored & “Jimmies” are chocolate!
I’m from western PA and we call them sprinkles.
I just returned from grocery shopping and I hit the jackpot….TH was on sale and they had Fried Ice Cream,Pineapple UPside Down Cake and the new Junior Mint.The stores in my area very seldom have the Limited edition flavors but this time the had 3. I barely got into the house with the groceries and I grabbed a spoon and tasted the Pineapple(I’ve been waiting “forever” to taste this flavor…it is awesome. I know what I’ll be doing tomorrow…back to the store for more Pineapple.
Dear TH
Just wondering when the Food network is going to air the show that includes the segment on the TH factory. Also what is the mame of the program?
Love you peanut butter ripple. It is just loaded with peanut butter.It’s the best peanut butter ice cream anywhere
Your ice cream doesn’t need anything extra on it!!!! Best I’ve had in a long time.
I’m all set for the fourth of July
Today 2 Mango Duettos did I buy!
As long as there atop any flavor of Turkey hill, it just doesn’t matter. Call them whatever you want!
that jimmy-covered cone calls to me…
Do jimmies come in red, white and blue?
Call me a purist, but i like my TH just as it comes scooped out of the box(by the way I like my TH in a bowl, but my father eats it right out of the box!) With that said, I don’t think TH needs any kind of improvement (sprinkles or jimmies)…how can one improve on perfection?!
I’ve always loved sprinkles. I come from a big family so plain old Vanilla or Neopolitan icecream was better with sprinkles! Turkey Hill icecream is the best (even the vanilla bean).
When I was a kid we ran after the Mr. Softie truck to get that cone of soft ice cream dipped in sprinkles. Now that I am an “old” nana, I prefer my Turkey Hill just plain whether it is in a cone, a bowl or right out of the box.
I’m from the Philly area and have always just called the chocolate variety “Jimmies” and the colored “sprinkles”. But I’ll call them anything I need to in order to have them on my icecream
Jimmies or sprinkles, it is like adding a smile to a turkey hill ice cream cone.
We use both words, but personally, I like sprinkles on cookies, and I never put them on my Turkey Hill ice cream. Let the true flavor shine through!
Jimmies or Sprinkles they are the same. I love them on ice cream and a cone.
yup, we call them jimmies here in Maine, though my 6 yr old has been calling them sprinkles-
Jimmies or sprinkles, they are both great. Which is why the first time I tried and Turkey Hill product, it was Turkey Hill Party Cake. I could not get
enough of it. I would buy 2-3 gal. of it
at a time to make sure I’d always have it. My market didn’t have it one day and
I contacted Turkey Hill! I was told to
tell my market to get it again, which I did. It took a while, but they did get it back on the freezer shelf. It’s still
my favorite to this day.
Being from Pa. – I hear them called both, sprinkles were the colored ones and jimmies were chocolate. Now living in N.C., Can’t really tell what they call them. Guess I will have to take a poll here. No matter- TH the BEST ice cream around!
I’m from Philly, and I still remember the hand scooped ice cream cones being dipped upside down in chocolate jimmies. We never called them “sprinkles” then.
I like the sprinkles better. But you have to eat the cone really fast before it melts.
jimmies, sprinkles you name it, when i was little i specificly remember asking for ‘ants’ when getting my 5 cent cone
of vannila.the thing was, they only had
chocolate sprinkles in bayonne nj back in the late 30′s
Happy 4th of July – I purchased my celebration food: Turkey Hill Ice Cream.
hi love them they might make alittle mess but its worth it.
Sprinkles are rainbow colored and jimmies are chocolate…from a Lancaster Co native!!
Turkey Hill ice cream is so good that it does not need sprinkles, jimmies, or anything else on it. It is perfect just
by itself.
Here in western NY we always called them sprinkles. Either chocolate sprinkles or rainbow sprinkles. I prefer my TH just the way it is but my grandchildren think it’s really special with sprinkles and I remember feeling the same way when I was a kid!
When I was a child I used to help my mother put sprinkles on cupcakes and cookies after we put icing on them. I guess over time sprinkles were being put on ice cream. But I agree with the majority and enjoy Turkey Hill ice cream right out of the container with no embellishments.
I’m a natiave LIer and a come here Virginian. The delicious candies have always been sprinkles to me, and are the company dressup when the grandchildren come over. I am also gluten intolerant! Thank God for icecream. I never feel deprived of a fancy dessert when I can dig into my Turkey Hill- with or without sprinkles.
Happy July 4th to all you TH ice cream lovers.
To keep in the red white and blue theme,I’ll be having Vanilla Bean topped with strawberries and blueberries. Hey guys at TH what about a limited edition red white and blue flavor. It would work for any of the patriotic holidays. Maybe a neopolitan style with strawberry,vanilla and blueberry. Or if anyone here has some ideas.
The chocolate should be called jimmies and the collored round balls called sprinkles. That gives them a distinction so that you know the difference between the two. I am from Massachusetts.
I work in a chocolate factory and we hand make our candies. We use “sprinkles” on alot of our candies and depending on what company they come from,, they are called “Jimmies” or “Sprinkles”,,,,and in reply to Rebecca,, they come in every color imaginable! Personally, I don’t use them on ice cream,,,who needs them? With all the different TH flavors, there’s no need for extra embellisments!
Here on Long Island we call them “sprinkles.” They are sold in a multitude of colors. Rainbow are my favorite. Happy 4th of July everyone!
I don’t use sprinkles. We prefer fresh fruit like strawberries or raspberries in season if we use any topping at all. Really, with Turkey Hill Ice Cream there is no need for anything extra.
We always call them sprinkles, either chocolate or rainbow. I don’t use them myself because TH is too good without them but the grandkids think they are great.
oh theres most def a diff…sprinkles are round crunchy and, well sprinkly; jimmies are short little logs that taste odd and never look quite as pretty on a cone of vanilla as sprinkles.
The only time I eat out of the box is if there is just what I consider one serving – which is probably at the most a fourth ot the Turkey Hill container.
I scream ” God bless America” and God bless us,all ! everyone !
Jimmies here in Mass but don’t muck up the flavor of my ice cream with them!!!
Oh yeah, baby! There’s no shame in straight-from-the-box!
From Philadelphia, in Love Park: Everyone have a wonderful and blessed Happy 4th of July! Let Freedom Ring!
Oh man, the ice cream in that photo looks soooooo good. There’s nothing more perfect on a hot summer day than ice cream with sprinkles!
So Happy 4th of July I work here at a golf course out in Eastern End of Long Island I took a survey 40 Golfers 12 staff, all but 4 say sprinkles. But the ones 60 years and over only knew chocolate. “Must have been a new invention in the last 30 years or so!” Perspective is everything!
Now as for eating out the carton, Just a few days ago temp was 95 humidity of pea soup I bought TH Philly style choc. By the time I got home, It was soft and looked so yummy, I grabbed a big ol spoonful and went straight to ice cream orgasmic heaven! You know ladies that choc hits those taste buds and you want to lick the spoon and go get into a big ol bubble bath and chill. Uhhhhhh. Have a great 4th.
In our part of PA they mix sprinkles with some sort of small, crunchy chunks before they put them on the cone. They are always my choice when I see them on the ice cream menu.
I could care less what they call them as they add variety to the taste, consistency and visual affect of the ice cream that they get attached to. It is a great pairing of candy and ice cream.
I have lived in the midwest and the south…and always been sprinkles. I guess I am a purist though….I love my ice cream plain and as is….Hey Turkey Hill, when are you bringing back German Chocolate Ice Cream…that was addicting….
I usually eat some right from the box as soon as I bring it home from the grocery store- its usually a little soft on top and oh sooo good!
Sprinkles and Jimmies are one in the same. I have always referred to them as “sprinkles”. Love the rainbow sprinkles…so festive and confetti-like.
being a Lanc. Co. native we call the choc. jimmies and the colored sprinkles, personally, the only thing I need with my Turkey Hill ice cream is a spoon! Happy and safe 4th everyone!
Happy 4th of July!!! God Bless America!!!
Here in NY we call them sprinkles. Yes, I proudly eat ice cream out of the container. Also out of a bowl, cup, cone, anyway I can eat it LOL LOL!!!!
I’m from Ohio and never heard the term Jimmies until I moved out to southeastern PA. We used to call everything sprinkles, including crushed chocolate Oreo cookies. Jimmies were known as rainbow sprinkles where I grew up.
Growing up in Lancaster Co., I remember calling the chocolate ones jimmies. Now that I live in western PA, most people here only talk about sprinkles. It doesn’t matter – any kind with ice cream is great for a special treat!
They’ve always been called Jimmies, forever and a day
Like little chocolate ants – and I like it that way!
Happy Birthday America! The ice cream with sprinkles looks great! We say both sprinkles and jimmies although jimmies is more for the chocolate ones. Our 3 year old loves ‘pinkles on his ice cream.
I’m from Indiana and we call them Sprinkles. I love to use them whenever I have ice cream or just sprinkle some in my coffee for flavor.
I’ve never had sprinkles or jimmies on ice cream. The best way to enjoy TH is straight out of the box with no added pollutants.
The only correct answer: there is no difference! Both are colorful, and both add to the flavor of Turkey Hill ice cream.
We’ve always called them jimmies. They don’t add anything to the sensory experience of ice cream, but the colors are fun.
Ha! This “jimmies” or sprinkles debate was my first intro to regional slang. I’m from the NYC area, my summer camp friend was from the Philly area, and she asked for “jimmies” on her ice cream- I had no idea what she was talking about! I first heard this around 12 yrs old or so.
Jimmies, Jimmies, Jimmies says this gal from Buffalo. I always like my Turkey Hill straight up, however.
I like Sprinkles, but the ice cream is best with nothing on it. Happy 4th of July..
Jimmies!!!
Happy 4th!!! Sprinkles, Jimmies it’s all good as well as in a bowl in a cone on a stick and yup,right out of the box. I just love it!!!
Jimmies for me – though have been known to call them sprinkles. Didnt’ know there was a “regional” naming for them – kind of like soda vs. pop. Very interesting!!
No matter what you call them they taste the same, but I prefer eating my ice cream unadored.
Our family calls them sprinkles. I was born in PA and always called them sprinkles. I moved further east and still go by sprinkles.
I am from Trenton, NJ and there has always been a distinct difference between jimmies and sprinkles. Jimmies are the brown ones, and just brown ones. Sprinkles are the multi-colored version of the jimmy. So jimmies are brown and sprinkles are rainbowed colored, THERE!
It was not until I moved from Rhode Island to Florida that I even found out they had a name other than jimmies!
Sprinkles are an excellent topper to pretty much any ice cream, but I wonder, does Turkey hill make any ice cream flavors that come with sprinkles in the candy? This would certainly save time and hassle of having to get them out every time. Also, they should make sure-free sprinkles too for those diabetics and calorie conscious ice cream lovers that want to enjoy the fun of sprinkles but can’t spare all the extra sugar.
The true answer is “YOU SPRINKLE ON THE JIMMIES”. There you have it.
They were always called Jimmies when I grew up. My kids make fun of me when I ask for Jimmies.
jimmies. but growing up there were only chocolate. now there are multicolored. still jimmies tho.
growing up we called them jimmies and my sister was so upset that we had to call the colored ones janices after her, now another sister’s kids have named the nuts after her!!!
Sorry, but they’ll always be sprinkles, not jimmies (just like it will always be soda, not pop and wafer cone, not cake cone. But I’m glad I understand the translation).
I live in western PA and we always called them sprinkles……but, whatever you call them they are good on Turkey Hill Ice Cream.
Now tell us more about the toppings that freeze to the ice cream – how does that work?
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet” ~ William Shakespeare
I grew up in Ohio and they were always called sprinkles. It wasn’t until I moved to Oklahoma that I heard people call them Jimmies. Personally, I prefer the name Sprinkles because it sounds more fun but either way, they’re great! I love to cover every inch of my ice cream with sprinkles and when I’ve eaten them all up, I put on some more until all the ice-cream is gone! YUM!! =oD
I love the sprinkles& chocolate or multi colored if you want to put jimmies on my ice cream I would love that to!!!!
I don’t care what you call them as long as I can still have the all chocolate on my soft vanilla.
The multi-color were my favorite as a kid and although I don’t like the taste as much as I used to I love how it looks.
being from Philly they are jimmies! only liked them as a kid! Prefer my ice cream plain!
No matter what you call them, keep them as far away from my ice cream as possible. Yuch!
jimmies are chocolate & sprinkles
are multi-colored in phila. pa.&
that`s all that matters…period
al zimba
I thought they were jimmies because they were named for their creator, Jimmy smith.
I grew up in Calif. and to me they are called sprinkles (I do not care for them) how ever my daughter loves them.
Never heard of them as jimmies until about 2 weeks ago.
Growing up in East McKeesport, Pa outside of Pittsburgh- we called them jimmies, whether they were chocolate or multi-colored….we just had to specify which would go on our special cone usually bought at the local Isaly’s store….
That is really interesting and funny. I’ve never heard of sprinkles being called jimmies. I can’t imagine someone asking for jimmies on an ice cream. I would have to laugh. It is similar to a recent visit to Canada where they call their dollar bills looney’s and tooney’s. Someone asked me for a looney or tooney. I had to wonder if they were looney tooney.
I lived in southern New Jersey ( over the Ben Franklin Bridge) and I don’t know why but Sprinkles where the colors and Jimmies the chocolate. The mind works in mysterious ways when it comes to treats in life.
Where I live in upstate NY, we call them sprinkles. If they were called Jimmies, my kids would like them just the same. They love sprinkles on their icecream just as I did when I was a kid. Now, I only like sprinklemejimmies (why not combine the names) once in a while as a treat!
I don’t really care about that.I just care about the taste.
I usually call them sprinkles, but I have heard them called jimmies, too. All that really matters to me is that I get them!
I was born and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Like many of my “neighbors” said before me – Sprinkles are the rainbow colored variety and Jimmies are ONLY brown.
P.S. In our house, someone usually eats the last serving of ice cream right out of the container with a spoon.
I grew up in MA where you asked for jimmies on your cones. When i moved to PA i got a very strange look from the ice cream vendor when i asked for jimmies. Same thing happened when i asked for a grinder at the hoagie place. tomAto tomaaato…
It is a philly thing and they are jimmies! Really love them on my turkey hill ice cream
My parents owned a luncheonette in South Philadelphia that served ice cream and Jimmies were chocolate,Sprinkles were rainbow colored. Now where’s my Turkey Hill ice cream with Jimmies?
Now I know why they are called “jimmies”.
I love Turkey Hill Ice Cream plain, but my kids sure LOVE the Jimmies!
This is the first time I’ve ever heard them called jimmies.
Haven’t had em in years!!!
Makes me want to go out and get a cone with chocolate sprinkles.
I grew up in Brooklyn and Queens, NY and we always called them sprinkles. I like the chocolate ones, (though not as much as when I was a kid), but the colored ones are really pretty!
As far as eating out of the container, you caught me! Only when there is very little ice cream left though!
Just give me some TH ice cream and tons of sprinkles/jimmies (since they are good no matter what you call them) and I’ll be a happy camper!!
Sprinkles – that’s the correct name & chocolate is the best!!! & the more of them the better
Jimmies, Jimmies, Jimmies. I had never heard of sprinkles until I moved here.
…jimmies, please & thank you!!
back when i was a kid, they were actually “free”, if one can believe that. my how times have changed.
Looks good must taste good////Ha/Making me hungry/////
see this photo. these are jimmies. whether multi colored or brown, the shape is jimmies. the photo in the September 28th, 2009 story are sprinkles.
making one now
i have always called the “large cylinder” shaped ones, sprinkles… while the small ones in all sorts of fun shapes were, jimmies…. thats how it always has been and thats how it will always be
I was born and am being raised (I’m only 13
) on Cape Cod. Here, some people call them jimmies and some sprinkles. I think they’re jimmies. It’s just where I’m from I guess (:
As for the eating out of the container… Heh.. You caught me!
Just outside of Boston their was a place that had wicked good icecream called Brighams like friendleys but just in Mass. Jimmys is what we called them.
It’s NOT just a Philly thing.
I grew up on Cape Cod and it was Jimmies. However, now I am in Connecticut and they call them sprinkles. You can’t go by CT. though…they mispronounce almost everything here.
The BIG question should be how to pronounce CARAMEL…obviously the correct way is CAR MUL
I have always been on the edge of Chester County/Lancaster County, always fight with friends about this, and it will always be JIMMIES to me!!!!
I can end this debate right now. Sprinkles are the rod shaped, powdery toppings. Jimmies are the little balls that crunch when you bite them. Color has nothing to do with it. Its the geographic and texture composition. Any who would like to disagree and debate this can email catella204@aol.com.
My boyfriend and I always debate about t his, thus me ending up here. I’ve never used the term jimmies, I’ve always said sprinkles because im from california. Him being from boston he’s always use the term jimmies. Either way we’ve decided that they’re both the same thing and now we can move on lol! ( Even though he still claims that he’s right :p)