The History Of The Dairy Queen Blizzard

On this episode of Sprung On Food, host Kae Sprung is joined by comedian and creator Waleed Mansour to get into the history of the Dairy Queen Blizzard. They trace Dairy Queen’s origins in 1938–1940 soft-serve experimentation by J.F. and Alex McCullough, rapid franchise expansion, and franchisee-driven innovations like the Dilly Bar, Brazier hot foods, the Buster Bar, and the Peanut Buster Parfait (including Waleed’s Oreo swap and parfait ideas). The episode explains how the Blizzard was introduced in 1985 after St. Louis franchisee Samuel J. Temperato took inspiration from Ted Drewes, why it’s flipped upside down, how it’s made from soft serve (with lower milk fat and overrun), and how it grew to 170+ flavors, major sales impact, Miracle Treat Day giving, and pop-culture moments and collaborations through 2025.You can follow and support this week's guest, Waleed Mansour here:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mr.waleedmansour Awesomely Awful YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@awesomely_awful We're Dead YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WereDeadShow See behind the scenes photos and video here: http://instagram.com/sprungonfood Check back for new episodes, and make sure to also subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@iamsprung You can also learn more and follow Kae Sprung here:Website: http://katherinesprung.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamsprung TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iamsprung Looking for half off your first 2 months to help make your own podcast? I recommend Riverside and Descript. You can find links below to sign up*:Riverside: https://riverside.cello.so/kbhJQ48RO1SDescript: https://descript.cello.so/4oB9cH6HfXH About the show:Sprung On Food is a digital and podcast series, hosted by Katherine "Kae" Sprung, an award-winning pastry chef and food and media entrepreneur. This season, we're talking about favorite foods- the history behind them and the role they play in the world today. Each episode features a special guest to talk about their favorite food, and help comment on the historical origins and pop-cultural and modern society moments tied to that food. Its food history meets food pop-culture, a dose of education, with sprinkles of comedy.*Please note that I'm an affiliate and might receive a commission from the links. If you plan on signing up for either app, please consider using the link to help support a fellow creator!00:00 Blizzard Talk Begins01:12 Dexter DQ Memories04:02 Mint Oreo Go To05:41 Blizzard Origin Story06:30 Soft Serve Beginnings07:30 Food Adventure Detour10:35 DQ Launch And Boom13:06 Franchisee Secret Menu16:43 Brazier And New Treats18:48 Improv Lessons On Flops21:10 Handling Comedy Flops22:15 Franchise Ideas That Failed23:55 Blizzard Origin Story25:53 The Upside Down Ritual27:35 What Makes It Work29:55 Flavor Explosion And Sizes32:36 Sales Impact And Charity34:12 Loyalty And Promos Talk36:08 Weird Mascots And Records39:23 Pop Culture Collabs40:35 Final Soft Serve Advice41:37 Thanks And Sign Off