By Dorothy Dean Holman

(1895 - 1984)

[Edited by John M. Holman, Contributing Writer]

This is the Jolly Man, jolly and fat,
He wears blue jeans and an old straw hat.
He's not very young yet he's not really old,
Though is hair is silver, his heart is gold.

This is the Jolly Man's truck, painted white,
With pictures of ice cream all shiny and bright,
And down underneath is the Jolly Man's name,
For selling ice cream is the Jolly Man's game.

This is the creamery where every fine day
He fills up his truck, then goes on his way,
Back to his home town, to the girls and the boys
To sell them his wonderful ice cream joys.

There are ice cream sandwiches and Eskimo pies,
And chocolate push-ups and cones of good size,
And last but not least is the double popsicle,
And none of them cost more than a dime, some a nickel.

When he starts down the street where the boys and girls dwell,
Mr. Jolly starts ringing his little old bell,
And children come running as fast as they can,
All shouting t once, "Here's the nice Jolly Man."

He climbs down from his cab to the back of the car,
And opens the door where the good things are,
And hands to each one an ice cream or popsicle,
And they all give to him their dime or their nickel.

Then back on the seat, after shutting the door,
He's off to another street, there to sell more
Of his ice cream goodies, a sandwich or bar,
Where more children are waiting, how happy they are!

And when he has sold all his ice cream that way,
It's time to go home and to call it a day.
So he puts up his truck before he goes in
To his house, where his dinner is waiting for him.

And after he's eaten he's as full as can be,
Then he sits in his lounger and watches T.V.
So this is the Jolly Ice Cream Man, jolly and fat,
In his faded blue jeans and his old straw hat.

Do you have a Jolly Ice Cream Man in your town?