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What’s in a name? If the name is “jimmies”, it’s hard to say, but an ice cream producer in Massachusetts doesn’t take any chances.
Brigham’s Ice Cream changed its flavor from “Just Jimmies” to “Just Sprinkles” sometime last year.
“Jimmies” is what some New Englanders call ice cream topping that most Americans call “sprinkles”. The history of the term “jimmies” is unclear – several companies claimed to have invented this and coverage – but some people now say that it is a derogatory term related to Jim Crow, the racist caricature that has come to represent discriminatory laws and segregation put in place after the Civil War.
Brigham’s Ice Cream changed its flavor from “Just Jimmies” to “Just Sprinkles” sometime last year. (iStock)
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Even the fact-checking website Snopes considered Jim Crow’s connection to be “unproven”.
So, why change the name if he may or may not be racist? Lynne Bohan, spokeswoman for Brigham’s parent company, HP Hood, told Lynnfield Patch this week that, “Although the origins of the word ‘jimmies’ are unclear, Brigham made the decision to change the name to ensure that the brand reflects our values and meets the expectations of our consumers ”
“Just Sprinkles remains the same flavor / recipe that Brigham fans know and love,” Bohan told Patch.
Brigham’s Ice Cream changed its flavor from “Just Jimmies” to “Just Sprinkles” sometime last year. (iStock)
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Readers in the comment section of Patch’s article were mostly against the move.
“Damn it. Stupid,” wrote one of them. “Please stop the madness.”
Another lamented this as a case of “canceling culture”.
“They can do whatever they want, but for me they will always be ‘Jimmy’ and I will never stop calling them that,” they wrote. “How in the world can that word have ANYTHING to do with the ‘values’ of a company or person is beyond me.”
The name change just came out in the news this week, but it seems to have really happened last summer, when big brands previously known by names like Uncle Ben and Aunt Jemima were also changing their names on charges that they were rooted in racism.
A New England law professor specializing in trademarks noticed the change last September.
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Since then, Mars Inc. has unveiled its 70-year-old rice brand under the new name Ben’s Original and PepsiCo has chosen to rename its popular syrup as the Pearl milling Company. Other food companies have also made changes, including Land O’Lakes removing the American Indian woman from its logo.