Wu-Tang's RZA Reimagines Good Humor Jingle (Yes, really)
2020 is just weird, right?
In this strangest of times, comes former Wu Tang Clan headman RZA teaming up with…Good Humor Ice Cream. If you had that brand on the fill-in-the-blank RZA partnership bingo card…well, I don’t believe you.
It does start to make some sense when you dive a level deeper. In short, Good Humor who no longer operates trucks but is forever associated with those frozen treat mobile wonderlands symbolic of our American summer, has teamed with RZA to remake the jingle that blared from many an ice cream truck’s speakers over the past few decades.
Why? Well, the piano jingle is based on a century-old tune called “Turkey in the Straw,” which has its own racist roots and derivations. NPR provides a quick history lesson here. So, if ever there was a time to revisit such a jingle, the cultural climate and conversation dictates that it would be now-ish.
Insert RZA. Remix. Release.
Not bad. The brand filmed a bit more “behind-the-scenes” content to give context to the why of it all. Good Humor is making the the new jingle available on its website and through Nichols Electronics, a Minneapolis-based manufacturer of ice-cream truck music boxes. Now, any ice cream truck who’s still rockin’ the old stuff can start pumpin’ the new jam.
Personally, I like the strategy sitting behind it all. The brand needs to raise its profile beyond the truck. It’s a summer of simple pleasures and ice cream treats galore (at least in this family). Parents of my age with grade-school kids (prime Good Humor grocery aisle customer prospects) have fond memories of Wu Tang, so this catches the eye. It’s also a good reminder that Strawberry Shortcakes, Chocolate Eclairs and Ice Cream Sandwiches can be purchased in bulk.
You can argue the action or rationale, but the legs and broad applicability of the initiative from a storytelling perspective is undeniable. Good Humor getting pub in everything from Fast Company and Business Insider to CNN, Rolling Stone and TMZ?
It’s like killer bees on a PR swarm.
