Klondike® History

Millions of Americans have come to love the Klondike® bar's delicious variety of frozen novelty products with the distinctive "polar bear" logo and foil wrapper.

The origins of the Klondike® bar can be traced to Switzerland and the Isaly Family, a family known for fine dairy products. William Isaly founded the Isaly Dairy Company around the beginning of the 1900s. William had four sons, Chester, Samuel, Charles, and Henry, all of whom had a hand in the family business. The company history credits the invention of the Klondike® bar to Chester Isaly, but brother Sam Isaly claims it was his father's invention. According to a 1922 article in the Youngstown, Ohio Vindicator, Chester Isaly (brother of Samuel) had given the newspaper staff several dozen Klondike bars to try.

The original Klondike® bar was handmade by dipping square slices of ice cream into pans of rich, delicious Swiss milk chocolate. The family produced the bars in Ohio just outside of Youngstown and in Pittsburgh. There also were Isaly Dairy Stores where the bars and other dairy products were sold. By the 1940s, the Isaly family had seven dairy plants that supplied more than 300 Isaly Dairy Stores. Klondike® bars were sold in all of the stores.

It is believed that the Klondike® bar was named after the Klondike River in Canada's west central Yukon Territory. The Klondike River was the site of the 1890s Gold Rush.

The Klondike® Bar Becomes A National Favorite

Until the 1970s, the Klondike® bar was sold only in Pennsylvania and Ohio. In 1978, distribution expanded into Florida, followed by New York and New England. In 1982, a new factory opened in Clearwater, Fla., and a nationwide advertising and publicity campaign was launched with the tag, "What would you do for a Klondike bar?" Soon, Klondike® bars became available for purchase in over 92 percent of U.S. supermarkets.

In 1993, Unilever acquired the Isaly Klondike Company and the Klondike® brand became part of Good Humor-Breyers. This acquisition made the Good Humor-Breyers Ice Cream Company the market leader in novelty ice cream. It also put Americans of every age within reach of the most comprehensive line of chilly treats in dessert history.