Forget Toblerone and Mövenpick. In the summer, the rocket ice cream is the king of all sweet temptations in Switzerland. With 8 million sold each year, it is the most popular ice cream flavour in Switzerland.
It is rather unremarkable in terms of size and taste: a simple water ice with a fruity and a neutral part, as well as a thin chocolate coating on top. Compared to, for example, a Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino, the rocket has a ridiculously low calorie count. But in 1969, at the time of the first moon landing when the Rakete ice lolly was launched, most food portions were much smaller – and the Rakete has never been changed in its 55 years on the market, neither in shape nor in recipe.
But it's not just as ice cream, but also as a design object, that the rocket now enjoys cult status. It has simply become an indispensable part of Swiss summers, and every Swiss person, young or old, associates wonderful childhood memories with it.
