Have you ever walked down the frozen aisle at your grocery store, scanning the Ben & Jerry’s section, and wondered what happened to that weird flavor you tried once? You’re not alone. For every Cherry Garcia and Chunky Monkey that becomes a household name, many Ben & Jerry’s creations end up in the “Flavor Graveyard” – yes, a real place with actual tombstones in Vermont where over 40 discontinued flavors rest in peace. These ice cream experiments might have sounded amazing on paper, but for various reasons, they just didn’t cut it in the highly competitive world of premium ice cream.
The real flavor graveyard in Vermont
When most companies discontinue products, they simply stop making them. Not Ben & Jerry’s. They built an actual graveyard for their failed flavors at their factory in Waterbury, Vermont. Each discontinued flavor gets its own granite headstone complete with a witty epitaph. Over a quarter-million visitors stop by this quirky attraction each year to pay their respects to flavors that didn’t make it. The cemetery features rows of headstones with birth and death dates for each flavor, making it clear that Ben & Jerry’s sees their creations as more than just products – they’re ideas worthy of proper memorials.
The physical graveyard began as a small tribute but has grown significantly as more flavors met their demise. Now it’s one of the most popular attractions at the factory tour. For those who can’t make it to Vermont, there’s also an online version of the Flavor Graveyard on Ben & Jerry’s website. The company’s sense of humor about their failures shows why they’ve maintained such a loyal fan base – they’re willing to admit when things don’t work out and give those failed experiments a proper send-off rather than pretending they never happened.
Sugar plum and other weird seasonal misses
Remember Sugar Plum? Most people don’t, and there’s a reason for that. This holiday-themed flavor featured plum ice cream with a caramel swirl, but it turns out most Americans weren’t ready for plum-flavored ice cream. It hit the market with high hopes for holiday sales but quickly became one of Ben & Jerry’s biggest flops. The company learned that no matter how festive a flavor sounds, if it’s too unusual, customers won’t buy it. Sugar Plum’s tombstone in the graveyard reads: “Sugar Plum’s dancing days are done, no more pirouettes on your tongue.” This wasn’t the only seasonal flavor that failed to win hearts.
Another seasonal mistake was Wild Maine Blueberry, which sounds like it should have been a hit. However, blueberries can be tricky in ice cream – too subtle and people miss the point, too strong and it tastes artificial. This flavor experiment just couldn’t find the right balance. Even with real Maine blueberries, customers weren’t impressed enough to keep buying it. The lesson here is that seasonal flavors need to be both unique enough to stand out but familiar enough that people actually want to eat them – a balance that’s harder to achieve than it sounds, even for ice cream experts like Ben & Jerry’s.
Schweddy balls and other controversial names
Sometimes it’s not the flavor that causes problems but the name. Schweddy Balls might be the most famous example. Based on a Saturday Night Live skit featuring Alec Baldwin, this vanilla ice cream with rum and chocolate-covered malt balls actually tasted good. The problem? Many stores refused to stock it because of the suggestive name. Parents complained they couldn’t bring it home to their kids, and despite the initial buzz and decent sales, the controversy eventually killed it. The flavor lasted just four months before joining the graveyard in 2011, proving that clever marketing can backfire if it crosses certain lines.
Another naming casualty was Black & Tan, which featured cream stout ice cream swirled with chocolate. In the US, a Black & Tan is just a beer mixture, but Ben & Jerry’s learned too late that in Ireland, the name references British forces known for violence against Irish civilians in the 1920s. This cultural misstep shows how even well-meaning product names can have unintended consequences. In the end, good ice cream couldn’t overcome bad associations, and the flavor was discontinued. The company now does more cultural research before naming new flavors to avoid similar mistakes.
Peanuts! Popcorn! and other weird mix-ins
Ben & Jerry’s is famous for stuffing their ice cream with chunks and swirls, but sometimes they go too far or pick the wrong mix-ins. Peanuts! Popcorn! sounded like a fun ballpark-inspired treat with caramel ice cream, caramelized popcorn, and peanuts. The problem? The popcorn got soggy in the ice cream, creating an unpleasant texture that nobody wanted. Even the most adventurous ice cream fans couldn’t get past the mushy popcorn. It turns out that not everything that tastes good separately will work when mixed into ice cream, especially items that don’t hold up well when cold and wet.
Another mix-in mishap was Fossil Fuel, which featured sweet cream ice cream with chocolate cookie pieces, fudge dinosaurs, and a fudge swirl. While it sounds amazing on paper, the reality was disappointing. The dinosaur shapes weren’t distinct enough once mixed in, making it just another chocolate chunk ice cream without the special touch that was intended. The lesson? Mix-ins need to maintain their integrity in ice cream, both in texture and appearance. When they don’t, even the cleverest concept falls flat, and customers don’t come back for a second scoop.
Holy cannoli and the tricky texture challenge
Creating ice cream with the taste of other desserts is a Ben & Jerry’s specialty, but Holy Cannoli proved that some desserts just don’t translate well to frozen form. This creation featured ricotta and pistachio ice creams with chocolate cannoli pieces, aiming to capture the essence of the Italian pastry. While the flavor combo sounded great, the execution fell short. The ricotta ice cream base had a grainy texture that many customers found off-putting, and the cannoli pieces lost their crispy texture when frozen, becoming hard and unpleasant to bite into.
Similar texture issues plagued Wavy Gravy, a caramel and cashew Brazil nut ice cream with a chocolate hazelnut fudge swirl and roasted almonds. Despite being named after the famous Woodstock personality, this flavor suffered from too many competing textures and tastes. The Brazil nuts in particular created an unexpected mouthfeel that customers didn’t enjoy. Both Holy Cannoli and Wavy Gravy show how tricky it is to nail texture in ice cream – one wrong element can ruin the whole experience, no matter how good it tastes. The failures taught Ben & Jerry’s that successful flavors need to feel right in your mouth, not just taste good.
Dublin mudslide and the resurrected flavors
Not all residents of the Flavor Graveyard stay buried forever. Dublin Mudslide, an Irish cream liqueur ice cream with chocolate chocolate chip cookies and a coffee fudge swirl, was discontinued in 2007 after a short run. Fans were devastated and began a campaign to bring it back. For 15 long years, Dublin Mudslide remained just a memory until 2022, when Ben & Jerry’s finally resurrected it in response to customer demand. This resurrection story shows that even “failed” flavors can sometimes get a second chance if enough fans speak up.
The company receives thousands of requests each year from customers begging them to bring back discontinued favorites. While most stay in the graveyard permanently, a select few, like Dublin Mudslide, make triumphant returns. Other flavors that fans frequently request include Brownie Batter, Festivus, and Economic Crunch. This feedback loop between Ben & Jerry’s and their customers creates a unique relationship that keeps people engaged with the brand. It also shows that sometimes a flavor isn’t bad – it just might have been ahead of its time or needed a few tweaks to become successful.
Turtle soup and the expensive ingredient problem
Sometimes a flavor fails not because people don’t like it, but because it costs too much to make. Turtle Soup was a prime example – this vanilla ice cream with fudge pieces, caramel swirl, and cashews was actually pretty popular. However, the high cost of cashews made it unprofitable to keep producing. Ben & Jerry’s had to make the tough business decision to discontinue it despite its fans. Even premium ice cream companies have to watch their bottom line, and when ingredient costs rise too much, tough choices follow.
The same fate befell Oatmeal Cookie Chunk, which featured sweet cream cinnamon ice cream with chunks of oatmeal cookies and fudge. This beloved flavor had a devoted following but fell victim to ingredient sourcing issues. When Ben & Jerry’s couldn’t find a supplier who could consistently provide the specific oatmeal cookies they needed at a reasonable price, they reluctantly discontinued the flavor. These cases remind us that even ice cream isn’t immune to supply chain challenges and cost pressures. Sometimes the tastiest flavors are also the most expensive to produce, making them unsustainable in the long run.
Economic crunch and the time-sensitive flavors
Some Ben & Jerry’s flavors were created for specific moments in time, which limited their staying power. Economic Crunch was released in 1987 during a stock market crash, featuring vanilla ice cream with chocolate-covered almonds, pecans, and walnuts. While the flavor was actually pretty good, its name and concept were tied to a specific economic moment. Once the financial crisis passed, the flavor lost its relevance and sales dropped. It’s now remembered as a clever but time-limited idea that couldn’t sustain long-term interest once its cultural moment had passed.
Similarly, Fresh Georgia Peach was a seasonal flavor that depended on the availability of fresh peaches. When Ben & Jerry’s couldn’t get enough high-quality peaches consistently, they had to pull the plug. These time-sensitive flavors highlight another challenge in ice cream innovation: creating something that can stand the test of time and supply chain realities. While limited-edition flavors can create buzz, building a sustainable product line requires flavors that can be produced year-round with consistently available ingredients. The graveyard contains many examples of great ideas that simply couldn’t work for the long haul.
What a cluster and other naming confusion
Sometimes a flavor fails because customers simply don’t understand what they’re getting. What a Cluster was originally named Clusterfluff – a blend of peanut butter ice cream, caramel cluster pieces, peanut butter, and marshmallow swirls. When the original name was deemed too risqué, Ben & Jerry’s changed it to What a Cluster. The rebranding confused customers who couldn’t tell what was in it from the name alone. Despite being delicious, sales dropped as people passed it over for flavors with more descriptive names, and it was discontinued in 2017. Ben & Jerry’s even held a formal funeral with a hearse and eulogy.
Another naming victim was Miz Jelena’s Sweet Potato Pie, which actually tasted good but suffered from a name that didn’t clearly communicate what you were getting. While the flavor honored Ben & Jerry’s first African American franchise owner and featured sweet potato ice cream with a marshmallow swirl, the unusual name and concept made many customers hesitant to try it. These examples show that even the tastiest ice cream can fail if its name doesn’t effectively tell customers what to expect or make them curious enough to try something new. In the ice cream business, clear communication on the pint is almost as important as what’s inside it.
Next time you find a favorite Ben & Jerry’s flavor missing from store shelves, remember it might have joined the ranks of the “dearly de-pinted” in the Flavor Graveyard. While these flavors didn’t stand the test of time, each represents Ben & Jerry’s willingness to take risks and get creative with ice cream. And who knows? If enough fans speak up, your discontinued favorite might just climb out of its grave and make a comeback someday.
