At Ben & Jerry's Flavors, R.I.P In Style

Ice cream companies retire old flavors to make room for new ones constantly - Some companies simply toss the 'dead' ones, while others like Baskin Robbins, treat them with a little more respect, by listing them on their website - And then, there is Vermont based Ben & Jerry's who has dedicated an entire cemetery, complete with tombstones to ensure their dead flavors R.I.P.

Situated directly behind the company's popular ice cream factory in Waterbury, the flavor cemetery houses plastic tombstones for the flavors that have been killed, because they failed to impress consumers. To make them really personal it outlines not only the name of the flavor and length of life, but also, an emotional epitaph.

The company, which kills between 8-10 flavors every year, has to-date, over 200 flavors on its dearly departed list. Since the cemetery does not have enough room, it holds just a sample, about 27 tombstones - enough to delight the thousands of visitors who cross the white picket fence each year, to pay their respects.

Of course, unlike humans, ice cream flavors can easily be resurrected if enough fans write to the company, so the tombstones could magically disappear and be replaced with new ones. And, if you do not wish to trek all the way to Vermont to see the graveyard, you can check out the virtual one at www.benjerry.com/fun/halloween.

sources:odditycentral.com, roadsideamerica.com,