‘Be friends rather than foes.’ Kentucky’s Dippin’ Dots wants do-over with Trump’s press secretary

Dippin’ Dots, a Paducah-based ice cream company, tried to thaw relations Monday with its most visible and outspoken critic: President Donald Trump’s press secretary, Sean Spicer.

The Paducah-based company, which for years has used the slogan “Ice Cream of the Future,” made national news over the weekend when outlets began reporting Spicer’s odd, long-running feud with the confection.

Spicer’s critical tweets began in 2010 and have included such remarks as, “Dippin’ dots is NOT the ice cream of the future,” and “If Dippin’ Dots was truly the ice cream of the future would not have run out of vanilla.”

Dippin’ Dots CEO Scott Fischer responded to Spicer with an open letter Monday, defending his company’s product and the employees who make it, and trying to make nice with the president’s spokesman.

The letter, which was posted to the company’s Facebook page, reads:

“Dear Sean,

“We understand that ice cream is a serious matter. And running out of your favorite flavor can feel like a national emergency! We’ve seen your tweets and would like to be friends rather than foes. After all, we believe in connecting the dots.

“As you may or may not know, Dippin’ Dots are made in Kentucky by hundreds of hard-working Americans in the heartland of our great country. As a company, we’re doing great. We’ve enjoyed double-digit growth in sales for the past three years. That means we’re creating jobs and opportunities. We hear that’s on your agenda, too.

“We can even afford to treat the White House and press corps to an ice cream social. What do you say? We’ll make sure there’s plenty of all your favorite flavors.”

Spicer, presumably busy with bigger issues on the fourth day of the new administration, did not respond immediately to the company’s letter.

The Washington Post reported that the sudden attention had surprised company employees as much as anyone.

“We keep a pretty close eye on folks who are talking about Dippin’ Dots (on social media), and we began to notice those old tweets surfacing,” Billie Stuber, a senior marketing manager, told the Post. “My first thought was, well, this is interesting. That’s seven years old.”

Stuber said the company now uses a different slogan.

“‘Ice Cream of the Future’ was our original tag line. It served us well, (but) we’ve actually transitioned to ‘Taste the Fun.’”

She said most feedback she gets is positive because Dippin’ Dots is “an experiential product” and because it’s often consumed at “fun” places, such as sporting venues, malls and amusement parks.

This story was originally published January 24, 2017 at 10:22 AM with the headline "‘Be friends rather than foes.’ Kentucky’s Dippin’ Dots wants do-over with Trump’s press secretary."