Ukrainian vanilla ice cream Three bears "Glavkholod", 70g

In 1921, Danish-American confectioner Christian Kent Nelson of Onawa, Iowa, attempted to combine two delicacies: ice cream and chocolate. According to popular legend, he was inspired by a child who wanted both but could only afford one.

Nelson and his partner, Russell Stover, named the dessert Eskimo Pie. The first commercial batch appeared around 1920–1921, and a U.S. patent was issued on January 24, 1922.

In the 1920s, glazed ice cream began to be sold in Europe. In France, it was popularized by Charles Gervais, who began producing chocolate-coated ice cream on a stick in 1928.