You probably saw in the news that Irvine Robbins, founder of Baskin-Robbins 31 Ice Cream, passed away last week at the age of 90. Many years ago, I had the good fortune of beginning my career at Baskin-Robbins and knowing Mr. Robbins. He and his company profoundly shaped me and my professional life. Although I knew Mr. Robbins was in failing health, his passing brought a real pang of sadness.

I first met Mr. Robbins in a stairway in the old company headquarters in Burbank, California. He and several executives were leaving for lunch and I scrunched myself against the wall to let them pass. As Mr. Robbins went by, he gave me a big smile and an energetic "Hi, Dave!" I didn't even know he knew my name! (I later realized he had read the name badge on my store manager's uniform.) Over time, we chatted more whenever we met.

I got to know Mr. Robbins best after he retired and I was assigned to manage a store near his home in Rancho Mirage, California. He was a frequent visitor to my store, always enthusiastic and always ready to talk (and enjoy) ice cream. He was a master storyteller and I particularly relished his tales of how he began and built his ice cream empire.

Later, back in Burbank, I'd see Mr. Robbins during his occasional visits to headquarters. He once loaned us his personal scrapbook, full of memorabilia from his first stores; it was like seeing the Holy Grail! Whenever possible, I introduced him to our new franchisees and store manager and he was always delighted to answer their many questions. I last spoke with Mr. Robbins in 1987 when I left Baskin-Robbins, but I continued consulting with the company until a couple of years ago and kept track of his activities.

In honor of Mr. Robbins, I'd like to share 31 little stories and facts about him and the company he started.

1. Irv Robbins opened his first ice cream store, named "Snowbird," in Glendale, California on December 7, 1945. He was just 28 years old.
2. That first store featured 21 flavors, all made to Irv's strict specifications. For a short time, he also sold frozen foods!
3. From the start, Snowbird did a land office business. People couldn't get enough of Irv's premium ice cream and imaginative flavors. Within a year, he opened four more stores, stretching from Burbank to Pasadena.
4. Burton Baskin was Irv's brother-in-law. At Irv's urging, he opened his own ice cream store, "Burtons," in Pasadena in 1946.
5. Irv Robbins appeared on Steve Allen's "Tonight Show" where they created a new flavor called "Steverino." He also appeared on "To Tell the Truth," a popular game show.
6. Irv's home in Encino, California, featured an ice cream cone-shaped swimming pool that airline pilots enjoyed pointing out to passengers.
7. The famous "31® Flavors" were born in 1953 and represent one flavor of ice cream for every day of the month.
8. "Not everyone likes all our flavors," said Mr. Robbins, "but each flavor is someone's favorite."
9. Mr. Robbins' favorite flavor was Jamoca® Almond Fudge. (I scooped it for him many times.)
10. Baskin-Robbins has created well over 1000 flavors of ice cream, still serving them 31 at a time.
11. Minutes after astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon in 1969, Baskin-Robbins stores nationwide unveiled a new flavor, Lunar Cheesecake.
    

    Young Irv Robbins at his first Snowbird store.

12. Irv and his wife, Irma, invented Pralines 'n Cream in their kitchen after a trip to New Orleans. It was so popular at its release that stores repeatedly ran out of supplies. Advice columnist Dear Abby pleaded in print for more. University students in Santa Barbara, California picketed stores until a special batch was manufactured and delivered.
13. Jamoca® ice cream is named after Java and Mocha coffee. For many years, coffee was fresh-brewed in giant urns at the ice cream plants to provide its flavoring.
14. When the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958, Baskin-Robbins introduced a special flavor, Baseball Nut. It remains a popular flavor every spring.
15. "If you think negatively," Irv Robbins said, "nothing ever gets accomplished!"
16. Irv Robbins grew up in the dairy industry and learned the ice cream business while running the family store in Tacoma, Washington.
17. Baskin-Robbins didn't expand beyond California until 1959, when it opened its first stores in Arizona.
18. Mr. Robbins had no dreams of building an ice cream empire when he opened his first store. "Oh, no!" he told me. "I had a wife and baby. I was just trying to make a living!"
19. Irv advertised his first stores as "the first new post-war ice cream stores, merchandised on an entirely new theory: ice cream to take home... ice cream of the highest quality... ice cream in a great variety of flavors."
20. The pink and brown polka dots of Baskin-Robbins' first logo scheme represented cherry and chocolate.
21. "Ice cream is a fun food," said Mr. Robbins.
22. There are now more than 5,800 Baskin-Robbins stores worldwide.
23. "Most of the excitement we generate," said Irv, "comes from our flavors."
24. Plum Nuts ice cream was named by a customer who said, "Whoever thinks of these flavors must be plumb nuts!"
25. Burt and Irv formed the "Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream Company" in 1948, tossing a coin to decide whose name went first. That year, they also purchased their first ice cream plant and franchised their first store.
26. "The only real 'secret' of making the best ice cream is the courage it takes to consistently use ingredients that cost more," said Mr. Robbins.
    

    B-R in its 60s heyday.

27. Baskin-Robbins became especially famous in the 1950s and 1960s when it created and named wacky flavors based on pop culture and current events. Flavors like Jack Lemon. 0031 Secret Bonded Flavor. Here Comes the Fudge. Candi-Date. Beatle Nut. Cha-Cha-Cha. Bewitched.
28. "We like to cater to the adventurous spirit," said Irv.
29. One of Irv's more infamous creations in the 1960s was Goody Goody Gumdrop. "It seemed sensational and it looked beautiful," Mr. Robbins said ruefully. "But the trouble was that when gumdrops are frozen, because of their high sugar content, they stay frozen. We had some customer complaints." The flavor quickly disappeared but returned in the late 1970s with specially-made gumdrops that remained soft when frozen.
30. "We've opened an unusual store and want you to see what it is like," said Irv in his first advertising flyer in 1945.
31. "We don't sell ice cream; we sell fun!" said Mr. Robbins. He was right!

Farewell, Mr. Robbins--and Godspeed.