Chicago Has a Puppet-Run Ice Cream Shop Open All Summer Long

Sometimes, it's the most bizarre and unconventional ideas that work. Some might take longer than others to become a success than others. Just read about how long it took the Savannah Bananas to become "an overnight sensation."

It's a concept that combines the fuzzy memories of getting ice cream as a child with a concept akin to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. An ice cream stand in Chicago is going viral for its incorporation of puppets, so much so that it's billed as a "puppet-run" shop. It's set to be open all summer long.

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It's called The Sugar Hole (formally known as The Sugar Hole at Color Club), located at 4146 North Elston Avenue in Chicago. The name alone reminds me of the fictional Sugar Bowl in Arthur. Open on weekends from 3-8pm all summer long, it's a shop run by a husband-and-wife that has puppets taking your order and delivering your ice cream through a porthole window.

Even co-owner Josh Dihle credits the concept's "weirdness" as a key to its success. In an interview with WGN, several individuals behind the shop spoke about its uniqueness and the fun it brings to children and adults alike. Depending on the day, a customer will be greeted by cheery characters like Steve, Dansby, Puddles, Moolisa, or Jeremiah Carvuretor, played/voice by one of six puppeteers.

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Dihle runs the shop with his wife, Aby Monroe. They called the process of going through with this concept "a little scared." They're not business people by nature. They had to figure out how/where to garner enough ice cream to make this business viable. Now, they are looking to figure out a solution to prevent them from running out of ingredients.

That's a good problem to have, to a point. It proves the shop is popular and gaining traction amongst locals and tourists. Plus, it's not "them" the customers necessarily blame. Dihle comments on how "you can always blame the puppets" and "nobody minds."

Once your order is placed, the puppets take your cash or credit card in their mouth, which often prompts "scream-laughing" from the customers themselves.

I truly hope The Sugar Hole lasts because it's exactly the kind of deliriously absurd idea that has a place in a city as busy, diverse, and as welcoming as Chicago. Find out more about The Sugar Hole on their official website.