On this episode of Sprung On Food, host Kae Sprung is joined by comedian and creator Waleed Mansour to get into the history of the Dairy Queen Blizzard. They trace Dairy Queen’s origins in 1938–1940 soft-serve experimentation by J.F. and Alex McCullough, rapid franchise expansion, and franchisee-driven innovations like the Dilly Bar, Brazier hot foods, the Buster Bar, and the Peanut Buster Parfait (including Waleed’s Oreo swap and parfait ideas).

The episode explains how the Blizzard was introduced in 1985 after St. Louis franchisee Samuel J. Temperato took inspiration from Ted Drewes, why it’s flipped upside down, how it’s made from soft serve (with lower milk fat and overrun), and how it grew to 170+ flavors, major sales impact, Miracle Treat Day giving, and pop-culture moments and collaborations through 2025.

You can follow and support this week's guest, Waleed Mansour here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mr.waleedmansour
Awesomely Awful YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@awesomely_awful
We're Dead YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WereDeadShow

See behind the scenes photos and video here: http://instagram.com/sprungonfood

Check back for new episodes, and make sure to also subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@iamsprung

You can also learn more and follow Kae Sprung here:
Website: http://katherinesprung.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamsprung
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iamsprung

Looking for half off your first 2 months to help make your own podcast? I recommend Riverside and Descript. You can find links below to sign up*:
Riverside: https://riverside.cello.so/kbhJQ48RO1S
Descript: https://descript.cello.so/4oB9cH6HfXH

About the show:
Sprung On Food is a digital and podcast series, hosted by Katherine "Kae" Sprung, an award-winning pastry chef and food and media entrepreneur. This season, we're talking about favorite foods- the history behind them and the role they play in the world today. Each episode features a special guest to talk about their favorite food, and help comment on the historical origins and pop-cultural and modern society moments tied to that food. Its food history meets food pop-culture, a dose of education, with sprinkles of comedy.

*Please note that I'm an affiliate and might receive a commission from the links. If you plan on signing up for either app, please consider using the link to help support a fellow creator!

00:00 Blizzard Talk Begins
01:12 Dexter DQ Memories
04:02 Mint Oreo Go To
05:41 Blizzard Origin Story
06:30 Soft Serve Beginnings
07:30 Food Adventure Detour
10:35 DQ Launch And Boom
13:06 Franchisee Secret Menu
16:43 Brazier And New Treats
18:48 Improv Lessons On Flops
21:10 Handling Comedy Flops
22:15 Franchise Ideas That Failed
23:55 Blizzard Origin Story
25:53 The Upside Down Ritual
27:35 What Makes It Work
29:55 Flavor Explosion And Sizes
32:36 Sales Impact And Charity
34:12 Loyalty And Promos Talk
36:08 Weird Mascots And Records
39:23 Pop Culture Collabs
40:35 Final Soft Serve Advice
41:37 Thanks And Sign Off