Casper’s Ice Cream: The Company Behind FatBoy and Jolly Llama

Casper’s Ice Cream has been making frozen treats since 1925, but many shoppers are more familiar with two of the company’s consumer brands: FatBoy and Jolly Llama. That connection surprised us enough that we asked Casper’s CMO Reed Damon about the history and why the products are sold under different names.

How Casper’s Ice Cream started

Damon explained the company’s origin this way:

“In 1925, Casper Merrill took the milk and cream from his family’s milk cows and made the “original” Ice Cream Nut Sundae on a stick, then called Casco Nut Sundaes, which are now known as FatBoy Nut Sundaes. They were made in a ten-gallon milk can and were sold at the local Utah Fourth of July celebration. Soon after, Casper developed his original FatBoy Ice Cream sandwich, a much larger-than-usual ice cream novelty that earned its name.”

Why FatBoy and Jolly Llama use different brands

When we asked why everything was not simply sold under the Casper’s name, Damon said:

“We choose to not operate everything under the brand name of Casper’s mainly due to the difference between the products. FatBoy plays into Casper’s history and houses the flagship ice cream sandwich, leaning into being unapologetically awesome and having a humongous size. Jolly Llama, on the other hand, focuses on better-for-you products like our dairy-free and gluten-free Sandwiches and Cones crafted to satisfy the cravings of a different consumer than our FatBoy.”

FatBoy’s scale

Damon also told us that more than 500,000 FatBoy ice cream sandwiches were being made daily at the time of our 2023 interview. Casper’s current official sites continue to highlight both the company’s 1925 origin and FatBoy’s large production scale.

When we asked about records or other trivia, Damon added:

“FatBoy is actually the number one-selling Ice Cream Sandwich Brand out there, in terms of world records…I don’t believe we currently have any world records that are documented, but I would guess we’ve accounted for more chocolate-covered fingers than any other ice cream brand out there.”

Current FatBoy and Jolly Llama Lineup

Casper’s still operates the FatBoy and Jolly Llama brands. FatBoy currently sells ice cream sandwiches and other frozen treats, while Jolly Llama currently focuses on dairy-free and gluten-free frozen desserts.

For another frozen-dessert review, see our KLIMON Frozen Goodies review.