It's-It Ice Cream

The It's-It was invented in 1928 by George Whitney, one of the original business owners when San Francisco's Playland at the Beach opened across the Great Highway from Ocean Beach.^[1][4] One version of the name's origins is that Whitney was experimenting and cried out "It's-It!" when he hit on the combination of a sandwich of vanilla ice cream inside two oatmeal cookies, covered in chocolate.^[4][5] Another version is that he heard someone answer the question which cow had won a cow race that day (a tradition at Playland); the cow's name was It.^[6]

For nearly forty-five years, until Playland was demolished in 1972, the It's-It was available only at Whitney's shop. After Playland closed, the It's-It name was passed to George Mavros, who sold the ice cream sandwiches at another location near Ocean Beach.^[7]

In 1974, the Shamieh brothers, and their brothers-in law, A.L. McDow and Isa Zaru, bought the It's-It business.^[8][9] They mechanized production, first at a facility on 11th Street in downtown San Francisco, moving to the current factory in Burlingame in 1976.^[10] The company's products are now sold in supermarkets and convenience stores.^[4] Chocolate, strawberry, mint and cappuccino flavors were added in the 1980s^[6] and green tea in 2016;^[11] pumpkin is also available.^[12][13] The company has also added other ice cream products, including the "Super Sundae", the "Big Daddy", the "Super Cone", and the "Chips It".^[4][14]