Fact Check
In 2022, a rumor started to circulate on social media that Klondike, the ice cream company, had discontinued its taco-shaped, waffle-cone product called "choco tacos."
This is, unfortunately, true. The Choco Taco has been discontinued.
When we reached out to Unilever, the company that owns Klondike, a spokesperson confirmed to us that the Choco Taco, which was invented in Philadelphia in 1984, had been discontinued. The spokesperson wrote:
The Klondike Choco Taco has unfortunately been discontinued in both 1ct and 4ct pack sizes. Over the past 2 years, we have experienced an unprecedented spike in demand across our portfolio and have had to make very tough decisions to ensure availability of our full portfolio nationwide. A necessary but unfortunate part of this process is that we sometimes must discontinue products, even a beloved item like Choco Taco. We know this may be very disappointing, but we hope you'll try one of our other great products, including Klondike Cones, Shakes, Sandwiches, and of course, our signature Bar available nationwide.
When this rumor first started circulating, Klondike had yet to make any statements about the discontinuation of the Choco Taco. When we originally addressed the rumor, we labeled it "False," in part, because we didn't want to believe that it was true. Additionally, Klondike had dispelled these rumors just a few weeks earlier, writing that while the 4-packs had been discontinued, the single-serving products were still on offer:
Unfortunately, that is no longer the case.
In 2016, The Eater took a deep dive into the Choco Taco's storied history. While the piece is worth reading in its entirety, we'll leave you with this undoubtedly embellished quote from Alen Drazen about the company's inspiration for inventing the Choco Taco:
"I was on an expedition in Mexico and got separated from my party. It was hot. I hadn't had anything to drink. And then I saw a mirage. An ice cream taco, rising out of the distance. That's how I got the idea."
Snopes has debunked numerous rumors about other ice cream products over the years. Here's a sampling: