Eskimo Pie to be renamed Edy's Pie due to racial stereotyping

Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream announced Tuesday it plans to rename its Eskimo Pie novelty ice cream months after acknowledging the name was derogatory toward Indigenous communities.

Beginning in 2021, the ice cream will be rebranded as Edy's Pie, a nod to Dreyer's founder Joseph Edy. Dreyer's ice cream is sold on the U.S. East Coast as Edy's.

The company announced in June that it was reconsidering the name of the ice cream in the wake of racial justice protests this summer. Some activists called attention to the racial stereotypes inherent in certain brands, such as Uncle Ben's rice, Cream of Wheat and Aunt Jemima's maple syrup.

"Our mission at Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream is to bring joy to everyday life with ice cream and we look forward to our Edy's Pie ice cream bars continuing to do just that," said Elizabell Marquez, chief of marketing for Dreyer's.

She said production of the ice cream bar was on hold until the rollout of the new branding.

The ice cream bar was introduced in 1922 using the name "Eskimo," which refers to the Native Inuit and Yupik people in Alaska, according to the Alaska Native Language Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The school said the name is considered derogatory because it was a colonial name given by non-Indigenous people.

Various meanings of the name include "eater of raw meat" and "to net snowshoes."

Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream is owned by Nestle.