The Tumultuous History Of Dairy Queen's Famed Oreo Blizzard

Some dessert aficionados may believe that just like soft serve ice cream and rainbow sprinkles, Oreo cookies and ice cream are meant to be together. When you walk into a frozen yogurt spot, fast food chain, or ice cream parlor, it's likely that you'll find crushed Oreo cookies among the dessert toppings. It would be especially rare to walk into an ice cream chain like Dairy Queen and find it devoid of Oreo toppings.

Indeed, Dairy Queen has become well-known for its Oreo-themed Blizzards throughout the years and through its many iterations of the dessert and Orea combo, from the Oreo Cookie Blizzard Treat to the Oreo Hot Cocoa Blizzard Treat. Yet at one point, customers walking into Dairy Queen in the hopes of ordering a Blizzard or searching for Oreos would've come away empty-handed. While DQ's Blizzard has an extensive history, the Oreo cookies team did not exactly have a warm response when asked to collaborate with Dairy Queen. In fact, it's due to this self-same initial reaction that the Oreo Cookie Blizzard almost didn't exist in the first place. 

Although Dairy Queen entered the ice cream scene in 1940, it didn't introduce the Blizzard until 1985. Samuel Temperato, who eventually operated more than 80 Dairy Queens in Missouri, was given credit by DQ officials for creating the Blizzard. However, Temperato said he drew his inspiration from Ted Drewes Jr.'s frozen custard. Temperato didn't just borrow the Blizzard idea from Drewes. If not for the custard seller, DQ may have never started serving their Blizzards upside down. Drewes started serving his custard creations upside down after one young customer kept asking for thicker custard. To illustrate that the custard was perfectly sturdy, Drewes would present it upside down — a tradition Temperato instituted that Dairy Queen still uses today.

While the Oreo Blizzard is now one of the chain's best-selling treats in the United States, DQ initially encountered a roadblock while working on its Blizzards. After reaching out to Oreo with a proposal to include Oreos in the Blizzards, the Oreo team declared the concept outlandish. Following this rejection, Hydrox, a cookie brand that is similar to Oreo, said Dairy Queen could use their cookies instead. DQ then created a Hydrox-based Blizzard. Within the first year, the chain sold over 175 million Blizzards – and when Oreo caught wind of how well they performed, the Oreo crew partnered with Dairy Queen. 

While Dairy Queen was eager to partner with Oreo, the ice cream chain didn't just stop after taking on the double-toned cookie sandwich treat. Today, customers can choose from at least 25 different types of Blizzards, with Oreo cookies making an appearance in several varieties. If you're searching for something standard, the classic Oreo Cookie Blizzard remains a popular choice. Alternatively, if you'd like to relive childhood memories, you can order the Oreo Dirt Pie Blizzard that's filled with gummy worms. Chocolate lovers may appreciate the Oreo Fudge Brownie Blizzard, which combines Oreo cookies and brownie chunks. The Oreo Cheesecake Blizzard comes with — you guessed it — chunks of cheesecake. 

In addition to the typical creations, you can also keep an eye out for creative spins on the Dairy Queen Blizzard during special occasions. For instance, the chain debuted a Zero Gravity Blizzard treat to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the moon. The limited-edition blue treat contained multicolored sprinkles that resembled stars and planets. If you were looking to ditch the booze for ice cream, you might have enjoyed Dairy Queen's Blizzard Flights, which allowed customers to try three different ice cream flavors. But Oreo cookies remain a Blizzard staple, even as new varieties continue to be born.