Twin Peaks feels like home because of its believable clutter. Rich set decoration makes its spaces feel real and occupied, and the coziness of a place like the Double R Diner is palpable through the screen. To me, the giant ice cream cone displayed behind the counter is a beacon of the diner’s small town comfort.
These mid-century promotional displays were distributed by the Eat-It-All brand, a division of the Maryland Cup Corporation.
We don’t see this view in Twin Peaks, here is a rare look at the underside of my replica Eat-It-All ice cream cone.
WHAT IS THE MARYLAND CUP CORPORATION?
Maryland Cup’s history goes all the way back to 1911 when Russian immigrants Joseph, Isaac, Samuel and Nathan Shapiro opened an ice cream cone bakery just outside of Boston. The business was originally called Sweetheart Cup Company until the Shapiros decided that warmer weather might be better for sales. In 1919, they moved their headquarters to Baltimore and became the Maryland Baking Company.
Though the brothers developed machinery to make large batches of cones quickly, the fragility of their fresh baked cones made long distance shipping difficult. Instead, they built a network of bakeries in nearby cities which allowed them to cultivate more personal business relationships.
Eventually, they began producing adjacent products that were easier to transport like drinking straws and disposable cups, and this took the company to the next level. Maryland Cup’s Sweetheart Plastics division would come to provide all cold drink cups sold at every McDonald’s restaurant in the United States.
It is interesting to think that we’ve all probably used products made by Maryland Cup without ever hearing that name.
In 1981, vice president of marketing Richard D. Folkoff described the inherent need to focus their promotional efforts on their partnerships instead of their own products. Folkoff is quoted in a Washington Post article saying, “Nobody goes into a shop and asks for our Eat-It-All ice cream cone. But the more Baskin-Robbins ice cream that’s sold, naturally, the better our cones do.”
EAT-IT-ALL ICE CREAM CONE APPEARANCES IN TWIN PEAKS
In my search for a replica of the Double R’s Eat-It-All cone, I found a surprising amount of variety among the online listings. Some doubled as coin banks, others featured a chocolate swirl color scheme, and one had a different shape with a curly dollop of ice cream. The curly design is featured in the Twin Peaks pilot episode, but I opted to track down a replica of the version used throughout the rest of the original series, as shown at the top of this article.
The main Eat-It-All cone is shown onscreen in 20 episodes of the series, as well as Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, so this will not be an exhaustive breakdown of its appearances but rather a collection of highlights. It makes its debut in Episode 1.002 just before Audrey’s impromptu dance.
As Shelly arrives to work in Episode 1.004, we get a beautiful closeup of the cone on top of the Snow Crop orange juice machine.
Hank Jennings tries to sweet talk Norma in front of the ice cream display in Episode 1.007.
It returns in the second season, now neighboring a smaller ceramic cone. This one is a cookie jar, but that is another article for another day.
“Empty who?”
Later in Episode 2.004, we see the ice cream cone in a shock of lightning as Hank answers the door in the middle of the night.
We can thank director Diane Keaton for turning this static set decoration into a mobile prop in Episode 2.015. For some reason, the display has been brought all the way down to the floor for a wipedown. Norma and Shelly Johnson give it some elbow grease, and the cone is squeaky clean.
Annie pours Cooper a cup of joe as the Eat-It-All cone peeks over her shoulder in Episode 2.017.
In Episode 2.021, the seam on the side of the cone is clearly visible.
Its final appearance comes in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me as Laura Palmer prepares to make a Meals On Wheels delivery.
When I say that Twin Peaks‘ props and set decorations are an integral part of the show’s legacy, I truly mean that. As fans, we spend time in these spaces and grow attached to our surroundings. The clutter that fills out the sets becomes familiar and each item becomes symbolic of home.
In 2019, I painted some of the most iconic tokens from the show including the Eat-It-All cone, which now belongs to fellow Bookhouse Boy Karl Reinsch. Set decoration is art, and as silly as an old ice cream cone might seem on paper, it is impactful.
Follow along with more of my musings on Instagram at @TwelveRainbowTrout.
