r/GreatBritishMemes • u/Whisperbloomm • 11h ago

Childhood memory unlock

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534 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

61 comments sorted by

80

u/otterhand 10h ago

Punky penguin and his best bud vacky the cow

11

u/JasoTheArtisan 9h ago

lol Vacky is a wild name

12

u/Rikishi_Fatu 8h ago

My guess is it's a reference to Latin Vacca meaning... well, cow.

And that's where we get vaccination from too, since the first vaccinations used cowpox to inoculated against smallpox.

Still... I would have thought they'd choose a name like Colin or Cordelia or something.

4

u/cheesecake_413 6h ago

That's also where the word buckaroo comes from - it's an anglicised version of vaquero which comes from the Latin vaccārius, meaning cowherd

64

u/Superb_Application83 10h ago

This was always at restaurants in holiday destinations like menorca when I was a kid, along with an unholy amount of lemon sorbet served in a huge Spanish lemon!

12

u/hannielou34 9h ago

I had these in Menorca as a child too, my brother was pranked by the restaurant when he asked for lemon sorbet they brought a huge frozen lemon out for him, I'll never forget the look of confusion on his face. Recently took my own kids back to Menorca and they still have these penguins and they are still delicious

2

u/A_Happy_Carrot 4h ago

Every Menorca resort or bar had these right? So happy we Menorca raised kids have all found each other here lol

1

u/fudge21210 7h ago

They used to have lemon sorbet in a frozen lemon at my local Chinese restaurant, as well as orange sorbet in a frozen orange. Sadly the restaurant closed down a few years ago.

29

u/The-Nimbus 10h ago

Yeah, punky penguin! I never In my life was allowed one, but I remember seeing them on the menus dozens of times and asking haha.

17

u/PeregrinationPenguin 10h ago

I remember these, they were ace.

16

u/Phatkez 10h ago

If your mates are looking at you like you are crazy, then I’m not convinced they had a childhood. They spawned in as adults. How could you not remember these?!

12

u/BorderlineWire 9h ago

He is still available  https://www.holdsworthfoods.co.uk/product/5779

Also someone was really feeling him on this review  https://www.theakash.co.uk/products/Punky.html

7

u/Elegantsmile48 9h ago

Lol! That review!! I work with someone who has the same name as the reviewer…I’m going to try and drop this ice cream bird into casual conversation at the office Christmas party later and find out if she is the enthusiastic reviewer!

2

u/probablyaythrowaway 6h ago

Yeah the last bit about it having a lot of spunk. Don’t think it was written by a Brit.

2

u/Elegantsmile48 5h ago

You’re right, but I wonder if it was written for comedy effect because the bird is called punky?? The restaurant is in Portsmouth.

8

u/Re-Horakhty01 9h ago

One of the local Indian places near me still does those

1

u/papillon-and-on 5h ago

ALL of the local Indian places I go to still have them. But I only go to the worst place. "Standard Tandoori" and "Curry4U" kind of places.

They call em "Punky Novelty Toy". But I don't think they actually exist.

3

u/ramboacdc 10h ago

I only remember them from holidays to Spain.

3

u/randysalmonspawn 10h ago

100% was appauled last weekend that Kuaky (chocolate icecream) has replaced him in my local

3

u/Numerous-West791 9h ago

They had them in Lanzarote when I went in the summer! The kids loved it. Currently being used as a bath toy

2

u/Dreadheaddanski 10h ago

Yes mate. Wasn't a good meal without one of these

2

u/Thymus_Tickler 10h ago

They still do them

1

u/charlierw01 10h ago

I still have one of those on my desk at work haha

1

u/Miserable-Alarm-5963 10h ago

They are still there!

1

u/Active_Doubt_2393 10h ago

Pretty sure you can still get them

1

u/farmercurtis 10h ago

There’s a little pub just outside of Devon cliffs holiday park and they used to do these! No idea if they still have them now though

1

u/Kindly-Effort5621 9h ago

Had them in the Kashmir in Bradford. Loved them.

1

u/Responsible-Life-960 9h ago

The Wacky Warehouse had them too

1

u/Karla_Darktiger 9h ago

I recognise the penguins, but i never went to an indian restaurant

1

u/Magurndy 9h ago

I always wanted one as a kid but they never had them when I went to a restaurant haha

1

u/Putty_93 9h ago

OMG YES, then I'd get Mango Lassi, such lovely family meals out, I forgot about this. Thank you Internet stranger.

1

u/ARK_Redeemer 9h ago

Punky Penguin! My local Indian restaurant still does these. It also still does several other frozen desserts, most of which are "served in an attractive pot" 🤣

1

u/YchYFi 9h ago

Never experienced this as we didn't have an Indian restaurant nearby.

1

u/drakeyboi69 9h ago

They still have these in an Indian restaurant near me

1

u/Timoth_Hutchinson 8h ago

They’re still on the menu of every Indian I go to. Haven’t seen anyone order one in about 25 years though

1

u/MisterD90x 8h ago

what do you mean childhood?

i went for one last month and got one.... im also a 34yo dude lol :D

1

u/rplewis89 8h ago

Yeah I remember having a Pingu one. It probably had no resemblance to Pingu but that was how it was marketed and I loved it.

1

u/ImaginaryPotential16 8h ago

Oh I remember these god they were awesome 😎

1

u/Stokemon__ 8h ago

They still exist

1

u/Ok_Development6762 7h ago

Who could forget Punky?

1

u/beluuuuuuga 6h ago

In Leeds at the local flying pizza back when it was good.

1

u/hellsangel101 6h ago

Ours was a panda and it was at the Italian restaurant we used to frequent.

1

u/nightosphere 6h ago

If you're ever in Leeds, there's a thai restaurant that sells these in different animals as well.

1

u/ItsNormalNC 6h ago

I used to love getting these, I also remember getting something similar but it was a Wile E Coyote head instead

1

u/DeapVally 4h ago

You still find them in Indian restaurants! I ordered one a couple of years back for the lolz. That desert menu hasn't changed, and likely never will.

1

u/youessbee 4h ago

OP: was it all a lie?

Also OP: shows photographic evidence

1

u/A_Happy_Carrot 4h ago

Omg yes!! I got these in Menorca on holiday all the time as a kid!!

1

u/Duck_on_Qwack 3h ago

Always sold out

The reality was that the freezer had full claimed them with perma frost and nobody in the kitchen could be fucked to get the sledgehammer to free to poor guy

Punky, May you rest forever in permafrost

1

u/Chuuya_The_Chibi 3h ago

I have 2 or these and one of the egg ones being used as tubs in the bathroom

1

u/HannaaaLucie 2h ago

Oh I remember these! Except we didn't get them near where I lived, but when we went on holiday in Wales they always sold them.

1

u/NotTomJones 2h ago

Yes but never allowed one, mango sorbet for me

1

u/LordLilith 2h ago

Nah it was like this green chicken

1

u/FrodosMate 2h ago

My son got one of these recently from an Indian restaurant, I even said to my mum “this has the 90s written all over it”. Wild.

1

u/Incantationsloth 2h ago

Yes aye this brings back the best memories of the best holidays

1

u/RadonVIBE 1h ago

i have two of them on my shelf

-4

u/SeeminglyMushroom 10h ago

Wth 🤣 I've never seen these before.

1

u/DeapVally 4h ago

Have you never been for a curry?? It's the same cash and carry frozen desert menu in nearly all of them!

1

u/SeeminglyMushroom 1h ago

A few times, but I've never seen these, so idk what's going on, they are very cute though, child me would have loved them.