Museum of Ice Cream (MOIC) is an art installation and experiential museum that operates in several cities across the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The company has expanded internationally with locations in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

, and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. MOIC aims to transform the conventional museum and retail experience by incorporating vibrant colors, interactive exhibitions, and an ice cream theme to foster a sense of connection among visitors and evoke their inner child.

History

MOIC was founded by Maryellis Bunn, who previously served as head of Forecasting and Innovation at Time, Inc and worked as an independent consultant on design and business strategy for various companies including

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

. She partnered with Manish Vora, a former investment banker and former CEO of Lightbox. MOIC's parent company is Figure8, Inc., headquartered in New York. Initially self-funded by Bunn and Vora, the company started with a pop-up exhibit in New York's Meatpacking District in 2016. Bunn drew insight for the company from her experience with and desire to reimagine American retail and traditional museums. MOIC has been described in publications as "... laygroundswith no age imits and as an "interactive multi-sensory exhibit". Bunn has stated that rather than the term "museum," the

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words

Growth and expansion

MOIC has five permanent locations in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, and Shanghai, China. Its first permanent location was initially in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, which opened in 2017. MOIC has hosted pop up exhibitions in more cities including

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

. The company had over 1 million visitors across its various locations in 2018 alone. The same year, a new, larger permanent flagship location for MOIC opened in

Soho, Manhattan SoHo, sometimes written Soho (South of Houston Street), is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, and has also been known for its variet ...

. In August 2019, the company, valued at $200 million, received $40 million in Series A funding led by Elizabeth Ventures, and Maywic Select Investments. The same year, a new, larger permanent flagship location for MOIC opened in

. In July and August of 2022, MOIC launched two other locations, the first in Tribune Tower Chicago, and the other in Shanghai, China. On April 7, 2021, the Singapore Tourism Board announced that Museum of Ice Cream will be opening its first overseas location in

's Dempsey district in August 2021, featuring a total of 14 unique installations. During the official unveiling on April 12, details of the exhibits were revealed, including a "Dragon Playground", a banana jungle and the largest sprinkle pool of any MOIC location. The Museum of Ice Cream officially opened its doors in Singapore on August 19, 2021. Two days later, on August 21, the MOIC in Austin, Texas, opened. The MOIC had been visited by numerous celebrity supporters. Kim, Kourtney and

Khloe Kardashian Chloe (; ), also spelled Chloë, Chlöe, or Chloé, is a feminine name meaning "blooming" or "fertility" in Greek. The name ultimately derives, through Greek, from the Proto-Indo-European root ', which relates to the colors yellow and green. T ...

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...

Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Kate Paltrow (; born ) is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Paltrow gained notice for her early work in films ...

Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...

, Blake Lively,

Ryan Reynolds Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian-American actor. He is one of the highest-grossing film actors of all time, with a worldwide box-office gross of over billion. He began his career starring in the Canadian teen ...

David Beckham David Robert Joseph Beckham (; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the current president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Known for his range of passing, crossing ability and bending fr ...

Stephen Curry Wardell Stephen Curry II ( ; born March 14, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, ...

Vanessa Bryant Vanessa Marie Bryant (previously Laine; born Vanessa Urbieta Cornejo; May 5, 1982) is a businesswoman, philanthropist and model. She was married to basketball player Kobe Bryant. They founded the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Foundation in 2007 to p ...

, among others, have all been photographed enjoying the experience with their families. In an episode of

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los ...

, MOIC Los Angeles was featured when Jimmy sent

Mr. Robot ''Mr. Robot'' is an American drama thriller television series created by Sam Esmail for USA Network. It stars Rami Malek as Elliot Alderson, a cybersecurity engineer and hacker with social anxiety disorder, clinical depression and dissociative ...

and

Rami Malek Rami Said Malek (; , ; born May 12, 1981) is an American actor. He is known for portraying computer hacker Elliot Alderson in the USA Network television series ''Mr. Robot'' (2015–2019), for which he received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outs ...

to visit the location.

Products

MOIC has expanded its presence beyond the museum experience by developing its own ice cream brand, featuring seven distinct flavors, available at

Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...

starting in 2018. Flavors included Piñata, Sprinkle Pool, and Vanillionaire. Additionally, MOIC ice cream products were sold in Albertsons. While the company continues to produce its ice cream brand, Target has discontinued selling MOIC products. In addition to ice cream, MOIC has ventured into other areas, including children's apparel available at Target and a makeup line offered by

Sephora Sephora is a French multinational retailer of personal care and beauty products. Featuring nearly 340 brands, along with its own private label, Sephora Collection, Sephora offers beauty products including cosmetics, skincare, body, fragrance, n ...

Criticisms

In 2020, MOIC was criticized for a lack of sensitivity in expressing solidarity with the

Black Lives Matter movement Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police br ...

protesters when a sign with the names of victims of police brutality was painted in the brand’s signature pink and

Ahmaud Arbery On February 23, 2020, Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old black man, was murdered during a racially motivated hate crime while jogging in Satilla Shores, a neighborhood near Brunswick in Glynn County, Georgia.

’s name was misspelled. Bunn issued an apology and MOIC repainted the plywood black and corrected the error. Criticisms of Bunn and MOIC fostering a hostile work environment were investigated. A spokesperson for the brand stated that protocols are in place to provide a healthy work environment for everyone.

Locations

Recognition

2018 Webby Awards The 23rd annual Webby Awards were held at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City on May 14, 2018, which was hosted by comedian and writer Amber Ruffin. The Webby Awards have been dubbed the "internet's highest honor" and, in 2018, received over 13,00 ...

, Webby Winner, Best Overall Social Presence - Brand *

, People's Voice Winner, Best Overall Social Presence - Brand *

, Nominee, Social Art & Culture * Fast Company's Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Live Events in 2018

References

External links

* {{authority control 2016 establishments in New York City Visual arts exhibitions