The Difference Between Sprinkles and Jimmies (For Me)

Growing up, I rarely heard the word "sprinkles" in conjunction with ice cream. Sprinkles were tiny, multi-colored spheres applied to baked goods, usually cupcakes. Jimmies were slightly larger, oblong-shaped chocolate or multi-colored candies used for adorning ice cream cones and sundaes.  

Cone with chocolate jimmies.

This distinction, which is still ingrained in me, arose not because of where I grew up (Central Pennsylvania) but because of where my father grew up (Boston, Massachusetts). "Jimmies," as I later learned, is a regional term used primarily in New England, which, incidentally is the section of the country that consumes the most ice cream per capita.  My father took us on the majority of our post-soft ball practice runs to Friendly's or White Mountain Creamery, so I absorbed his dialect.

There has been speculation by some that  the  word "jimmies" came into our parlance because their black and/or brown color gave rise to a (obviously racist) association with "Jiim Crow." People even more obsessed than I including etymologists, however, argue no substantive proof of this connection exists.

Given the plethora of subtle forms of prejudice in this country, I would really hate to think I was contributing to the bigotry when I ordered ice cream.

Readers, what's the difference (if any) for you between sprinkles and jimmies?