Sprinkles or Jimmies? A Debate That Affects All of Us

With all of this snow, I can't help but think about summer and ice cream. I can't wait to pretend that the coldest part of my day is a cone from the Franklin Fountain, not a foot of snow on my deck. A debate in our household rages every summer: what do you call those sugary bits of goodness you put on top of your ice cream? I grew up in the Lehigh Valley where we call them "sprinkles." This makes good sense to me; you sprinkle these tasty bits of sugar on already fabulous ice cream to make the experience about texture and taste. My husband calls them "jimmies," which frankly I find irritating. A slang term for a condom, the word "jimmies" seems to have nothing to do with ice cream (sure, there's a stretch that could be made here, but let's stay focused on ice cream...). I have had people tell me that "jimmies" are only the brown kind. There's an urban legend (I hope) that had racial implications to this name. But "sprinkles" seems so much more festive, so less potentially offensive. And really, isn't that the point of ice cream?

I know this is a regional debate, and we here at Phillyist would love to hear what you have to say. What do you call these little sugary bits of goodness? Spend some time on this snow day thinking about summer and sugar and comment below.