In the summer of ‘83/’84, one of my favourite treats was the Return of the Jedi iceblock. I actually hated iceblocks in general—too cold and hard—but these were different. Firstly, they were Star Wars iceblocks: it’s like you were partaking in the Force with every bite! But their real selling point was so ingenious that I still marvel at it to this day….

On the outside they looked like blue iceblocks—novel, but fairly straightforward. Hidden within, however, was a treasure-trove of mint-flavoured blue gel. Diabolical!

“I don’t know how you can eat that,” my mum would say. “It tastes like toothpaste!”

Fool!

Here’s the key: it’s every little kid’s fantasy to eat toothpaste. It’s like the forbidden fruit of mint-flavoured snack food. Those jube mint leaves have nothing on blue Colgate gel.

Or maybe it was just me. I dunno—I was a weird kid.

So I ate those iceblocks like they were going out of style… which they were (along with Star Wars in general).

And then, one day, they were no more.

Sometimes, even now, I dream of eating them while playing Space Invaders and listening to Michael Jackson.

I miss them almost as much as Strawberry Pops.