1928 Ford Model AA Popcorn Truck

1928 Ford Model AA Popcorn Truck
Engine no. A3005804
While dozens of body styles were offered by the factory, and countless more were available from coachbuilders, few are as instantly recognizable as the Popcorn Truck created by C. Cretors & Company in Decatur, Illinois. Cretors got its start building in 1893 when Charles Cretors patented a steam-powered machine that could roast 12 pounds of peanuts, 20 pounds of coffee, or pop plenty of popcorn—all equally well. The success of the machine allowed the company to create the Special, a complete snack stands on wheels—complete with popcorn making, peanut roasting, hot dog grilling, and ice cream chilling equipment on board—by 1900. Originally fitted to horse-drawn wagons, the availability of cheap motor vehicle platforms, usually from Ford, moved the mobile food court into the self-propelled, motoring age. Even today, Cretors is still one of the biggest manufacturers of popcorn making equipment.

While it cannot be confirmed at the time of cataloging if this is an original Cretors truck or a very nicely done recreation, it is fitted to a Model AA frame and has all the goodies one could hope for. By 1928, electrically powered popcorn poppers had replaced steam, but the "Roasty-Toasty Man" clown turning his glass cylinder of snacks stayed on. Some of the equipment, specifically the popcorn machine mounted in the back of the truck, have been modernised.

Coming to the Netherlands from the United States in 1990, there are few more recognisable machines than this one.