Lampoon Fetes Vt.’s Ice Cream Royalty

For once, students and other Cambridge residents got exactly what they expected from the Harvard Lampoon.

The Lampoon, a semi-secret Sorrento Square social organization that used to occasionally publish a so-called humor magazine, inducted the co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream as honorary members yesterday afternoon.

To mark the occasion, a local Ben & Jerry’s store gave away 1,000 scoops of ice cream in front of the Lampoon Castle, and Mt. Auburn Street was decorated with several cardboard cow cutouts, a live cow in a trailer, and a Ben & Jerry’s banner on the castle itself.

One of the founders, Ben Cohen, told the assembled crowd, “In our long careers as ice cream men, everything pales in comparison to being honorary members of the Lampoon.”

“I think the Lampoon guys figured, ‘How can we get free ice cream?’” said his partner Jerry Greenfield, speculating on the reason for their invitation.

The Lampoon regularly inducts celebrities and counts Jay Leno, Kurt Vonnegut, and Aerosmith among its members, according to Justin G. Hurwitz ‘07-’08, a Lampoon member and one of the event organizers.

Some attendees were wary of the Lampoon’s intentions, suspecting a prank, but chose to investigate the situation for themselves.

“My theory was that the ice cream would contain animal blood,” said Molly O. Fitzpatrick ’11, noting the fake severed limbs lying among the cutouts.

“But this is really cool,” she said of the event.

Lampoon member Robert I. Padnick ’09 said the club’s motives for hosting the ice cream giveaway were purely altruistic. “We just wanted to feel more loved and to make more friends,” he said.

He declined to say who the Lampoon would approach to be its next honorary member.

At the event yesterday, Ben & Jerry’s also unveiled its new, Lampoon-themed flavor: Lampoon Berry Swirl.

Students cautious of the club’s reputation for pranks were pleasantly surprised to discover its ingredients: mango and mixed berry sorbet.

“I trust Ben & Jerry’s,” said Christopher J. Loney ’11.

“I’ll let you know if I die,” he added.