After nearly 40 years, ice cream maker Klondike announced this week that it will discontinue the Choco Taco, a beloved novelty treat sold by convenience stores, ice cream trucks, and even select Taco Bell locations.
“The Klondike Choco Taco has unfortunately been discontinued in both 1ct and 4ct pack sizes,” the company’s online product page reads. “Over the past 2 years, we have experienced an unprecedented spike in demand across our portfolio and have had to make very tough decisions to ensure availability of our full portfolio nationwide.”
A spokesperson for Klondike’s parent company, Unilever, told Fortune that although you may see the taco-shaped ice cream out in the wild, you shouldn’t get your hopes up.
“You may see the Choco Taco here and there as retailers run through their inventory, but the Choco Taco has been discontinued,” the spokesperson said.
The loss has left customers heartbroken, with some posting enraged social media messages.
“There are bad decisions, like getting a face tattoo or french kissing an alligator, then there are horrifically bad inexcusable decisions like discontinuing the Choco Taco. #sayitaintso,” one Twitter user wrote.
But a potential Choco Taco hero has emerged. Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian appeared to tweet an offer to Unilever to take over producing the treat.
“I’d like to buy the rights to your Choco Taco and keep it from melting away from future generations’ childhoods,” he wrote. “I can’t let this happen. Not to America. Not on my watch.”
In response to a question from Fortune about his intentions, Ohanian said: “Very serious. The only people who’d think this is a joke are people who’ve never had a Choco Taco before.”
Other business leaders and celebrities immediately threw support behind Ohanian’s offer.
“Time to start a ChocoTaco investment DAO?” Eric Bahn, cofounder of San Francisco venture capital firm Hustle Fund, asked in response to Ohanian’s initial tweet. A DAO is a crypto term that stands for “decentralized autonomous organization” and refers to a group with a shared goal.
Ohanian replied by saying that he “feels like it needs to happen.”
Women’s soccer star Alex Morgan called the Choco Taco her “go-to post soccer practice treat growing up,” leading Ohanian to double down on his offer.
“YOOOOOOOO @NWSL partnership in the making. Let’s make this happen, Unilever! You just got the Champ’s endorsement,” he said.
In what appeared to be purely a joke, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy tweeted on Monday that he would introduce legislation the next day to “invoke the Defense Production Act to mandate the continued manufacture of Choco Tacos.”
Although not even a full day has passed since Klondike announced the end of the Choco Taco, the company already seems to be walking back its decision.
In response to a disappointed fan, Klondike hinted at a possible comeback, even without Ohanian.
“We know Choco Taco is a huge fan favorite and a top seller for our out-of-home business, so this is particularly painful,” the company said on Twitter Monday evening. “We’re working hard to find a way to bring Choco Taco back to ice cream trucks in the coming years.”
Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.
