Excited children run through parks and race down blocks to get cones, bars and soft serve on sweltering summer days as the sound of the iconic jingle gets louder and the ice cream truck nears.

Nothing feels more sum-sum-summertime than scoring a frozen treat from an ice-cream truck ... examples of the trucks are niche collectibles, with values that can top six digits at auction.

of Americana: According to a study by Good Humor, nearly 70% of respondents said they noticed fewer ice cream trucks in their neighborhood ... (who was awarded the top prize of $20,000).

Mister Softee is going hard on some copycat ice cream trucks. The New Jersey-based franchise claims that three Big Apple operators are trying to trick children by using “imposter” trucks ...