Across New Zealand, 50,000 Jelly Tip ice creams were given away by the company, 5000 of them in Dunedin.
Brand manager Tracey Fookes said about 1000 people queued for the 75-minute giveaway at St Clair Esplanade yesterday afternoon.
"One boy said ice cream was his life," she said.
The Jelly Tip was chosen for the giveaway because it was "all the good things combined" - jelly, ice cream and chocolate, and was more than 60 years old.
About 4 million Jelly Tips are consumed in New Zealand each year.
Tip Top's managing director Brett Charlton said the giveaway was to "acknowledge the loyalty New Zealanders have shown Tip Top".
Tip Top produces about 35 million litres of ice cream a year.
The oldest novelty ice cream still in production is the Eskimo Pie.
