Ice Cream Store Mascot Mistaken for KKK

It was meant to be a scoop of publicity - instead they got a swirl of controversy.

A family owned ice cream store in Ocala, Florida, is turning heads because their white-hooded ice cream cone mascot is being mistaken for a KKK protester.

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Up close, the fluffy white top with colored sprinkles looks nothing like a klan robe and hood, but from a distant view the friendly costume is stirring outrage as some say it appears like a Klansman.

"This one lady had called her husband crying over the phone because she didn't want to cross the intersection because the KKK was right on the corner," store server Jasmin González recalled.

Others say, the costume is clearly an ice cream cone.

"I know what a KKK outfit looks like and that's not one at all," one local tells WOFL. "I've never seen a KKK guy with sprinkles on his head."

Jose Cantres is the Co-owner of the Ice Cream Family Corner and Sandwiches and he says that rumors are flying on Facebook about the mascot, who was outfitted like an ice cream cone with a brown waffled bottom, according to ocala.com.

"At the beginning things were going great," González said. But then things changed rapidly. "Like out of no where people just stopped coming in."

The family that runs the family ice cream shop say they never meant to offend anyone.

"It's just an ice cream cone, plain ice cream cone with sprinkles," González explained.

González says the truth is her family is from Puerto Rico and they had never even heard of the KKK before this ice cream controversy heated up.

Despite the good intentions - the store has decided to bag the costume for good.

For more stories from WOFL FOX 35 in Orlando, Florida go to myfoxorlando.com.