Miss Dippin’ Dots? This Local Brand Is Bringing Back the Nostalgic Beaded Ice Cream

(SPOT.ph) Nothing makes a Millennial yearn quite like a childhood favorite that’s no longer around, especially when it’s a comfort food they haven’t tasted in years. Take, for example, Dippin' Dots. It was a specific shared experience for kids who lived through the 90s and early 2000s—to crave these little ice cream pellets, which required saving money for it because, well, it was quite expensive compared to regular ice cream.

The ice cream brand gradually disappeared from the country during the pandemic. Thankfully, local brands like Dotties have since hopped aboard the nostalgia train, bringing back the novelty of beaded ice cream in familiar flavors, along with Filipino-inspired ones of their own.

Dotties is one of the local brands bringing back the fun ice cream format—and fun fact, it wasn’t fueled by sheer childhood nostalgia, but by a recent trip to South Korea. Owner Daphnie Pangilinan Marcelo first tried the bite-sized treats last March, then found herself craving them again a month later. Her two years of experience in the bazaar scene drove her to make the ice cream herself, and that craving eventually became Dotties, which officially launched in June 2026.

Dotties is a familiar sight at weekend bazaars, where you’ll find its lineup of ice cream dots in a mix of classic, Filipino-inspired, and crowd-favorite flavors. The classic selection includes Vanilla, Salted Caramel, and Coffee; Filipino-inspired options include Ube Queso, Avocado Yum, Mango Dream, and Coco Mango; and the bestsellers include Strawberry, Bubblegum, and Chocolate.

Then, there's everyone's (ours included) favorite, the colorful Triple Dots, a mix of Strawberry (pink), Bubblegum (blue), and Vanilla (cream). But if you're not really into this exact flavor combination, you're free to mix and match any flavors of your choice.

A Small Cup goes for P145, while a Big Cup is P165. And honestly, we’re already hoping they come out with even bigger cups because the options available aren't enough to satisfy years' worth of nostalgia, yearning, and craving.

Dotties has a permanent shop at SM Bacoor in Cavite, with three more permanent branches in their 2026 calendar. But if you're not patient enough for expansion announcements, they have pop-ups in malls across Metro Manila this month. Here's where you can catch them:

• September 18 to 20, Friday to Sunday

  • Alabang Town Center in Muntinlupa City

  • Podium in Mandaluyong City

  • Robinsons Magnolia in Quezon City

  • TriNoma in Quezon City

• September 25 to 27, Friday to Sunday

  • Glorietta in Makati City

  • Market! Market! in Taguig City

  • Robinsons Magnolia in Quezon City

  • TriNoma in Quezon City

Now, we could start a petition to bring back every discontinued childhood favorite, but let’s not get carried away. For now, let’s focus on other frozen desserts. Can we have Thumbs Up back (those thumb-sized ice cream cones arranged in a cardboard tray shaped like a paint palette) and Ice Monster (the Taiwanese frozen dessert brand that was basically halo-halo for kids with a sweet tooth)? Please?

For more information, check out Dotties' Instagram page.