Thirty years ago, Frank and Georgia Hickingbotham found frozen yogurt to be a healthier alternative to ice cream. The couple wanted to share their discovery with the world, and in 1981 in Little Rock, Ark., the first national frozen yogurt chain was born.
This year TCBY celebrates its 30th birthday. Until Feb. 28, the company is taking YouTube video submissions to celebrate 30 years of serving up "The Country's Best Yogurt." The grand prize winner will receive free frozen yogurt for an entire year.
The company wants to know "why you love TCBY." In a 30-second YouTube video, contestants can be as creative as possible to answer the question. TCBY fans are encouraged to be creative with submissions through singing, dancing or poetry.
After creating a video, contestants must fill out an entry form and upload their video. The entry forms can be found on TCBY's website along with a list of rules and regulations for the contest.
"Contestants can be as creative or simple as they would like to be," said Kelly Wallace of Trevelino Keller Communications, a company that represents TCBY.
Videos will be judged on creativity, presentation and the ability to tell the world how one feels about TCBY.
Judging begins March 1 and ends March 5. The winner will be notified March 15 and will receive free TCBY for a year, equal to $30 at TCBY each month for 12 months.
College students are asked to submit entries because TCBY is looking to see which university has the most videos for the contest.
Katie Sutter, junior in pre-nursing, said winning free frozen yogurt for a year would be a dream come true.
"I love TCBY; it's so addicting," Sutter said. "It's a good thing it's not bad for you in moderation."
Andrew Tisdale, manager of the TCBY in Auburn, said the company even brought out a new flavor of soft-serve frozen yogurt for its birthday. Red velvet cake flavored soft-serve frozen yogurt, described as "cake you eat with a spoon," is now available at TCBY stores across America for a limited time.
The new flavor falls into the category of "Super Fro-Yo" with less than 120 calories per serving. Red velvet cake frozen yogurt also has the same seven probiotics found in other soft-serve flavors and is 98 percent fat-free.
TCBY of Auburn also offers a red velvet shiver, a frozen yogurt treat blended with brownie bites and red velvet flavored soft-serve.
"To me, TCBY means healthier living and a healthier lifestyle as far as desserts," Tisdale said.
He said he enjoys seeing families come in the store and enjoy a healthy treat.
"It makes me feel better to know that generations after me are making better decisions to live healthier lives," Tisdale said.
Tisdale added TCBY is working to come up with new flavors. He said white chocolate mint truffle soft-serve will be available in March.
The variety of flavors offered at TCBY may contribute to customers' love of it, which can be seen in video entries.
Videos from contestants who have already submitted to the contest can be viewed on TCBY's YouTube channel.
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