Friendly's announces iScream winners

A rap video - a visual paean presumably to the pleasures of the Fribble Shake and the Happy Ending Sundae - won a top prize in an "iScream" contest sponsored by Friendly Ice Cream Corp. of Wilbraham, the company said.

The contest asked teens and young adults to submit videos and photos expressing their passion for Friendly's, and nearly 4,000 entries were submitted, the company said.

The rap that won in the video category of the competition was made by Wilbraham resident Joshua Schussler, who received a $10,000 gift card entitling him to merchandise from Apple Inc., Friendly's said.

The company described Schussler's winning entry as a "rap video dedicated to everything Schussler and a pal love about Friendly's, including the food, ice cream, Friendly's staff, and the restaurant's strong heritage in Western Massachusetts."

Thanks to his Apple prize, the Schussler rap on Friendly's could soon be immortalized on his very own iPods, iMacs, and iPhones.

Somerville resident Kevin Reilly also took home a $10,000 Apple gift card for winning in the contest's photo category.

Reilly photographed "a young woman eating a 56-ounce carton of Friendly's ice cream while tubing on a lake, epitomizing the summer fun Friendly's offers," the company said.

Friendly's, a chain of roughly 515 company-owned and franchise restaurants, was recently purchased by Sun Capital Partners Inc., a Florida-based private equity firm, for $337.2 million.

A sampling of contest entries can be viewed on Friendy's iScream Web site.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)