If you’ve taken your children to any theme park, zoo, sporting event, festival, parade, aquarium, or children’s museum you’ve probably been hassled for “Dippin’ Dots.”

Those ubiquitous spheres of frozen dairy nibbles are the biggest rip-off in the history of kid-centric processed food.

A small cup will run you around $5 bucks for 4 or 5 ounces - by volume, not weight - of standard fare ice cream. Let it melt a little and it’s just like any other frozen confection.

That’s why my kids don’t even ask me anymore. They know my stance on “Dippin’ Dots” and how I refuse to pay those exorbitant prices.

But still they yearn.

Today at Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market I found the answer to my girls’ prayers. How cool will I be when I host their birthday parties in the next few months and offer all their guests their choice of flavors of cups of little bitty ice cream balls?

IttiBitz are just like Dippin’ Dots, cryogenically processed ice cream that melts on your tongue. It comes in 11 flavors (my Wal-Mart had about 6: Cotton Candy, Mint Chip, Waffle Cone, Banana Split, Cookie Dough and Double Chocolate)  in single serve cups of 5 ounces for $1.

They are sold individually. So you don’t have to buy an entire box of one flavor only to find out that you don’t care for it. Or even a box of mixed just to get the one type you prefer.

I haven’t tasted them yet. But I will report back when I do. Of course, with kids it’s all about the flash rather than the substance of products that matters. And I’d rather pay $1 for flash and save my other $4 for something of substance.