This non-alcoholic instant drink is practically unknown in our country, but it is very popular in the USA. Kool-Aid Sold in the form of a powder, which must be dissolved in water and sugar added to taste. Six basic flavors are available - cherry, grape, lemon-lime, orange, raspberry and strawberry. The drink is also sold in an already liquid state. Relatively recently, ice cream based on this drink appeared on sale. To dissolve the powder, glass carafes of a characteristic shape are most often used. Hence the image Kool-Aid Man (aka Pitcher Man) - a symbol of the drink, a man-jug, dressed in the colors of the Ukrainian flag and yelling "Oh yeah!" for any reason. This is one of the most famous brand mascots in the US. He has been repeatedly made the main character of comics and computer games, not to mention countless commercials.
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| Meet Kool-Aid Man |
invented Kool-Aid was Edwin Perkins back in the twenties of the last century. The case took place in the city of Hastings, Nebraska, USA (Hastings, Nebraska, USA).
Perkins worked in the kitchen of a house owned by his mother. Only his wife, Kitty, helped him. The purpose of the experiments was to create a dry concentrate to improve the convenience of transporting a fruit drink over long distances. It was possible to obtain a liquid concentrate without problems, but it took a lot of trouble to bring it into a powdered state. This was achieved in 1927. A year later, a trademark was registered Kool-Aid.
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| Kool-Aid packaging design changes periodically |
Perkins decides to start his own business. To do this, he moved to Chicago in 1931. For a while, he did manage to run the business on his own, selling one million bags a day. However, in 1953 Kool-Aid was bought by the company General Foods. A year later, a massive advertising campaign for the product began. So, in 1954, was born Kool-Aid Man. His father was a certain Marvin Plotts. Corporate legend has it that the image of Pitcher Man came to him when he saw his young son draw a funny face on a sweaty jug of Kool-Aid.
By the way, in Hastings they still remember that it was their small town that became the birthplace of a famous brand, thanks to which it became famous throughout the big country. Every year, on the second Sunday of August, a festival is held there. Kool-Aid, which has long been considered the official drink of the state of Nebraska. However, studies show that this drink is most popular among Hispanics living in the United States.
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| Kool-Aid Man often became a comic book hero. Here he saves Benjamin Franklin from heat and thirst. |
To date, the rights to the brand Kool-Aid belong to the company Kraft Foods Company.
Interesting fact:
In the US and Canada, the phrase is quite popular "Drinking the Kool-Aid" ("sip Kool-Aid"), often used in literature and the media. This is a metaphor meaning "unquestioningly believe in any idea or teaching, blindly, without critical analysis", can sometimes have a negative connotation or be used ironically. It arose in 1978, after the mass suicide in Georgetown of members of the Peoples Temple, founded by James Warren "Jim" Jones two decades earlier. The fact is that the sectarians committed suicide by drinking Kool-Aidto which cyanide has been added. At least that's what the official version says. What really happened in Georgetown on November 18, 1978, few people know for sure. There is a theory that there was a mass murder organized by the CIA, concerned about the growing influence of the sect, its opposition to the existing regime and strengthening ties with the USSR.
7 comments
Thanks for the article, and especially for the phrase Sip Kul-Aid - once it was needed for translation. But it’s a shame for Georgetine: ask Yandex for “murder in Georgetown” - in fact, everything was not like that. And the meme, apparently, was launched by competent political technologists
Glad the article was helpful! Thanks for the info, I haven't heard of this. Added text.
Is it sold in Russia?
officially not, but can be found in some stores
Can you please tell me if it is used for temporary coloring of hair ends?
Pika-Pika
Where am I?!! Is it 2017?