Kool-Aid
Kool-Aid is a powdered beverage concentrate from Mondelēz International . The product and brand enjoy cult status in the United States .
history
Kool-Aid was invented by Edwin Perkins in Hastings , Nebraska in the 1920s . The previous product was a liquid concentrate called Fruit Smack . In 1927, Perkins discovered the possibility of removing the liquid from the concentrate, creating a powder that was cheaper to transport and store. It was named Kool-Ade . Later this name was changed to Kool-Aid due to legal requirements . In 1931 Perkins moved production to Chicago , and in 1953 he sold his Perkins Products Company to General Foods.
Because of its origins, Kool-Aid later became the official state drink of Nebraska. Every year, the Kool Aid Days take place in Hastings , with the largest Kool Aid stand in the world.
In the English-speaking world, the expression “drinking the Kool-Aid”, alluding to the Jonestown massacre, is mostly used as a metaphor that can be translated as “blindly trusting an ideology because of peer pressure”.
product
Kool-Aid is a powdered drink to which natural and artificial flavors are added. The addition of water and sugar turns it into a soft drink. Some variants already contain sugar or sweeteners, so that only the addition of water is necessary.
The original varieties are:
- cherry
- Grape
- lemonade
- orange
- raspberry
- strawberry
Today there is a very large number of different flavors, such as Tropical Punch , Black Cherry , Arctic Green Apple or Berry Blue .
Other use
Due to the large amount of food coloring used and the low price, Kool-Aid is also used for other purposes; so it is possible to dye wool, silk or hair with Kool-Aid. For example, Kurt Cobain and Pink are said to have treated their hair with Kool-Aid before a performance.
marketing
The mascot of Kool-Aid is a filled, anthropomorphized juice jug. It was invented in 1954 by a New York advertising agency under the name Pitcher Man and has been an advertising and identification symbol ever since. In addition, the advertising statement that "for just 5 cents you can produce just under two liters of Kool-Aid" should increase its attractiveness become. This made it possible to significantly increase awareness and popularity.
After Kraft Foods took over General Foods, the mascot was given the name Kool-Aid Man in 1975 . With the help of numerous TV spots and print ads, the mascot also continued to grow in popularity and was voted the most popular mascot of a brand by children. It is also known for its “Oh, yeah!” Slogan. In the 1980s, Kool-Aid Man appeared in various comics and video games.
Today's Man Kool-Aid to see on the products. In addition to the beverage products, some merchandising products were also offered. Kool-Aid Man can also be seen more often in the cartoon series Family Guy , usually with a brief appearance followed by the Oh-yeah! -Slogan.
In recent advertisements, Kool-Aid Man is dressed. Mostly he wears shorts.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Chris Higgins: Stop Saying 'Drink the Kool-Aid' . In: The Atlantic . November 8, 2012. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
- ^ 'Jonestown': Portrait of a Disturbed Cult Leader . In: Day to Day . October 20, 2006. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
- ↑ Paul McFedries: Wordspy article on the expression "Drink the Kool-Aid", October 27, 1998 . Logophilia Limited, www.wordspy.com. October 27, 1998. Retrieved January 29, 2008.
- ↑ silk dyed with Kool-Aid (Engl.)
Web links
- Official website Kool-Aid (Engl.)