Fizzies facts for kids
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| Type | Tablet |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Created by | Lem Billings |
| Invented | 1957 |
| Serving temperature | With water |
Fizzies were special tablets that made a "carbonated" soft drink when you added them to water. They were like a do-it-yourself soda!
The Story of Fizzies
How Fizzies Began
Fizzies were invented by a man named Lem Billings. He was a close friend of John F. Kennedy, who later became a famous American president. Lem worked at a company called Emerson Drug Company. He had the idea to add fruit flavors to a special ingredient. This ingredient made things fizz and helped hide its taste.
Once the recipe was just right, Emerson named this new invention "Fizzies." You would drop a tablet into a glass of water. It would then bubble and dissolve, turning into a sweet, fizzy drink.
Fizzies first appeared in stores in July 1957. In 1962, a bigger company called Warner–Lambert bought Emerson Drug Company. That same year, Fizzies started selling all across the country.
Popular Flavors and Fun Facts
In the 1950s and 1960s, Fizzies came in seven yummy flavors. These included grape, orange, cherry, lemon-lime, strawberry, root beer, and cola.
Fizzies became super popular, both in the United States and in other countries. At one point, they sold more than double the amount of another popular drink mix called Kool-Aid!
Fizzies even sponsored a TV show called The Shari Lewis Show in the early 1960s. Shari Lewis herself would tell kids about Fizzies on the show.
This successful drink became a big part of pop culture back then. In the movie National Lampoon's Animal House, which was set in 1962, a character jokes about dumping "a truckload of Fizzies" into a swimming pool. Imagine all those bubbles!
Changes and Comebacks
Over time, the ingredients in Fizzies had to change. This was because some artificial sweeteners, which are sugar substitutes, were no longer allowed by the FDA. The FDA is a government agency that makes sure foods and medicines are safe.
Because of these changes, the company found it hard to make Fizzies taste good and still be legal. So, in the early 1970s, they stopped making the product.
But Fizzies made a comeback! In the mid-1990s, a new company brought the brand back. They called them "Instant Sparkling Drink Tablets." These new Fizzies had only 10 calories and were even enriched with Vitamin C. They suggested you could even use them in milk! However, this comeback was short-lived.
Fizzies appeared again in the 2000s. They were made by Amerilab Technologies. You could find Fizzies Drink Tablets in candy stores and online.
As of 2012, Fizzies were available in nine flavors. These included lemonade, root beer, cherry, orange, blue razz, hot cocoa, hot apple cider, cherry cola, and grape. They were marketed to older generations who remembered them from their childhood, called baby boomers. They were also sold as a fun way for kids to make their own flavorful drinks. These Fizzies had only 5 calories and were sweetened with sucralose. They also contained Vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid.
Sadly, in early 2016, Fizzies were discontinued once more.
