Hawaiian Punch facts for kids
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| Type | Beverage |
|---|---|
| Owner | Keurig Dr Pepper |
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 1934 |
Hawaiian Punch is a popular American fruit punch drink. It was first created in 1934 by A.W. Leo, Tom Yeats, and Ralph Harrison. They originally made it as a syrup to pour over ice cream.
The first flavor was called Leo's Hawaiian Punch. It had a mix of five fruit juices: orange, pineapple, passion fruit, guava, and papaya. Today, Hawaiian Punch offers many different flavors. While older versions had 10% fruit juice, the drink now contains 3% fruit juice.
Contents
History of Hawaiian Punch
Hawaiian Punch started in 1934 in a garage in Fullerton, California. A.W. Leo, Tom Yeats, and Ralph Harrison created it as a syrup for ice cream. The original syrup used five fruit juices imported from Hawaii. These were orange, pineapple, passion fruit, guava, and papaya.
People soon found out that the syrup tasted great when mixed with water. At first, Hawaiian Punch was only sold in large gallon jugs to places like ice cream parlors and soda fountains. The first company was called Pacific Citrus Products.
In 1946, Reuben P. Hughes bought the company. He changed its name to Pacific Hawaiian Products Company. He quickly started selling Hawaiian Punch directly to people in smaller bottles. By 1950, you could buy ready-to-drink Hawaiian Punch in cans. A frozen version came out in 1955.
Around 1954, a second flavor, Sunshine Yellow, was added. The original red Hawaiian Punch became known as "Rosy" flavor. By 1955, Hawaiian Punch was sold all across the country.
New Owners and Products
R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company bought Pacific Hawaiian in 1962. At that time, Hawaiian Punch was often used to mix with other drinks. But RJR wanted to sell it to families and children. They started doing studies to see what kids and parents liked.
RJR introduced small, individual 8-ounce cans in 1973. In 1976, they made a powdered form, like Kool-Aid. By 1978, you could find Hawaiian Punch in many forms: liquid, frozen, concentrated, and powdered. In 1983, RJR launched the first nationally sold juice box. This new packaging helped sales grow a lot.
Later, other companies owned Hawaiian Punch. Procter & Gamble bought it in 1989. Then, Cadbury Schweppes bought it in 1999. In 2008, Dr Pepper Snapple became its own company from Cadbury Schweppes. Finally, in 2018, Dr Pepper Snapple joined with Keurig Green Mountain to become Keurig Dr Pepper. Keurig Dr Pepper makes Hawaiian Punch today.
Meet Punchy, the Mascot
In 1961, an advertising company created a 20-second TV commercial for Hawaiian Punch. This commercial introduced two cartoon characters: Punchy and Oaf. Ross Martin did Punchy's voice, asking, "Hey! How 'bout a nice Hawaiian Punch?" John Urie voiced Oaf, who would always say, "Sure," and then Punchy would playfully punch him. Oaf never learned to say "No!"
These commercials were very popular and won many awards. Even after RJR bought the company, they continued to use Punchy. He appeared in TV ads, magazines, and even on school book covers, toys, and clothes. Punchy became a great "salesman" for the drink.
Punchy and Oaf (sometimes called "Opie") were used in commercials for many years. They were popular throughout the 1980s and even in the early 1990s.
Hawaiian Punch Flavors
Hawaiian Punch has offered many different flavors over the years. Here are some of the main ones:
Early Flavors
- Leo's Hawaiian Punch (the original syrup)
- Rosy Red (the first canned flavor, later called Fruit Juicy Red)
- Sunshine Yellow (a second canned flavor)
Later Flavors and Today's Choices
Over time, more flavors were added, like Orange, Grape, Cherry, Strawberry, and Lemonade. There were also low-calorie and low-sugar options.
Today, Keurig Dr Pepper offers many exciting fruit flavors. Some of these include:
- Hawaiian Punch Berry Blue Typhoon
- Hawaiian Punch Berry Bonkers
- Hawaiian Punch Berry Limeade Blast
- Hawaiian Punch Fruit Juicy Red
- Hawaiian Punch Fruit Juicy Red Light
- Hawaiian Punch Green Berry Rush
- Hawaiian Punch Lemon Berry Squeeze
- Hawaiian Punch Lemon Lime Splash
- Hawaiian Punch Lemonade
- Hawaiian Punch Mango Monsoon
- Hawaiian Punch Orange Ocean
- Hawaiian Punch Punch Polar Blast
- Hawaiian Punch Watermelon Berry Boom
- Hawaiian Punch Whitewater Wave
