Hawaiian Punch facts for kids
 |
|
| Type | Beverage |
|---|---|
| Owner | Keurig Dr Pepper |
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 1934 |
Hawaiian Punch is a popular American fruit drink. It was first made in 1934 by A.W. Leo, Tom Yeats, and Ralph Harrison. They actually created it as a tasty topping for ice cream! The first flavor was called Leo's Hawaiian Punch syrup. It had five fruit juices: orange, pineapple, passion fruit, guava, and papaya. Today, there are many different flavors, with 14 available since 2020. Older versions of the drink had 10% fruit juice, but now it is made with 3% fruit juice.
The Story of Hawaiian Punch
How It All Began
Leo's Hawaiian Punch started in 1934 in a garage in Fullerton, California. A.W. Leo, Tom Yeats, and Ralph Harrison made it as a syrup for ice cream. The original syrup used five fruit juices: orange, pineapple, passion fruit, guava, and papaya. All these fruits came from Hawaii. People soon found out that if you mixed the syrup with water, it made a delicious drink! 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.
Growing Across the Country
In 1946, Reuben P. Hughes bought the company and changed its name to Pacific Hawaiian Products Company. He quickly started selling Hawaiian Punch Base directly to people in smaller containers. After World War II, ready-to-drink Hawaiian Punch became available in cans (1950) and as a frozen concentrate (1955). Around 1954, a second flavor called Sunshine Yellow was added. The original red Hawaiian Punch was then called "Rosy" flavor. At this time, a sixth fruit, apricot puree, was added to the recipe. The Sunshine Yellow flavor did not have orange juice and used yellow food coloring instead of red. By 1955, Hawaiian Punch was a well-known brand all over the country.
New Owners and Products
R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company bought Pacific Hawaiian in 1962. Later, in 1981, they moved it to their Del Monte company. At first, Hawaiian Punch was mostly sold as a mixer for adult drinks. But under RJR, the company did research with families and children. They started marketing Hawaiian Punch more to households. RJR introduced small, individual 8-ounce cans in 1973. They also launched a powdered form, like Kool-Aid, in 1976. By 1978, you could find Hawaiian Punch in many forms: liquid, frozen concentrate, shelf concentrate, and both sweetened and unsweetened powder. In 1983, RJR introduced the first nationally sold juice box, which made sales go up by 35%.
Over the years, Hawaiian Punch changed hands a few more times. Procter & Gamble bought it in 1989. Then, Procter & Gamble sold it to Cadbury Schweppes in 1999. In 2008, Dr Pepper Snapple became its own company, separate from Cadbury Schweppes. Finally, in 2018, Dr Pepper Snapple joined with Keurig Green Mountain to become Keurig Dr Pepper.
Meet the Mascot: Punchy
In 1961, an advertising company created a short commercial for Hawaiian Punch. This commercial introduced two cartoon characters: Punchy and Oaf. Punchy was the one who would ask, "Hey! How 'bout a nice Hawaiian Punch?" Oaf would always say, "Sure," and then Punchy would playfully punch him! The commercials were very popular and won many awards.
Even though Punchy was created before RJR owned the brand, they made him even more famous. Punchy appeared in TV commercials, magazines, comic strips, and on school supplies, toys, clothes, and watches. He became a huge part of selling Hawaiian Punch, and people at RJR called him "The best salesman the beverage has ever had." Punchy and Oaf (sometimes called "Opie") were in commercials throughout the 1980s and again in the early 1990s.
Hawaiian Punch Flavors
Hawaiian Punch has offered many different flavors over the years. Here are some of them:
Original Syrup and Canned Flavors
- Leo's Hawaiian Punch (the very first syrup)
- Rosy Red (the original red drink, later called Fruit Juicy)
- Sunshine Yellow
Flavors Added by 1966
- Orange
- Grape
(By this time, Sunshine Yellow also included banana puree.)
Other Flavors from 1967 Onwards
- Cherry
- Strawberry
- Lemonade
Added in 1969
- Fruit Juicy Red Low Calorie
Added in 1971
- Cherry Royal
Canned Flavors in 1975
- Fruit Juicy Red
- Great Grape
- Sunshine Orange
- Tropical Fruit
- Very Berry
- Fruit Punch Low Sugar
Drink Mix Flavors in 1975
- Red Punch
- Strawberry Punch
- Tutti Frutti Punch
Canned Flavors After 1980
- Fruit Juicy Red
- Fruit Juicy Red Light
- Green Berry Rush: a mix of strawberry and kiwi
- Mazin' Melon Mix: melon flavor
- Bodacious Berry: a berry mix
- Orange Ocean: orange flavor
- Wild Purple Smash: grape and berry
- Lemonade: classic lemonade
- Berry Blue Typhoon: strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, and kiwi
- Berry Bonkers: strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, and pomegranate
- Lemon Berry Squeeze: strawberry and lemonade
- Berry Limeade Blast: strawberry and limeade
- Lemon Lime Splash: lemon and lime
- Island Citrus Guava: guava and lime
- Polar Blast: orange and raspberry
- Mango Passionfruit Squeeze: mango and passion fruit
- Mango Monsoon: orange, mango, and pineapple
- White Water Wave: coconut and pineapple
- Watermelon Berry Boom: strawberry and watermelon
Flavors Available Since 2020
Keurig Dr Pepper currently offers these fruit flavors:
- Hawaiian Punch Berry Blue Typhoon Juice Drink
- Hawaiian Punch Berry Bonkers Juice Drink
- Hawaiian Punch Berry Limeade Blast Juice Drink
- Hawaiian Punch Fruit Juicy Red Juice Drink
- Hawaiian Punch Fruit Juicy Red Juice Drink Light
- Hawaiian Punch Green Berry Rush Juice Drink
- Hawaiian Punch Lemon Berry Squeeze Juice Drink
- Hawaiian Punch Lemon Lime Splash Juice Drink
- Hawaiian Punch Lemonade Juice Drink
- Hawaiian Punch Mango Monsoon Juice Drink
- Hawaiian Punch Orange Ocean Juice Drink
- Hawaiian Punch Punch Polar Blast Juice Drink
- Hawaiian Punch Watermelon Berry Boom Juice Drink
- Hawaiian Punch Whitewater Wave Juice Drink
