Pocari Sweat facts for kids
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| Introduced | 1980 |
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| Markets | East Asia Southeast Asia Middle East Mexico United States |
| Website | https://trypocari.com/ |
Pocari Sweat (Japanese: ポカリスエット, Pokari Suetto) is a popular Japanese sports drink. It is made by a company called Otsuka Pharmaceutical. This drink first came out in 1980.
Pocari Sweat is sold in many places around the world. You can find it in Asia, the Middle East, Australia, Mexico, and the United States. It is a sweet drink that does not have bubbles. It tastes a bit like mild grapefruit.
This drink is known as an "ion supply drink" or "electrolyte beverage." It helps your body get back important things like water and minerals. You can buy it in aluminium cans, plastic bottles, or as a powder to mix with water. There is also a version with less sugar called Pocari Sweat Ion Water (ポカリスエット イオンウォーター, Pokari Suetto Ion Wōtā).
Contents
How Pocari Sweat Started
Pocari Sweat was created in 1980 in Japan. The idea came from an employee at Otsuka Pharmaceutical named Rokuro Harima. He got the idea after seeing a doctor drink a special solution to rehydrate. This happened when Harima was sick with diarrhea during a trip to Mexico. He wondered if a drink could help people get water and nutrients back when they were not feeling well.
Growing Around the World
The company wanted Pocari Sweat to be popular in many countries. They decided to focus on Asia and the Middle East first. In 1982, the drink was sent to Hong Kong and Taiwan. The next year, it went to Singapore, Bahrain, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. By the mid-1990s, Pocari Sweat became the first Japanese non-alcoholic drink to sell over $1 billion worth of product.
What Does the Name Mean?
The name Pocari Sweat was chosen for marketing the drink in Japan. In Japan, English words are sometimes used in different ways. The name helps explain what the drink does. It is meant to give you back the nutrients and electrolytes you lose when you sweat. The first part, Pocari, does not have a special meaning. It was chosen because it sounds refreshing.
How Pocari Sweat is Advertised
Pocari Sweat has always used the same blue and white colors since 1980. When it first came out, it was sold in small cans. Since 1990, it has mostly been sold in bottles.
Helping People Stay Hydrated
In 2010, Otsuka started a special advertising plan in Indonesia. This was after many people got dengue fever. The company promoted Pocari Sweat to help prevent dehydration, which is a common problem with the illness.
A Trip to the Moon
On May 15, 2014, Pocari Sweat started an exciting project. They planned to send a "dream capsule" to the Moon. This capsule looked like a Pocari Sweat can and was filled with the drink's powder. It was meant to be the first commercial product advertised on the Moon. The capsule was launched on a lander called Peregrine in January 2024. However, the mission did not reach the Moon and the lander burned up in Earth's atmosphere.
Advertising in Cartoons
The company has also advertised a lot through anime (Japanese cartoons). The technical director for the famous film Your Name helped make an anime-style advertisement in 2019. In January 2021, Pocari Sweat released a special episode of the Cells at Work! anime. This episode promoted the drink as a way to help prevent heat stroke.
See also
In Spanish: Pocari Sweat para niños
- Aquarius (a similar drink)
- Calpis
- Oronamin C Drink
- Lipovitan
- Foreign branding
- 100plus
- Super Supau
