Jaylynn George Ms. Cowels English 9-3B. 18 April 2024 Kool-Aid is an iconic drink that was invented by Edwin Perkins and has been a staple in many people's childhoods. It's been around since the 1920’s and has lots of fun flavors and history. Kool-Aid was originally called fruit smack, the kool-aid man was inspired by smiley faces, it was also a popular drink at two major historic events. Kool-aid was born in Nebraska, but has made its way worldwide because of its simplicity and taste. First, Kool-Aid was originally called Fruit Smack and was completely rebranded and changed to the Kool-Aid we know today. According to Nebraska.gov “kool-aid was originally called “fruit smack’’ and was a liquid that came in a glass bottle”. The glass bottle made transporting the …show more content…
Nebraska.gov also states “the inconvenience of the glass bottle is the main reason for the rebranding.” “Fruit-smack” rebranding to Kool-aid was very beneficial for the company; it led to more sales and growth within the company. Next, Kool-aid was very popular at two major historical events. During World War II, soldiers had to take iodine to help prevent disease. According to legion.org “soldiers carried kool-aid sent from home to mask the awful taste of iodine.” World War II also was a major factor in causing the Great Depression, and in the Great Depression kool aid was a very popular drink. Hastingmuseums.org states “the price of kool-aid was cut from 10 to 5 cents during the Great Depression and was by far the most popular Perkins product.” These two historical events definitely helped kool-aid’s sales take off. Additionally, the iconic Kool-aid man was actually inspired by smiley faces. According to Nebraska.gov “Alan Kupchick was inspired by his young son drawing smiley faces in the window.” Kupchick and Edwin thought the idea of a smiley jug was simple and perfect. According to Nebraska.gov “the kool-aid man has been around