Saturday, September 17, 2005

Four Decades Of Slurpee

Who would have thought that fall of this year would mark the 40th anniversary of when 7-11 first purchase 3 of John E. Mitchell's frozen drink machines. (The original idea came from an Omar Knedlik who started serving ice-cold bottled drinks when his soft drink dispenser broke down.) By 1967, there was a Slurpee machine in ever 7-11 and the two became synonymous. In 1972, collectors cups for the drink were introduced. There have been over 200 different flavors of the Slurpee, more than 13 million of the drinks are consumed every year (over 6 billion sold since 1965) in the last 40 years.

Sure, contenders would come and go. I used to live near a Stop-N-Go during the late 70's which would have what was called a Chilly Willy (had more liquid than a Slurpee.) There was even the Icee and the Slushee. But the competition has never really met the challenge.

What I find most interesting is that there is a difference between the U.S. and the Canadian Slurpee. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (with a population of under 700,000) consumes the most Slurpees worldwide. The Canadian mixture has less air bubbles which makes it more dense.

8 comments:

Bar L. said...

mmmmmmmmmm slurpeeeeeeeeeee Cherry....want one.

Beth said...

Coke's my favorite. I'm a simple girl with simple needs.

LoraLoo said...

Slurpeeeeeees are so good. They have those sugar free ones now too, which is great.

Teri said...

Slurpees are an important part of my life. Whenever Josh is feeling a little down we take a trip to the Sev and talk over slurpees. Who knows maybe this will be a tradition he passes on to his kids?

Unknown said...

Slurpees, ice cream, smoothies...Teri likes them all she is equal opportunity.

Jenn Doll said...

Too bad I despise going into gas stations. I'll have to spend $50 for a medium Slurpee at the theater. I can't wait!

You always make me crave stuff, Martin. Stop it!

Martin said...

You make it sound like temptation is bad. I have to say that I haven't had a Slurpee in years but I promise to do so this year. I'm just thinking that it will be a big event 10 years from now. I love Teri's tradition and maybe we all need a little of that. B)

New White Keds said...

Salvation, thy name is Hawaiian Punch Slurpee!