The History of Slurpees! Lol

Category: Let's talk

Post 1 by Jesse (Hmm!) on Monday, 18-Jun-2007 20:07:44

The story of Slurpee® drinks began in 1959 with a broken soda fountain machine in Kansas. When Omar Knedlik's soda machine broke at his drive-in hamburger
restaurant, he began serving icy-cold bottled soft drinks from his freezer. Customers fell in love with the slushy drinks, sparking Knedlik to come up
with the idea of creating soft-serve frozen drinks.

After failed attempts to create a machine to make his icy beverages, Knedlik contacted the John E. Mitchell Company, a Dallas machinery manufacturer in
1959. Mitchell was attracted to the idea and began working with an automobile air conditioner to create a machine that would freeze carbonated soft drinks
that could be served in a sherbet-like form and would be drunk through a straw. Mitchell's machine used a complex system to freeze the beverages so they
could be served at an icy 28 degrees.

Although a revolution in the soft drink field, Mitchell's frozen drinks were not a huge success with retailers. He tried selling his machines to drugstores
and restaurants between 1960 and 1965, but the product's novelty and stores' inexperience with refrigeration equipment kept it from making an impact. But
a chance encounter with a 7-Eleven manager would forever change the success of the frozen beverage.

While visiting a competitor's store in 1965, a 7-Eleven zone manager came across one of Mitchell's machines and thought that it had a huge potential for
success. In the Fall of 1965, 7-Eleven purchased three machines to test the product in their stores. They were an immediate success, and by the Spring
of 1967, the machines were in almost every 7-Eleven® store.

The Slurpee mark was created in May 1967 during a brainstorming session at 7-Eleven's in-house ad agency. While drinking the product through a straw, agency
director Bob Stanford commented that it made a slurping sound. The Slurpee® drink phenomenon was born. For the past 42 years, Slurpee® drink has evolved
from Fulla-Bulla to Fire Water to Shrek-a-licious. But no matter the flavor, it will always be The Coolest Drink on Earth™.
Taken from 7-11's official history!

Post 2 by WillieTheWoof (I'll have the last word, thank you!) on Monday, 18-Jun-2007 20:57:19

Now, That's the most REFRESHINGLY delicious post I have read in a while.

Post 3 by purple penguin (Don't you hate it when someone answers their own questions? I do.) on Monday, 18-Jun-2007 21:02:45

Makes me want to take a trip to 7 11

Post 4 by moyzey (i'm posting? huh?) on Tuesday, 19-Jun-2007 6:41:17

rofl jesse!

Post 5 by HauntedReverie (doing the bad mango) on Tuesday, 19-Jun-2007 9:16:40

I want a slurpee. lol jesse, nice

Post 6 by Reyami (I've broken five thousand! any more awards going?) on Tuesday, 19-Jun-2007 23:02:28

fascinating, I could go for one of those right now, just reading this.

Post 7 by jessmonsilva (Taking over the boards, one topic at a time.) on Wednesday, 20-Jun-2007 18:54:05

Mmmm god Ihaven't had a slurpee in like years. I want one now... Mmm!

Post 8 by ~*Dark_Light*~ (I just keep on posting!) on Wednesday, 20-Jun-2007 19:32:18

Too sweet for my taste
Spike it then put me down for one

~*Thunderous MidNight*~

Post 9 by lauralou (Account disabled) on Wednesday, 20-Jun-2007 22:58:39

i . want . slerpies, lol