Hawaiian Punch
Product typeBeverage
OwnerKeurig Dr Pepper
CountryUnited States
Introduced1934; 90 years ago (1934)
Websitewww.hawaiianpunch.com

Hawaiian Punch is an American brand of fruit punch currently manufactured by Keurig Dr Pepper, originally invented in 1934 by A.W. Leo, Tom Yeats, and Ralph Harrison as a topping for ice cream. It was started from an original syrup flavor called Leo's Hawaiian Punch, containing orange, pineapple, passion fruit, guava and papaya, and is currently offering 14 different flavors since 2020. Though earlier versions contained 10% fruit juice, the drink is currently made with 3% fruit juice.[1][2]

In 1961, the Atherton-Privett ad agency created a 20-second commercial to advertise Hawaiian Punch drink.

History

Leo's Hawaiian Punch was created as an ice cream topping syrup in 1934 by A.W. Leo, Tom Yeats, and Ralph Harrison in a converted garage in Fullerton, California. It originally contained 5 fruit juices: orange, pineapple, passion fruit, guava and papaya—all imported from Hawaii. Although customers later discovered that it made an appealing drink when mixed with water, Hawaiian Punch (with "Leo's" name omitted) was only available wholesale in gallon glass jugs to ice cream parlors and soda fountains. The original company was named Pacific Citrus Products (PCP).[citation needed]

In 1946, Reuben P. Hughes purchased the company and renamed it the Pacific Hawaiian Products Company and quickly set about making Hawaiian Punch Base available directly to consumers in 1 quart glass containers. The immediate post-war period saw the introduction of ready-to-serve Hawaiian Punch in 46 oz tins (1950) & frozen concentrate (1955). Sometime around 1954, the brand was expanded to a second flavor, Sunshine Yellow. The original red Hawaiian Punch became the "Rosy" flavor. At that same time, a sixth fruit flavor, apricot puree, was added to the formula. The Sunshine Yellow flavor omitted the orange juice of the original and replaced the original red food coloring with yellow. By 1955, Hawaiian Punch had become a national brand.[citation needed]

R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company bought Pacific Hawaiian in 1962 and later transferred it to its newly acquired Del Monte subsidiary in 1981. At the time, Hawaiian Punch was marketed primarily as a cocktail mixer, but under RJR's leadership, the company conducted market research studies to housewives and children and directed marketing to the household market.[3] RJR introduced individual sized 8 ounce cans in 1973 and a powdered form, similar to Kool-Aid, in 1976. By 1978, Hawaiian Punch was available in liquid, frozen concentrate, shelf concentrate, pre-sweetened powder, and unsweetened powder form. In 1983, RJR introduced the first nationally distributed juice box, which increased sales by 35%.[4]

Procter & Gamble bought Hawaiian Punch from Del Monte Foods,[5] spun off from RJR Nabisco in 1989, a year later.[citation needed] Procter & Gamble sold Hawaiian Punch to Cadbury Schweppes in 1999.[6][7] Dr Pepper Snapple was spun off from Cadbury Schweppes in 2008. In 2018, Dr Pepper Snapple merged with Keurig Green Mountain to become Keurig Dr Pepper.

Mascot

In 1961, the Atherton-Privett ad agency created a 20-second commercial to advertise Hawaiian Punch drink. The commercial was produced by John Urie and Associates in Hollywood. Jean Guy Jacques was the director; Bob Guidi and John Urie designed the two characters, Punchy and Oaf.[8] Ross Martin did Punchy's voice, "Hey! How 'bout a nice Hawaiian Punch?" and John Urie did Oaf's line, "Sure". Rod Scribner animated the commercials. Sam Cornell also worked on the later versions. Oaf never learned to say "No" and he was always punched. The commercial ended with Punchy leaning on a can of Hawaiian Punch, saying, "Wasn't that a refreshing commercial?" The commercial won many awards.

Although the character was introduced prior to RJR's ownership, they took it to a new level with "television commercials, magazines, and Sunday comics and on school book covers, toys, clothing, tumblers, and wrist watches" featuring the character marketed to children. The RJR employee magazine stated “[h]is presence on point-of-purchase displays lends instant eye-appeal” and called Punchy “[t]he best salesman the beverage has ever had."[4]

The Punchy and Oaf (sometimes called "Opie"[9]) characters were used in the product's commercials well into the 1980s, and again for a period in the early 1990s.

Flavors

Original Syrup

(became Hawaiian Punch, but the original consumer product in 1946 was called Hawaiian Punch Base)

Original canned flavors

2 additional flavors by 1966

(Sunshine Yellow contained banana puree by 1966)

Other flavors 1967 & later

Added 1969

Added 1971

1975 canned flavors

1975 "Drink Mix" flavors

Post-1980 canned flavors

Product flavors since 2020

The following fruit flavors are offered by Keurig Dr Pepper:[2]

References

  1. ^ "Product Information". Hawaiian Punch. Retrieved 2014-01-25.
  2. ^ a b "Keurig Dr Pepper Product Facts". July 2020.
  3. ^ O’Connor, Anahad (2023-09-19). "Many of today's unhealthy foods were brought to you by Big Tobacco". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  4. ^ a b Nguyen, Kim H.; Glantz, Stanton A.; Palmer, Casey N.; Schmidt, Laura A. (2019-03-14). "Tobacco industry involvement in children's sugary drinks market". BMJ. 364: l736. doi:10.1136/bmj.l736. ISSN 0959-8138. PMC 6890456. PMID 30872273.
  5. ^ "P.&G. Is Buying Hawaiian Punch". The New York Times. 27 January 1990.
  6. ^ "COMPANY NEWS: PROCTER & GAMBLE SEEKS A BUYER FOR HAWAIIAN PUNCH". The New York Times. November 12, 1998.
  7. ^ "CADBURY AGREES TO BUY HAWAIIAN PUNCH FROM P.& G." Bridge News. 16 April 1999 – via The New York Times.
  8. ^ Cross, Mary (2002). A Century of American Icons: 100 Products and Slogans from the 20th-Century Consumer Culture. Greenwood Press. pp. 137–138. ISBN 978-0313314810. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  9. ^ "Throwback: Hawaiian Punch's Punchy". 19 July 2016.

External links

Keurig Dr Pepper brands
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