A Summer Staple: The History of the Slurpee

Okay guys, what’s cooler than being cool?

Free Slurpees on free Slurpee day, obviously. And seeing as July 11 recently passed, what better way for the renowned convenience store to showcase their specialty flavored frozen drinks than to give away free 7.11 ounce Slurpees to everyone who walked through their doors?

Naturally I couldn’t resist skipping on down to Davis’s local to pick me up some free frozen goodness.  As I began to slurp my free drink, it hit me like a wet noodle… What the heck is a Slurpee anyways?  Why is it here and what does it want?

After recovering from the whiplash, I went home and did some research.  As it turns out, back in the late 1950’s, a man named Omar Knedlik, who was working at a Dairy Queen in Kansas, found himself in a pickle.

His soda fountain had broken, forcing him to put his sodas into the freezer to keep them cool. When he came back to take them out, he found that their contents had become slushy. Their instant popularity led to his idea for a “slushy machine,” and after some tinkering, the ICEE was born (I know it says ICEE, just stick with me here).

Then, in 1965, 7-Eleven started a licensing deal with The ICEE Company in order to sell the product (see, I told you it was coming). However, there were some conditions that had to be met first, most notably that 7-Eleven had to come up with another name for the drink along with some technical stuff that they had to agree to so that the two products never saw competition as far as distributing rights go.

The company then began to sell what we now call the “Slurpee” in 1967, a name coined by Bob Stanford (a 7-Eleven agency director) due to the sound made while drinking them.

In the world of today’s Slurpee, Winnipeg, Canada has been crowed the Slurpee Capital of the World for the twelfth time in a row.

They consume more Slurpees per month than anywhere else despite their cold temperatures and measly population of 700,000. It is said that people can be seen biking and skating around Winnipeg in -40 degree Celsius temperatures carrying their Slurpees in hand. 

Now that is some serious Slurpee love right there.  Also, Canadian Slurpees, unlike American Slurpees, are not injected with air. Sounds like the Canadians get more bang for their buck, eh?

Deep in the plethora of random Slurpee facts available, I found the following to be the most interesting: In 1970, in order to promote the Slurpee, 7-Eleven produced the magazine Slurp along with a dance step and song called The Slurp. 

There are enough Slurpees sold every year to fill 12 Olympic size swimming pools, and more than 40% of all these sales occur during the months of June, July, and August. 

Free Slurpee day itself actually sees an increase of Slurpee sales by 38%. Looks like 7.11 ounces just aren’t enough to satisfy one’s thirst.  

Also, pressing your tongue against the roof of you mouth is a known cure for brain-freeze (the real name for it being Sphenopalatine Ganglioneuralgia, yes really). 

So what's better, the Slurpee or the ICEE?

I say both, seeing that they are one in the same. Yet I’m not completely convinced. Which do you think is better, the Slurpee or the ICEE?  What’s your favorite flavor?  Are you more of a Coca-Cola classic, or a Mello Yellow?  Perhaps you prefer Gully Washer, Blue Meanie, Grapermelon, or even Frawg instead?

Have you even seen these flavors?  Leave your comments in the comments section below.  Either way, I recommend you go sphene your palate 'n gang lie on your algia by picking up a Slurpee the next time you’re near L street.

Oh yeah, happy late pseudo birthday to 7-Eleven and their famous Slurpee product!

More Slurpee info is right here