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The Slurpee at 40
theodp writes "Oh Thank Heaven for 7-Eleven! Slate reports on the 40th birthday of the Slurpee, which has frozen an estimated 6 billion brains and arguably provided the inspiration for Starbucks' Frappuccino, Dunkin' Donuts' Coolatta and Kwik-E-Mart's Squishee. Wikipedia has more Slurpee facts and links."
And here is a tip for the young ones - full 1/2 of the cup, go get a straw and tap the cup to let it settle - then keep filling her up...
: )
The official generic term for a Slurpee is "Frozen Carbonated Beverage" or FCB for short. This is the type of useless information you can pick up from working in a convenience store.
Mind you, nobody actually calls them this, but it is used in the manuals for the machines and on the boxes of the syrup that come from Coke and Pepsi.
Didn't it turn 40 like 3 months ago.. in July?
Gotta love corporate marketing. The Slush Puppy actually ushered in the era of the iced crystal drink on November 12 1972. I fully expect a "Slush Puppy at 43" slashdot article this fall.
09-f9-11-02-9* (G^GCA_++{>. RV>>>>+++ NO CARRIER
I could drink a slurpee or two every day. Currently, my local 7-11 has a killer lineup, IMO. They have their new Frawg flavor (green sour apple..its not bad, but I mixed it with Blue Rasberry) Dr. Pepper, Blue Rasberry, and Pepsi.
Canadians purchase over 30 million Slurpees every year
The average Slurpee drinker age is 29 years
Manitoba is the "Slurpee Capital" of the world for the fifth year in a row (2003)! The 7-Eleven stores in Manitoba sell an average of 8,300 Slurpee drinks per store each month, compared to the national monthly rate of 5,900 and provincial rate of 7,200,which makes this Province the world leader in Slurpee sales.
The top five Slurpee cities are:
1. Winnipeg
2. Calgary
3. Regina
4. Detroit
5. Edmonton
The frozen carbonated beverage was first invented in 1959 by a Kansas hamburger stand owner. Using an automobile air conditioner, he created a sophisticated piece of equipment that would freeze a carbonated soft drink and serve it in a sherbet-like form that could be sipped through a straw.
To get that uniquely Slurpee consistency, each Slurpee machine has a compact refrigeration system that mixes syrup, carbon dioxide and water under pressure in a freezing chamber.
Slurpees are served at -3C (or 28F)
7-Eleven(r) began selling Slurpee, then called Icee, in its stores in the United States in 1965
Credit to http://www.myslurpeecup.com/facts.html
...At least Icee's were available where I grew up. Plus at one time they had "Icee points" that you could save up and send off for "neat stuff." I neve rgot enough, though, but I sure did like the frozen Coke variety...
http://www.icee.com/
By the taping of my glasses, something geeky this way passes
Dome Lid
Octagonal Dome Lid (Prevented pressure build up when filling)
Slurpee Soda Mixer
Slurpee Float
Diet Slurpee
Yes, my family does own multiple 7-Eleven stores.
-bradly
1. Make low cost bad tasting fruit drink 2. Freeze taste buds and brains so drink tastes good 3. ?!?!?!?! 4. Profit! Step 5, of course, is to whore for Karma
That's pretty much it. I have to admit I was never overly fond of the flavors offered. Your choice of Cola or fruit crap of the month, not a happy choice. If you were lucky you had more than two choices, or in the 80s when self serving machines became popular and you could mix your own crappy beverage, a mix of slurpee and your favorite carbonated drink, which to be honest was just as bad or worse.
But I was very fond of the fact that on a hot summer day as a kid there was always a 7-eleven within bike distance that one could get a drink that was colder than the freezing point of water and cool off. That was pretty much the main reason I got slurpees.
There is no sanctuary. There is no sanctuary. SHUT UP! There is no shut up. There is no shut up.
Just to set the record straight. The Frappuccino was NOT the invention of the those coffee infidels, Starbucks. The origin of the drink in the USA traces back to The Coffee Connection in Cambridge MA. A coffee institution in the Cambridge / Boston region until Starbucks bought out the owner in cash in the 1980's. The Coffee Connection was a classic coffee house serving mainly basic coffee's (for those day's in a cup without foam or cinnamon on top). The Frappuccino was introduced with the motto of "It's not coffee, but it taste's good".
As far as I know, it was not inspired by the Slurpee.
Not the pimple popping into a cup, but equally as gross, here's a link for a tv commercial that likely aired on after school and Saturday morning cartoon time....
Zit Licking
I used to buy Slurpees once a week or so. I once complained to the store manager that they rarely had Cherry - which is my favorite - but always seem to have Coke - usually my least favorite. He replied that they rotate flavors for a lot of reasons, but they always carry Coke because Coke is the most popular flavor and the one folks are most likely to pick if they find nothing else of interest.