Kool-Aid

Kool-Aid is a sweet, fruit-flavored powdered drink mix that has been a fixture in American kitchens since the late 1920s. Invented by Edwin Perkins in Hastings, Nebraska, in 1927, the product started as a liquid concentrate called Fruit Smack. Perkins figured out how to dry it into a powder, which cut shipping costs and let families make two quarts of drink from a single packet. By 1928, it was renamed Kool-Aid, and during the Great Depression, a packet cost just a nickel, making it an affordable treat for millions.

The brand is owned by Kraft Heinz and remains a top seller in the powdered drink mix category, with annual retail sales estimated around $350-400 million as of 2023. Its most famous face is the Kool-Aid Man, a giant smiling pitcher who first appeared in 1954 and has been crashing through walls in commercials ever since, shouting 'Oh yeah!' The mascot is one of the most recognizable advertising icons in America, though the brand also carries a darker cultural footnote: the phrase 'drinking the Kool-Aid' refers to the 1978 Jonestown tragedy, even though the actual drink used was Flavor Aid.

Beyond the classic unsweetened packets, Kool-Aid has spawned ready-to-drink bottles (Kool-Aid Bursts and Jammers), a liquid concentrate, a short-lived breakfast cereal in the 1980s, and even a carbonated soda sold in fountain machines. The core product, however, has barely changed: you still mix one packet with a cup of sugar and two quarts of water. With flavors like Tropical Punch, Cherry, and Grape, it remains a go-to for budget-conscious families and a nostalgia trip for adults who grew up with it.[edit]