Kool Aid In The 1920s

The 1920s were known as the Roaring Twenties. There was a lot of parties and drinking that went on during this period. Furthermore, there was plenty of time for citizens to create new inventions. People were able to relax because the economy was good. Then the Great Depression hit in the 1930s. This caused many jobs to be lost. Most businesses were not able to be kept afloat. This lasted 11 years; then, the United States entered World War II. World War II brought the United States out of the Great Depression when the factories were able to produce weapons and supplies for the army. During the Roaring Twenties, there was economic prosperity. Due to prosperity, there was an extremely large amount of free time for America. This free …show more content…
It comes in a variety of different flavors and colors. This drink is now known as Kool-aid. Kool-aid was invented in Hastings, Nebraska by Edwin Perkins (“A Brief” para. 2). Edwin Perkins was the owner of Perkins Products. It was not always known as Kool-aid; it started as Fruit Smack. Fruit Smack was created in 1920 (Smith 18). Not only was the name different, but the product was different as well. At the beginning, Kool-aid was a liquid that was packaged in a glass bottle, and it was sent by mail to the consumers. This packaging was less than ideal. The glass bottles often broke in the mail when being delivered. Furthermore, the glass bottle was far more expensive compared to the paper packets used now. Fruit Smack, as it was still known, was then made into a powder and placed into paper packaging. The name was changed into Kool-ade; then, the spelling got changed to Kool-aid. The first packets of powdered Kool-aid were sold through the mail for ten cents each. The flavors included cherry, grape, lemon-lime, orange, raspberry, and strawberry (“A Brief” para. 2). This variety in flavors helped the product sell to people with different tastes. Kool-aid was able to be a better product to sell because it had so many flavors. The more flavors they had to meant there was more people who could like the product. However, now there are many more flavors that have …show more content…
This was due to the fact that it was one of the first flavored drinks that was created. It became so popular that Mr. Perkins was able to stop selling all other products and just focus on Kool-aid. Kool-aid was sold in most grocery stores by 1929. Once the Depression hit America, Mr. Perkins was in need of a way to continue to sell his products through this economic hardship. He lowered the price of one packet to five cents. He also tried to market towards children even more. Mr. Perkins tried to create more products after Kool-aid’s success; however, his attempts were never successful. During World War II, rationing stopped Kool-aid sales due to the lack of sugar available to the general public (Smith 18). However, the drink became popular once again after World War two was over. Kool-aid continues to remain popular to this

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