Yes, I was subject to Kool-Aid as a kid.
Mom used to make it for my friends and I often (and usually after coaxing us into helping her with some mundane task we really didn’t want to do. It was all about “the reward” in those days.)
I remember selling Kool-Aid and other “Stuff You Need To Keep Cool!” with my friends at our roadside drink stand, whiling away the summer afternoons pouring colorful liquids into cups and pocketing the coin we garnered for our efforts. Ahhhhhh, the innocence of youth….
The commercials? Fond memories, too.
Not the black and white one below, but the second sing-along spot is especially ingrained in my mind for time immemorial. And, truth be told, it’s rather a frightening piece, isn’t it? A huge, anthropomorphic pitcher blasting its way through freshly painted fencing, splintering shards of wood flying, causing general mayhem just so a couple thirsty kids can wet their whistles! Cripes … !!! Between that image and my obsession with Godzilla and Thriller, it’s a wonder I didn’t have ongoing nightmares all those years ago….
Especially interesting to me is the black and white promo. I mean, what kids are tootling along, breaking out into “whistle” and suddenly a gaggle of them are present to sate their thirsts with drink? A tad strange.
And! What outstanding outfits they’re wearing! None better! Because the youngsters of the ’50s weren’t allowed to frolickously cavort without being launched into the neighborhood in their playful best. Hair coiffed perfectly … pressed shirts … flawless skirts and dresses. And “mom” is looking rather severe, isn’t she? But, we all know moms in the ’50s were spittin’ images of the one in the commercial.)
The jaunty tune is what really gets me, however:
“Kool-Aid … Kool-Aid … A 5¢ package makes two quarts of
Kool-Aid … Kool-Aid … Nine great flavors they think you’ll love …”
What? “Nine great flavors they think you’ll love” … ?!? Doesn’t sound like the marketing guys and jingle writer were really on the ball when they came up with that little ditty.
Does anyone remember the original Kool-Aid flavors? I only recall seven: Cherry, Grape, Orange, Raspberry, Lemon-Lime, Strawberry and Root Beer.
Root beer … ?!? You betcher bippy. Stranger still, Kool-Aid once had a tasty rhubarb flavor, too. Oh, yeah …
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm … rhubarb. Suddenly, I’m thirsty …
Clacked by Michael Noble 
on Oct 03, 2010 @ 12:00 EST5EDT
Its interesting to see the Kool Aid guy’s entrances get more and more violent over the years. I think in the current ones he levels half a house when he shows up.
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Kool-Aid Man <—— thirst quencher, wrecking ball
As a child of the 50’s myself I can state, girls always wore dresses, usually starched and ironed–I learned to iron on handkerchiefs, pillowcases, and then sheets before moving on to dresses. Generally I’d have one dress to wear to school all week, and the next week it would be the “after school” dress. THEN it would get washed. Yeah, laundry was a lot more work then.
And we did get Kool-Aid, one of the few commercial products that would cross our doorstep. Once we got our first TV (I was 10 or 11) then there was more ready-made stuff available. But I remember not liking K-A because it tasted like gasoline smelled.
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I know of what you speak, mehitabel …
… because Pepsi smells just like it tastes: Of mold.
Jim Jones, is that you?
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Kool-Aid Man does resemble him somewhat, withthebanned …
How things have changed. I grew up on Kool-Aid and even in college we made Kool-Aid. It was tasty and cheap. Families wonder where all their money goes … to those bottled drinks they buy for kids now. Individual gatorade bottles $.50/each (half drank most likely) or even a larger bottle a buck each. Make Kool-Aid for fraction of the cost. Oh, what … you don’t know how to stir water, powder and sugar?
Great reminder of the simpler days. (of course, as I am sitting watching football on my HDTV and browsing the web on my laptop)
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There’s something to be admired of the simpler days, Carla …
I’m now well admonished by Carla, and will be picking up some Kool-Aid this afternoon.
But, do you know how much I’d be over the moon for Root Beer flavored Kool Aid? I’m still writing letters to Dippin’ Dots for discontinuing that flavor!
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Admonished and root beerless.
*sigh*
At least it’s Sunday …
Ivey, I don’t have any experience with Kool Aid since our choices were water, milk, lemonade or iced tea, but if you’re looking for root beer flavored drink mixes, McCormick used to make it in a bottle and you could find it in the grocery with the spices and food colorings. We used to get that every now and then and we loved it. I think they still make it, but you’d have to check your local supermarket to see if they carry it.
I cannot live without my lemon-lime Kool-Aid. Period. I no longer make it with sugar, but I neeeed it. It’s still one of my favorite beverages of all time. I do not ALWAYS have it made, but I must always have the ability. And let me tell you, finding the lime flavor gets more and more difficult all the time. It is NOT carried at every store. WTF is up with that?? Are kids now out of their frakking minds? How can lemon-lime not be one of their favorite flavors? It’s obvious that todays kids have severe flavor issues and need to look up to ME.
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How indeed … ???
*looks skyward …. whistles innocently*
I completely agree Carissa. While I stated to Ivey that I don’t have any experience with Kool Aid, your comment brought back an old memory in my 50 year old brain. When I was in what they called back then “nursery school” for a post-nap snack they served us vanilla wafers and lemon-lime Kool Aid.
I assume you have to mix lemon and lime to get the flavor? I always thought it was a flavor all its own, but even when my kids were little we didn’t buy Kool Aid because my kids hated it. They preferred water and that was fine by me.
I miss myself in this post.
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Well, y’know … if you weren’t going all ‘Ramsay’ for the weekend, that wouldn’t happen …
Honestly growing up, we were too poor for Kool Aid. Yes, that’s right, too poor. So I never acquired those kool aid memories. Now as a parent, the only thing kool aid is good for is making the home made playdough smell good and color nicely.