Slurpee Turns 40!

I haven't had a Slurpee in years but I do have fond memories of walking home from Keele Street Public school and stopping by 7 Eleven and having a Coke Slurpee mixed with a bit of Orange Crush for the walk home.

Slurpee celebrates 40 years of 'brain freeze'

Long before smoothies and Frappuccinos there was the Slurpee. The slushy, colorful 7-Eleven brand - and American icon - turns 40 today and is still popular for the same reasons it caught on back then: fun, variety, "brain freeze" and colored tongues.

Slurpee was born in Kansas at a Dairy Queen where owner Omar Knedlik served semi-frozen bottled soft drinks. When they were a hit, he worked with a Dallas company to develop the "Icee" machine that replicated that consistency in slushy soft drinks served at 28 degrees.

When a 7-Eleven manager happened upon an Icee machine in a rival's store, he saw potential and got them into three 7-Eleven stores in 1965. Within two years, they were in almost every 7-Eleven - renamed Slurpees for the noise they make through a straw.

"It hasn't changed a lot in 40 years," says John Ryckevic, a member of 7-Eleven's beverage team that helped promote Slurpee in its heyday. "You can't say that about a lot of brands."

Slurpee fun facts:

~ Consumption. Since 1965, more than 6 billion Slurpees have been sold. They're now sold in 17 countries. U.S. annual sales alone are $170 million.

~ The magic of the machine. Syrup, carbon dioxide and water are mixed under pressure in a freezing chamber.

~Building the brand. In 1970, Slurpee marketing included Slurp magazine and a dance step and song called The Slurp.

By Theresa Howard, USA TODAY