Hawaiian Punch Unexpectedly Originated As An Ice Cream Topping
The popularity of Hawaiian Punch may have waned over the years, but the brand and drink remain iconic. During the 1950s, when Dwight Eisenhower was president, Hawaiian Punch was so popular that it was considered a staple. The government at the time launched a campaign promoting "Grandma's Pantry," which urged Americans to stock up on staples such as Campbell's Soup, Tang, and Hawaiian Punch. This is extremely impressive considering that Hawaiian Punch was not originally intended to be a juice drink.
Originally, Hawaiian Punch was created as a syrup for ice cream by Pacific Citrus Products Company in 1934, per Hawaiian Punch's official website. The company, which specialized in ice cream toppings, was owned by A.W. Leo, Tom Yates, and Ralph Harrison. They named the fruity syrup "Leo's Hawaiian Punch" after the one owner, and because the ingredients were exported from Hawaii.
At first, "Leo's Hawaiian Punch" was only sold to restaurants and ice cream manufacturers. Over time, consumers figured out that the ice cream syrup could be turned into a delicious drink if mixed with water. Although there was no way for consumers to purchase the product directly at the time, that changed in 1946 when the company was bought by Reuben P. Hughes and renamed the brand Pacific Hawaiian Products Co. Hughes began selling the Hawaiian Punch concentrate at grocery stores in quart-sized bottles, but it took a few more years until it was sold in juice form.
Hawaiian Punch was bought by a giant tobacco company
By 1950, under the name of Pacific Hawaiian Products Co., the Hawaiian Punch that consumers recognize today hit shelves as juice in 46-oz cans. Once people could buy the juice drink in a ready-made form, sales of Hawaiian Punch skyrocketed in the '50s. To further bolster sales, the brand's cartoon mascot Punchy was introduced in 1961. Shortly after, Hawaiian Punch was bought by the tobacco company RJ Reynolds. As noted by The Guardian, RJR used Punchy to specifically target kids. Appealing to the younger juice drinkers would continue to be a focus for Hawaiian Punch even as it underwent several ownership changes.
In 1981, RJR shifted Hawaiian Punch over to their subsidiary Del Monte. Under that juice company Hawaiian Punch would try out several products over the years. Just over a decade later, in 1992 and then owned by Procter & Gamble, Hawaiian Punch experimented with not only new flavors, but new colors outside the traditional red drink. These included Fruit Juicy Blue and Fruit Juicy Green. "If such colors make you say 'yuck,' don't forget that these drinks are targeted at youngsters," the Chicago Tribune wrote at the time.
Prior to testing various flavors, Hawaiian Punch revolutionized drinks-to-go when they were the first brand to introduce juice boxes in 1983. By the early 2000s, Hawaiian Punch underwent another change when they offered juice pouches in place of juice boxes.