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Sunny Delight - that wild orange bottle of sunshine that we all remember was chosen over 'some purple stuff' in a fridge. The 90s were Sunny Delights era to shine for sure, but, it was create many moons before. Come take a trip to a time when this concoction was first developed, and ride the wave with us on the path to the modern Sunny D, which now comes in many colors, and even with alcohol!
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Today, we're cracking the top on the age-old question
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what does the D in Sunny D stand for? Let's just get this out of the way
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Sunny D stands for Sunny Delight, the original name of the beverage
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when it made its debut in 1963. It does not stand for vitamin D
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In the summer of 63, two Florida men, Howard Dick and Phil Grinnell
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stood together in an orange grove and, quote, vowed to create the tastiest
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most boldly unique orange drink on the planet. They created an orange juice alternative called Sunny Delight
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got the business off the ground, and then sold it to a Coca-Cola bottling company in 1966
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Long story short, today it's owned by a private equity firm. Sunny D describes itself as orange-flavored citrus punch
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The words orange and citrus might have you thinking that it's a juice-based drink
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but compositionally speaking, it's mostly water and high-fructose corn syrup. According to the nutritional information on the company's website, an 8-ounce serving of Sunny D contains 100% of a person's daily recommended dose of vitamin C, which is good
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But the website also reveals that 8 ounces of Sunny D also has 12 grams of sugar in it
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If you're a child of the 90s, there's pretty much no way you don't remember the Sunny D Purple Stuff commercial, which first dropped in 1991
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Sunny D blanketed the airwaves with the ad. and a generation of children would forever be haunted
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by the mystery of what that purple stuff was Regardless the spot became iconic and kicked off a string of popular commercials that targeted kids That along with all the sugar we assume helped the drink build a surprisingly loyal fan base
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among 90s youngins. Not just on this side of the pond. Sunny Delight invaded England
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They subjected the good people of Albion to a massive promotional blitz
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estimated to cost upwards of 10 million pounds. And in the blink of an eye
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Sunny Delight was the third best-selling drink in the whole UK. But despite using the slogan, the great stuff kids go for, Sunny Delight isn't that great for kids
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The UK's Food Commission eventually pointed that out and also came down on Sunny Delight for misleading packaging that fooled many parents into thinking it was orange juice
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The report sparked a backlash against Sunny Delight. See, back in the 1990s, there was a popular urban legend about some kid who drank too much Sunny Delight and turned orange
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It sounds made up, but in 1999, then Sunny Delight owner Procter & Gamble was forced to admit that it was actually true
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The culprit was beta-carotene, an ingredient in Sunny D that is also found in vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes
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Sales of the owned mystery drink plummeted. The drink needed a reboot to stay afloat
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So in 2003, it was redubbed Sunny D. Sunny D was also reformulated to make it more healthy
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You really don't hear much about Sunny D anymore, but it's still around
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It now comes in enough flavors to fill a whole supermarket aisle
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And if you can't find something you like in that selection, maybe it's finally time to try the purple stuff
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Thank you
Kids & Teens
Alcohol-Free Beverages