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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
