Kool-Aid Man

The precursor to Kool-Aid Man, "the Pitcher Man", was created on July 10, 1954. Marvin Potts, an art director for a New York advertising agency was hired by General Foods to create an image that would accompany the slogan "A 5-cent package makes two quarts." Inspired by watching his young son draw smiley faces on a frosted window, Potts created the Pitcher Man, a glass pitcher with a wide smile emblazoned on its side and filled with Kool-Aid. It was one of several designs Potts created, but the only one that stuck, and General Foods began to use the Pitcher Man in all of its advertisements. The character's face was sometimes animated in synchronization with the jingle.[1][2]

Kool-Aid Man making his trademark entrance in a 1978 Kool-Aid commercial saying his catchphrase.

In 1974, arms and legs were added and Kool-Aid Man was introduced as a 6-foot-tall pitcher of cherry Kool-Aid, reportedly voiced by Grey Advertising composer Richard Berg and created by Alan Kupchick and Harold Karp (of Grey Advertising).[3][4] Children, parched from playing, or other various activities, would typically exchange a few words referring to their thirst, then put a hand to the side of their mouths and by shouting "Hey, Kool-Aid!", whereupon, the Kool-Aid Man would make his grand entrance, breaking through walls, fences, ceilings or furnishings, uttering the famous words "Oh yeah!", then pour the dehydrated youngsters a glass of Kool-Aid.[5][6][7] In 1979, the character's mouth was again animated to move in synchronization with the voice actor's singing and/or dialogue.[8][9][10]

In October 1978, the Kool Aid man was successfully introduced in advertising in Venezuela. This was only weeks before the suicides from drinking a similar product in Jonestown located beside the Venezuelan frontier with Guyana. The Jonestown episode had no effect on Kool Aid sales.

From at least 1979 to 1981, the character was known in Canada as Captain Kool-Aid.[11][12][13]

By the 1980s, the Kool-Aid Man had attained pop culture icon status and in 1983, he was the subject of two Kool-Aid Man video games for the Atari 2600 and the Intellivision systems. He was also given his own short-lived comic book series (prior to that he starred in a two issue series published by the General Foods Corporation in 1975),[14] called The Adventures of Kool-Aid Man. This series for three issues under Marvel Comics from 1983 to 1985[15] and continued with issues #4-9 under Archie Comics, with art by Dan DeCarlo, from 1987 to 1990.[16] It featured the Thirsties, a group of anthropomorphic sun-like creatures, as villains.[17]

In 1994, the live-action character was retired and from that point until 2008, the character became entirely computer-generated; however, other characters, such as the children, remained live-action. In 1999, singer and voice actor, Frank Simms began voicing the character.[18][19][20] In 2009, the live-action character returned, playing street basketball and battling "Cola" to stay balanced on a log, where he was voiced by Pat Duke.[21] Keith Hudson and Scott Golden voiced the character for a brief period from 2013 to 2015 respectively. In 2016, Brock Powell took over the role and has voiced the character since.[22][23]

American artist David Hammons used Kool-Aid and incorporated a stamp of the Kool-Aid Man for a piece that hung in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.[24]

The Kool-Aid Man appeared on animated television shows The Simpsons, Robot Chicken, and in more prominent appearances, Family Guy. He is a playable character in Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff.[25]

The sketch comedy group The Whitest Kids U' Know featured a parody of the Kool Aid Man in one of their most popular sketches from the fourth season of their IFC series - an anthropomorphic grape mascot for the Fizzy Pops Grape Blast soda known as the Grapist (portrayed by one of the group's co-founders Sam Brown). The character's catchphrase is "I'm gonna grape you in the mouth!"; as described by the company's marketing executive (portrayed by fellow co-founder Trevor Moore), he "sneaks into little kids' rooms in the middle of the night, and [he] grapes them in the mouth". One board member (portrayed by fellow co-founder Zach Cregger) seems to be the only one who is concerned and not oblivious to the commercial's allusions to rape, becoming stunned upon hearing the name of the mascot ("The Grapist? That's his name?), but is brushed off by the other board members (portrayed by members Darren Trumeter and Timmy Williams) - the latter of which is very enthusiastic about the campaign.

In May 2016, the Kool-Aid Man appeared in a television commercial for the American insurance company Progressive, voiced by Brock Powell.[26]

A parody of him appears in Henry Danger's animated series "The Adventures of Kid Danger", in where he is portrayed as more aggressive and even a criminal who seeks to turn all water into Wahoo Punch (Kool-Aid), as he is called "Wahoo Punch guy"

In 2020, he, alongside Mr. Clean, appeared in a commercial for fellow Kraft Heinz product Planters, shown as an attendee of the funeral of Mr. Peanut. His tears end up causing a new, baby Mr. Peanut to grow from the ground.[27]

Time magazine included the Kool-Aid Man on a list of the "Top 10 Creepiest Product Mascots", saying, "Our biggest gripe with Kool-Aid Man: Why did he have to cause such a mess every time he entered the scene?"[28] Many consumers have reported confusion regarding the Kool-Aid Man's bodily Kool-Aid and how it contributes to his life force. This confusion was marginally cleared on Twitter when a user asked the Kool-Aid man whether his Kool-Aid represented blood or urine. The Kool-Aid man answered "It is my blood",[29] but offered no further details about how that works.

• Kool-Aid Man Atari 2600 game
• Comic books
• Jamie Knobler, "Kool-Aid: 75 years of smiles", The Loquitur, September 9, 2002