Slush Puppie (stylized as SLUSH PUPPiE) is a slush beverage created in 1970, and marketed both directly by the Slush Puppie division of J&J Snack Foods, and through its Slush Puppie distributors in the United States and Canada.
A Slush Puppie has two major components; the base and the flavoring. The base is made from a special syrup that is mixed with water and then frozen. This creates a mixture resulting in pellets of ice in a sweet liquid. The taste is simply that of the flavored syrup. The brand's mascot is a white puppy named Chilly Dog wearing a blue shirt with the letter "S" and a knit hat.
Because of the glycerol, which prevents slushy drinks from freezing, it is not suitable for children under age four says Food Standards Scotland.[1]
History
Slush Puppie founder Will Radcliff (1939–2014) decided to start the company after seeing a slush-making machine at a Chicago trade fair in 1970.[2] Radcliff, his sister and their mother came up with the name "Slush Puppie" (based on hush puppy) while sitting on their front porch in Cincinnati, Ohio.[3]
The business started from a home address in Cincinnati and progressed to a single door small warehouse, to a manufacturing plant/warehouse, to a candy and tobacco distributor, to a front door repair shop, to finally a showplace building that overlooks the city of Cincinnati.[4] As the company expanded, Radcliff added additional product lines, including Thelma's frozen lemonade, Pacific Bay Smooth-E, and Lanikai Frozen Cocktails. Under Radcliff, Slush Puppie grew to $25 million in annual sales.[2]
In 1974, Slush Puppie arrived in the United Kingdom when businessman Ralph Peters bought three Slush Puppie machines.[7] The Slush Puppie license continued to be held in the United Kingdom by the Peters family for decades, and was later joined by the Frutina brand.[8] In December 2019, it was announced that the UK license with the Peters family (now known as Frozen Brothers) would be terminated.[9] In June 2021, the UK license for Slush Puppie was awarded to Vimto Out of Home.[10] In November 2024, the Slush Puppie license was then changed to Celtic Frozen Drinks.[11]
Spin-offs of Slush Puppie sold in UK retail outlets, such as a home slush machine, have been sold by Fizz Creations since 2017.[12] A freezeable pouch version was introduced by Manchester Drinks in July 2018.[13] In 2021, Rose Confectionary began making various Slush Puppie candy assortments.[14] In March 2023, a soft-drink version called Slush Puppie Fizzie was launched by Nichols plc.[15] There are other items produced, such as ice lollies, teacakes and milkshake powder by CRC Innovations.[16] There are also air freshers and air sprays available by RTC Direct.[17]
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