Squirt Soda
Squirt is a carbonated grapefruit drink that was created by Herb Bishop in 1938. His intention was to make a soft drink that required less fruit and sugar than other sodas, since America was involved in the Great Depression. He started with a soft drink by the name of Citrus Club that was bottled in Phoenix, Arizona and very popular in that part of the country. His experimentation resulted in a soft drink made from grapefruit juice and sugar that Bishop believed to be the freshest tasting soft drink available on the market. He thought it tasted like a slice of grapefruit exploding in the mouth, and so he called it “Squirt”.
In 1941 Herb Bishop and his partner, Ed Mehren, created a character called “Little Squirt” to use in the marketing of their soft drink. The little tike encouraged people to “Drink Squirt”. He caught on right away with the consumers and sales increased. The soft drink did well through WWII, when others did not, because of its reduced sugar content. In the 1950’s, Squirt became a popular drink mixer. And by the mid-1970’s, Squirt was sold in Central and South America.
In 1977 Squirt was bought by a Michigan bottler, Brooks Products, that went on to introduce a new product logo and a reformulated Squirt. Diet Squirt was introduced in 1983 and was the first diet soft drink in the US to use aspartame. A Ruby Red and Diet Ruby Red were also added to the product line of Squirt soft drinks.
Today Squirt is the best-selling grapefruit soft drink in the United States. It is one of the many brands under the corporate umbrella of London-based The Cadbury Schweppes Group, having been purchased as part of Dr. Pepper/Seven-Up, Inc. in 2000.
Cadbury Schweppes Bottling Group
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Squirt was not readily available in the rural area where I was raised. I never knew what it was. However, I do remember having a yellow “Squirt” sweatshirt in the late 1950’s. I wore it for years but do not remember how I came by it. This is a real trip down the path of time.
I’ve noticed there is very limited information on the “Little Squirt”. Just wanted to mention that my uncle, Bill Albaugh of Mingo Junction, Ohio, was the official “Little Squirt” mascot. He and his wife Maria would return home often and bring my brother and I memorabilia such as t-shirts, backpacks, pictures, etc. He was a fantastic man who is greatly missed.
Squirt is the well-known favourite drink of one Mr Harry Potter