In 1970 , Cincinnatian Will Radcliff was at a Chicago patronage show when he made a culinary discovery : a slush motorcar . The machine , which was cook up by Stoelting and had been on the market place for decade , did n’t have a name or any merchandising stuff . But Radcliff , who had already base success as a peanut salesman , saw an chance . “ I saw there was nothing being done to make it take off,”Radcliff said in 1998 . “ There was no magic , as I say . ”
One evening , Radcliff enlisted the aid of his female parent and sister to brainstorm some names for his would - be schmalzy drink . Over a six - pack of beer , they pen down a handful of possibilities on a brownish paper cup of tea and came up with the thought for Slush Puppie , which would feature a toon dog as their mascot and logo . Shortly thereafter , Radcliff invested all the money he had ( a nitty-gritty totality of $ 970 ) and founded the troupe .
Though other iced beverages such as ICEE already existed , Slush Puppie was different because it was a non - carbonated potable created with flavored syrups and H2O that are mixed together in a machine and then frosty .
When Radcliff started what would become a multimillion - dollar go-ahead , only four flavors were offered : cherry , grape , orange , and lemon tree - caustic lime . Today , there aremore than 40 flavors available , ranging from cotton wool confect to pomberry açaí , many of which contain bastioned succus and vitamin . Despite the juice contentedness , the slushies are fill with artificial colors , preservative , and some varietal have high fructose corn sirup added . An eight - apothecaries' ounce Slush Puppie contains 119 calories , which according toCalorie King , would take a 31 - minute paseo to burn off . Yet , it tastes delicious .
Radcliff ’s flavor methamphetamine hydrochloride shot beverage gambit took off and by 1999 sale had step up to $ 25 million a twelvemonth — that ’s a lot of slush ! An sharp man of affairs , he eventually parlayed his idea into a global phenomenon ; Slush puppy have found their fashion into 62 nations , including component of Africa and Europe , via650,000 machines . “ If it ai n’t fun , to hell with it , ” was one of Radcliff ’s favorite apothegm , though he admittedto theCincinnati Enquirerin 1998 that , “ It does n’t always work that way all the fourth dimension , but that ’s what we shoot for . ”
Besides the Slush Puppie business , Radcliff also started Lanikai Frozen Cocktails in 1986 , which applies a likewise slushy methodology to sundry drinks such as wintry daiquiris . Because of his successful concepts , Radcliff had earnedenough moneyby the age of 40 to purchase two Learjets and a Mercedes S500 with the licence plate “ 1 SLUSH . ”
In 2000Cadbury Schweppesbought Slush Puppie Corp. , and in 2006 J&J Snack Foods — which also have ICEE — buy the company from Cadbury . By this point , Radcliff was ready to pull away and had purchased more than 3,000 Acre ofFlorida wetlands , where he built a cattle farm and became a cutthroat advocate for land conservation .
Many convenience shop , moving picture theatre , and Kmarts sell Slush Puppies , but anybody can buy a motorcar . It ’ll cost you about$1,200 retailfor the low - close role model and $ 2,000 for a top - of - the - stock one .
Unfortunately , Radcliff died onSeptember 18 , 2014 in Cincinnati , due to complications from a nightfall . He was 74 eld old . His utilitarianCincinnati homeis presently on the market for a nerveless $ 695,000 , and features a laundry chute , a dumbwaiter , and an lift . Even though Radcliff ’s no longer around , his bequest will survive on . His infinitesimal contribution to the globe does n’t seem like much , but on any sweltering summer day , parched grownup and kids likewise should conceive of the rebel man of affairs as they suck down their favorite flavor of Slush Puppie .
