Somewhere in the heartland of America, in a Nebraska city called Hastings, there exists a permanent museum exhibit dedicated entirely to a powdered drink mix. And honestly? We’re here for it.
The Hastings Museum has enshrined the origins of Kool-Aid in a full-blown permanent display, because if your town is the birthplace of something that has colored the lips and tongues of literally generations of children, you’d better put up a plaque. Or, you know, an entire exhibit.
The star of the show is Edwin Perkins, the unsung hero of childhood hydration and arguably one of the most underrated inventors in American history. Back in 1927, Perkins looked at an earlier liquid concentrate called Fruit Smack — a product that sounds less like a beverage and more like a professional wrestling move — and thought, “You know what this needs? Less liquid. More powder. More shipping efficiency.” And thus, Kool-Aid was born.
It was a genuinely clever bit of innovation. By converting the syrupy Fruit Smack into a lightweight powdered mix, Perkins slashed shipping costs dramatically, making the product affordable for families during the lean years leading into the Great Depression. The man didn’t just invent a drink — he invented accessible refreshment for the masses. Edwin Perkins deserved way more credit than history has typically bothered to give him.
The exhibit traces this whole delightful journey, from Fruit Smack’s humble beginnings to Kool-Aid’s eventual status as an American cultural institution, complete with its iconic anthropomorphic pitcher mascot who apparently solves problems primarily by destroying walls.
Photos of the exhibit are available over at Atlas Obscura, for those who cannot immediately book a pilgrimage to Hastings, Nebraska, which — let’s be honest — should now be on everyone’s bucket list.
The Kool-Aid Man would absolutely approve. OH YEAH.
*Source: Boing Boing / Atlas Obscura*
Original story via Boing Boing
