On Thursday, July 11, 2013 (7/11), 7-Eleven will once again be giving away free Slurpee drinks at all its stores across the country to celebrate its 44th birthday. This year, the free Slurpees will be in 12oz cup, much larger than the previous 7.11oz cups they have been doing. The cups will be limited to 64,500 12oz Slurpee drinks in Winnipeg.
Slurpee: Facts on the Phenomenon
The Basics
– Slurpee was first created in 1959 by a Kansas hamburger-stand owner. Using a car air conditioner, he created a piece of equipment that would freeze a carbonated soft drink and serve it in a ‘sherbet-like’ form
– In 1965, 7-Eleven began selling Slurpee drinks, then called Icee, in its U.S. stores
– Slurpee got its name during a brainstorming session in May 1967: while drinking the product through a straw, someone commented it made a “slurp” sound and the rest is history
– Slurpee made its first appearance in Canada in 1969 when the first store opened in Calgary
– For the 14th consecutive year, Manitoba has been crowned the Slurpee Capital of the World for having the highest average number of Slurpee cups sold per store in a region
The newest and exclusive 2013 summer Slurpee flavours in Canada are:
– – Crush Lite Grape; Crush Lite Orange (30% fewer calories than regular Crush Slurpee, with the same great taste)
– – Mountain Dew Supernova; Mountain Dew Voltage
Fast Stats
– Since its introduction, more than 6 billion Slurpee drinks have been sold, almost enough for every single person on the planet to have slurped
– 7-Eleven customers globally sip almost 13 million Slurpee drinks every month
– More than 40 per cent of all Slurpee drinks are sold during the sunny summer months of June, July and August
– In Canada, Thursdays are the most popular day of the week to purchase Slurpee drinks
– In Canada, 41 per cent of Slurpee drinkers never mix their Slurpee drinks, 37 per cent always mix them, 21 per cent mix them some of the time
– In Canada, 87 per cent of Slurpee drinkers are over the age of 18
– In Canada, the average Slurpee drinker is a 30-year-old male
Fun Facts
– Celebs like Michael Bublé, Justin Bieber and Brett Lawrie have been caught Slurping over the past few months. We’re heard they’re big fans
– Slurpee drinks are served at a chilling -2.2 degrees Celsius
– 7-Eleven sells enough Slurpee drinks each year to fill 12 Olympic swimming pools. Brrr!
– In 1994, 7-Eleven coined the term brain freeze. If you don’t know what a brain freeze is, go have a Slurpee and drink it fast. The scientific name for brain freeze is Sphenopalatine Ganglioneuralgia. Pressing your tongue against the roof of your mouth is a known cure for brain freeze
– Slurpee is a pivotal part of pop culture:
– – ‘Googling’ Slurpee generates more than 6.2 million related search results
– – Slurpee has its own Wikipedia site
– – Celebrities like Justin Bieber and Michael Buble mention them, popular TV series create their own – even Obama has said he thinks they’re delicious!
Manitoba: Slurpee Capital of the World
According to 7-Eleven market manager, Amrit Goraya, when you are not from Manitoba you may find some of these “normal occurrences” unusual…when you live in Manitoba, you don’t even notice:
– Slurpee is the number one beverage served to women in Winnipeg’s maternity wards in the summer time
– Instead of giving flowers, people meet and greet friends and family at the airport by giving them Slurpee drinks
– When it’s -40 degrees Celsius outside, people are seen waiting for the bus, biking and skating with a Slurpee in hand
– Slurpee is the choice drink for fans watching outdoor football games when it’s -20 degrees Celsius
– Slurpee is often served at summer weddings
– People consume Slurpee drinks for breakfast year round
– As of July 2013, Winnipeg plays host to one of the top three Slurpee stores: Airdrie, Alberta, snatching the #1 spot; Portage Avenue in Winnipeg (#2); Devonshire Drive North, Regina (#3)
