- Almost-chocolate-milk for those who want a chocolate beverage, but don’t want the high-class snobbery of chocolate milk
- Super sweet chocolate water
Usage Example: “My parents just sent a case of Yoo-Hoo to my dorm! I can’t figure out if they love me or hate me.”
Background: To the uninitiated, Yoo-Hoo brand chocolate-like drink appears to be shelf-stable chocolate milk. In reality, Yoo-Hoo brand chocolate-like drink is so much less than that.
Yoo-Hoo was invented by a New Jersey grocery store owner named Natalie Olivieri in the mid-1920’s. Ms. Olivieri sought to answer a simple question that no one had ever asked: What would happen if someone liquefied a chocolate bar, and then watered it down? The answer was Yoo-Hoo brand chocolate-like drink. Prohibition era America provided fertile ground for the public growth of a beverage that tasted like very sweet, slightly chocolaty water and had the appearance of a muddy puddle.
Today, Yoo-Hoo sits comfortably within the fifth tier of American soft drinks – above Moxie, but below Arizona Iced Tea. Its unique flavor makes it one of the most divisive beverages in American culture. Pope John Paul II was a fan of Yoo-Hoo, as are at least twelve or thirteen other people.
Yoo-Hoo supporters staunchly defend their favorite drink, and Yoo-Hoo detractors enjoy making jokes about it… and silently judging those who enjoy it.
While I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of Yoo-Hoo, what is up with the unprovoked jab at Moxie?
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Ha! I’m so happy you found that. No jab was intended at Moxie. That statement was simply commenting on the national popularity of Yoo-Hoo in relation to some other beverages.
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I was a fan as a kid. I hated carbonated drinks, so it was something in a bottle (in those long-ago days before cans were invented–I mean, air had barely been invented back then) that I could tolerate. I don’t really know if I liked it or if I just liked the idea of drinking something out of a bottle, which as was clear to me at the time, made me look much cooler than in fact I was.
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I love the air comment! Good point about the bottle. Filling a bottle with a sugary, chocolate-like beverage creates a powerful kid magnet.
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