Kickapoo Joy Juice

''Li'l Abner''

"Kickapoo Joy Juice" was a fictional beverage coined in the American comic strip Li'l Abner. Al Capp, the cartoonist, described the beverage as "a liquor of such stupefying potency that the hardiest citizens of Dogpatch, after the first burning sip, rose into the air, stiff as frozen codfish". It was said to be an elixir of such power that the fumes alone have been known to melt the rivets off battleships.

Capp asserted in 1965 that the cartoon "never has suggested that the drink is moonshine", in response to claims that the Kickapoo Joy Juice of Li'l Abner was an illicitly distilled liquor. Brewed by Hairless Joe and Lonesome Polecat, two of the comic strip's backwoods poachers, the ingredients of the brew are both mysterious and all-encompassing, (much like the contents of their cave, which has been known to harbor prehistoric monsters.) When a batch "needs more body", the formidable pair simply goes out and clubs "a body" (often a moose), and tosses it in. Over the years, the "recipe" has called for live grizzly bears, panthers, kerosene, horseshoes and anvils, among other ingredients.

Product

The real-life drink was introduced in 1965 under NuGrape, a former brand of the Monarch Beverage Company. That year, Nugrape worked out a deal with Al Capp, the owner of the rights to the name "Kickapoo Joy Juice", to produce the beverage as a carbonated soft drink. Capp, however, would have the last word on all advertising and promotion. Kickapoo Joy Juice's early advertising campaign was very similar to the Mountain Dew soft drink of that time – using characters from Li'l Abner to create and market a hillbilly feeling. Although the product is distributed largely in Asian markets (Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Cambodia and Bangladesh), the can still comes decorated with a vintage Li'l Abner drawing.

The Wall Street Journal had a regular feature on mixed drinks, and once published in it a recipe for Kickapoo Joy Juice. The backstory is that it had been illicit hooch ginned up by soldiers during World War II, often starting from alcohol intended for fuel for torpedoes and the like.

Variants

• Kickapoo Joy Juice (original)
• Kickapoo Fruit Shine (sangria flavored)
• Kickapoo Fuzzy Navel (peach flavored)
• Kickapoo Malibu (piña colada flavored)
• Kickapoo Lemonade (lemon flavored)

References

References

1. Quek, Regina. (17 April 2009). "Use of unauthorized beverage bases infringes KICKAPOO marks". [[World Trademark Review]].
2. (2005). "Kickapoo Joy Juice". Capp Enterprises.
3. (19 November 1979). "Press: Mr. Dogpatch".
4. Bartimum, Tad. (7 December 1980). "Kickapoo Indians Pay High Price for Tradition". [[Sarasota Herald-Tribune]].
5. Kovell. (22 January 1983). "Li'l Abner was subject of toys". [[The Free Lance–Star]].
6. Carlson, Walter. (8 February 1965). "Advertising: Kickapoo Mellows With Age". [[The New York Times]].
7. (2009). "Kickapoo Joy Juice". [[Monarch Beverage Company.
8. (6 November 1950). "The Press: Die Monstersinger".
9. Conway, Patrick. (12 February 1965). "'Kickapoo Joy Juice' aims at a younger set". [[The Gadsden Times]].
10. Leger, Richard R.. (19 April 1965). "Hillbilly Names Help 'Moonshine' Soda Pop Grab Teen-Age Sales". [[The Wall Street Journal]].
11. (1985). "Media History Digest". Media History Digest Corp.
12. [http://deniskitchen.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=bios.joyjuice Kickapoo Joy Juice page at deniskitchen.com]
13. Hollis, Tim. (May 2008). "Ain't that a knee-slapper: rural comedy in the twentieth century". Univ. Press of Mississippi.
14. DiStefano, Joe. (19 April 2008). "Malaysian Snack Attack". [[Gourmet (magazine).