Whatever Happened To Gas Station Slush Puppies?

Slushies have become a common offering at gas stations and convenience stores. While 7-Eleven Slurpees or ICEEs may be the first to come to mind, the often forgotten Slush Puppie is iconic in its own right. Although a latecomer, the iced beverage brand found success from humble beginnings, born from the mind of a peanut salesman and his family. Despite the fact that it's currently a multi-million dollar company, it seems that the Slush Puppie and its cozy, beanie-wearing canine mascot have quietly disappeared. Did it go out of business? Well, the simple answer is that the Slush Puppie brand is alive, it's just not as popular as it once was.

Founded in 1970, over a decade after the accidental invention of the ICEE, Slush Puppie entered the icy beverage game. While loosely resembling its competitors, Slush Puppie's non-carbonated, chunkier drinks stood out with such success that, by the late 1990s, it was a $30 million brand with machines across 62 nations. As it grew, Slush Puppie would be sold off to two other parent companies. The first to acquire it was Cadbury Schweppes in 2001, which also owned the mysteriously flavorful Dr Pepper at the time. Around the time Cadbury restructured its business, Slush Puppie was acquired by J&J Snack Foods in 2006, the parent company of none other than its former direct competitor, ICEE.

It can be assumed that with the acquisition by ICEE's parent company, most Slush Puppie machines were either swapped out for ICEE machines or taken down altogether. Although the Slush Puppie brand is still active, it's at a much more limited basis. As Slush Puppie is now part of the ICEE family, anyone wanting to vend them can do so by joining the ICEE Total Program, which offers everything a business would need to serve its products. Unfortunately, this won't work for anyone who doesn't own or operate their own business, and anyone looking to simply purchase a Slush Puppie machine may have to shell out thousands of dollars for a repurposed one — and that's before adding authentic ingredients or branded cups to your cart.

Sadly, getting the full Slush Puppie experience may only be possible if you come across a machine at the likes of a bowling alley, convenience store, or family-owned business. However, slushies are also one of the foods you should avoid at a gas station, so this may be for the best.

But this doesn't mean all hope is lost! Copycat Slush Puppie recipes are out there. All you need is a slushie machine (which can be found at Costco) or a blender. Best of all, they can be made without any of the artificial ingredients that Slush Puppies contain, and have the opportunity to be made better with just a few tweaks.