# Why is fruit punch always red? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 24, 2011, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-punch-always-red/572450 "2011-02-24T14:48:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-punch-always-red/572450/41 "2011-02-26T01:44:02Z")
> [@Francis\_Vaughan](#): > > There was a scare about heart irregularities that was sheeted home to a possible potassium deficit, and after that they were forced to use a concentrate that contained a potassium supplement. Which tasted terrible. They should have had the astronauts eat a banana concentrate with all the potassium in it, both for improved flavor (who doesn’t like bananas?) and as a tribute to all the brave monkeys and chimps NASA used in the early days of the space program. (I’m almost entirely joking. However, I am kind of curious whether NASA ever did feed astronauts bananas or banana-like food during the Space Race.) ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-punch-always-red/572450/42 "2011-02-26T02:07:38Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > There’s also purple stuff out there. Tastes like purple. [Also known as purple drink.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UayQTu2kH-U) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Jay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b77776/32.png) [@The\_Jay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Jay)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-punch-always-red/572450/44 "2011-02-26T06:52:58Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I work in advertising; I used to have Hawaiian Punch as a client. We were doing focus groups with tweens (kids age 10-12) about Hawaiian Punch, and the moderator asked the kids to describe everything they could about Hawaiian Punch – the color, the taste, etc. One of the kids said (I swear, these were his actual, verbatim words): > > “It’s the color and smell of human blood.” > > :eek: A friend was once involved in running market research for Coco Pops here in Australia (Coco Krispies in the US, i think) and one question the kids had to answer was about the monkey mascot that Coco Pops has. The question was “What do you not like about the [monkey’s name]?” and one kid answered “Everything. I hate him. He is the brown satan”. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-punch-always-red/572450/45 "2011-02-26T08:11:34Z")
I would guess that “fruit punch” as a mass-produced modern soft drink had its origins in a rum cocktail, [like planter’s punch](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planter%27s_punch), which is sweetened with grenadine. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-punch-always-red/572450/46 "2011-02-26T13:04:55Z")
Who designs the colors for gatorade? Some really wierd colors-it looks like brake fluid or auto antifreeze. Do kids like shades of blue and florescein green? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-punch-always-red/572450/47 "2011-02-26T13:09:04Z")
Why are most artificially-flavored rasberry products colored blue? You can take that as a retort or a question, as you please. Hey, I’m easy. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![wombattver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b77776/32.png) [@wombattver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wombattver)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-punch-always-red/572450/48 "2011-02-28T05:10:13Z")
I worked on a commercial for Hawaiian Punch. The rest of the crew and I, finding ourselves really examining the logo and label on the familiar can that we hadn’t seen since childhood, were most amused that the flavor as written on the label is “Fruit Juicy Red!” Yep, it’s RED flavor! Mmmmm! Apparently, it’s derived from the rare and delicious Juicy Red fruit. As for the bright Blue raspberry flavor? Doesn’t make any sense. Why bother with the “raspberry” part? It’s Blue! Blue Flavor! Fruit Juicy Blue! ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-punch-always-red/572450/49 "2011-02-28T05:27:06Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Who designs the colors for gatorade? Some really wierd colors-it looks like brake fluid or auto antifreeze. Do kids like shades of blue and florescein green? I just wish they would give clues to the flavor. What the hell flavor is Frost?? ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-punch-always-red/572450/50 "2011-02-28T05:34:31Z")
So who else remembers Faygo and their commercials for ‘‘Red pop’’? ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-punch-always-red/572450/51 "2011-02-28T05:55:33Z")
> [@caligulathegod](#): > > I just wish they would give clues to the flavor. What the hell flavor is Frost?? Blue. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-punch-always-red/572450/52 "2011-02-28T14:28:02Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Why are most artificially-flavored rasberry products colored blue? > > You can take that as a retort or a question, as you please. > Hey, I’m easy. 🙂 I believe it was because the logical color for it would be some type of red, and that was already taken by cherry and strawberry. And strawberry already has to be pink instead of red. I guess it could also be a purplish color, but purple is taken by grape. I have actually now seen what I would consider raspberry colored, but it’s usually pomegranate. Oh, and Tang is way, way sweeter than orange juice, in the same way Orange soda is sweeter. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-punch-always-red/572450/53 "2011-02-28T18:54:26Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Who designs the colors for gatorade? Some really wierd colors-it looks like brake fluid or auto antifreeze. Do kids like shades of blue and florescein green? Yes, kids like abnormal bright colors. Dayglo blue and green are especially nice. Look at ice cream, for instance. As for raspberry = blue, that is kinda a marketing gimmick. See, before that there was no blue flavored drink. So there were several shades/types of red, plus orange and purple, and even green for lime. Yellow for lemonade, of course. But no blue. And kids always wonder, “why no blue?” So the marketers had a brilliant idea of assigning a flavor combination with the blue color, and picked raspberry. And the idea caught on. **caligulathegod** said: > [@](#): > > I just wish they would give clues to the flavor. What the hell flavor is Frost?? That’s the point. They’ve moved away from trying to be a simple flavor, either because they’re trying to be more hip, or because the flavors aren’t as appealing when stuck on a drink that still tastes minerally. So instead of saying “This is fruity drink with a mineral aftertaste,” say “This is a drink with a flavor called “Frost””. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-punch-always-red/572450/54 "2011-02-28T23:10:08Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Blue. Which is . . . [vanilla](http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&newwindow=1&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=AHs&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&q=blue+cream+soda&bav=on.1,or.&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=800&bih=434) [flavored](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cream_soda), of course! :eek: CMC fnord! That was a reference to that (now obscure) Jerry Lewis bit, right? I searched for a clip but my Google-fu isn’t strong enough. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-punch-always-red/572450/55 "2011-02-28T23:47:17Z")
I actually wrote a letter to Kraft Brands, makers of Crystal Light, to complain about how most of their flavors have too much dye in them. I love the taste of that stuff, but handling it is like handling toxic waste- if you spill any on your clothes, it ain’t comin’ off. I don’t need food coloring in my drink\*. I never got a response. \*[SUB]Right now, actually, I’m drinking pineapple juice. It’s kind of a light, pale yellow- not very appetizing. But I’m not lookin’ at it, I’m drinkin’ it.[/SUB] ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-punch-always-red/572450/56 "2011-03-01T00:48:15Z")
All the homemade fruit punches I ever drank where yellow, for the record. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-fruit-punch-always-red/572450.md?page=2)