page_title: Slurpee
section_title: Promotions
hierarchical_section_title: Slurpee / Promotions
caption_attribution_description: English: "Save A Living Thing" - Endangered Species Cup p.r. report cover.
context_page_description: Slurpee is the 7-Eleven-exclusive brand name for a frozen carbonated drink.
context_section_description: In 1965–66, Icee transitioned to Slurpee in 7-Eleven stores and sales. By the spring of 1967, Slurpee machines were in all 7-Eleven stores.
  In 1967, Top 40 AM radio stations were losing market share to FM stations.  DJs were desperate to gain audience attention. Slurpee was a kid / teen / young adult product, the main AM radio audience. The Stanford Agency created a "media blitz" to launch Slurpee and flew agency staff to all Top 40 markets with 7-Eleven stores to introduce Slurpee and the comedy commercials with funny voices and sound effects that told stories about the Strange Things That Happened To People Who Slurp. The agency backed the Slurpee launch with a very large media budget. DJs used "drops" or snippets from the "crazy" commercials in their programs to gain audience share. The campaign became an AM radio sensation.
  The Stanford Agency followed the Strange Things launch with a campaign that threw away product names like lemon-lime, cola or what have you, and instead created 26-weeks of :60 second commercials about Slurpees with Funny Names like Sticky Icky, Redeye, Moon Shine, Pink Fink, Adults Only, Kissin Cousin, and Gully Washer. These commercials were even more popular. Each flavor had a pin associated with it. There were pins made for the flavors There was also a generic pin that simply stated "I have Slurped".
  In 1968, the Official Slurp Hat was offered.
  In 1970, 7-Eleven released a 45 RPM 7" single record entitled "Dance the Slurp" that was given away with Slurpee purchases. The dance side was written by Tom Merriman, one of the fathers of radio jungle production. The B-side was a comedy bit detailing "strange things" that happen to people who "slurp" at 7-Eleven. The record is considered highly collectible today. In 1999, "Dance the Slurp" was sampled by DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist for their Brainfreeze mix album.
  Slurpee became the top selling 7-Eleven product and kids / teens / young adults came in regularly for the latest "flavor" with less and less promotional expense. After Funny Names, the next innovation was Slurpee Cups.
  In 1972, Baseball Slurpee Cups, plastic cups with illustrations of favorite players including Johnny Bench, Pete Rose and others.
  In 1973, Baseball Slurpee Cups, with illustrations of current stars and early players like Honus Wagner.
  In 1973, the DC Comics Super Hero Cups, a 60 cup series.
  1973 Endangered Species Cups – Congress passed the Endangered Species Act (ESA) on December 14, 1973.  This triggered 7-Eleven making an advanced of $250,000 representing 1-cent from the sale of more than 2-million Endangered Species Cups to the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) who purchased Bald Eagle habitat. The transfer of land to the U.S. Government and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took place on December 19, 1974 and came to be known as the Carl E. Mundt National Wildlife Refuge.
  1975, the Marvel Series, a 60 cup series.
  1977, the Marvel "Panoramic" Super Hero series.
  In 1994, 7-Eleven sought to remake Slurpee's "brain freeze" campaign targeted to the adolescent MTV audience. The creative directors assigned the task of creating four new commercials to the Brothers Quay, and Boston-based Olive Jar Animation. Known for their bizarre aesthetic and influence in the stop-motion animations industry, the Quays based their "brain freeze" ad on a late 19th-century photograph of a female contortionist.  In the commercial, a curtain reveals the contortionist balancing on two chairs, bending over backward to sip a Slurpee. She falls victim to "brain freeze" and turns into an ice cube.
  Starting in 1995, free Slurpee coupons have been made available through "Operation Chill" for US police officers to distribute to children.
  In 1998, 7-Eleven launched Slurpee lip balm to the market. Other "Slurpee-flavored" products have included Slurpee gum, which had a liquid candy center.
  In 2002, The World Wrestling Federation launched promotional cups featuring the likes of The Rock, Rob Van Dam, Lita with The Hardy Boyz, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Undertaker and Trish Stratus. The designs were on 40
caption: "Save A Living Thing" Endangered Species Slurpee cup promotion. Internal report image.
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