POG is a tropical style juice drink created in 1971 by a food product consultant named Mary Soon who worked for Haleakala Dairy on Maui

Maui

The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...

, Hawaii

Hawaii

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

 that consists of a blend of juices from passionfruit, orange

Orange (fruit)

An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....

, and guava

Guava

Guavas are plants in the myrtle family genus Psidium , which contains about 100 species of tropical shrubs and small trees. They are native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America...

 fruits (hence the P.O.G.). POG is currently produced by Meadow Gold Dairy, a subsidiary of Dean Foods

Dean Foods

Dean Foods is an American food and beverage company with two operating divisions: Fresh Dairy Direct and WhiteWave-Morningstar. The company maintains plants and distributors in the United States and the United Kingdom. Dean Foods products are sold throughout the USA.-History:In 1925, Samuel E...

.

POG comes in five sizes, the 1/2 Pint carton (8 fl oz.), the Pint bottle (16 fl oz.), the Quart carton (32 fl oz.), the 1/2 Gallon carton (64 fl oz.), and the Gallon jug (128 fl oz.). Historically, there were only three sizes, The 12 oz "Viva Pep" size, the 1/2 gallon carton size, as well as the gallon jug (typically found at wholesale stores). In addition, 6 oz carton sizes are served in many schools across the state of Hawaii and Ohio.

Milkcaps

The caps to milk bottles inspired the fad

FAD

In biochemistry, flavin adenine dinucleotide is a redox cofactor involved in several important reactions in metabolism. FAD can exist in two different redox states, which it converts between by accepting or donating electrons. The molecule consists of a riboflavin moiety bound to the phosphate...

 game

Game

A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...

 "Pogs

Pogs

Pogs is a game that was popularized during the early 1990s. The word "pog" also refers to the discs used to play the game. The name originates from POG, a brand of juice made from passionfruit, orange and guava; the use of the POG bottle caps to play the game pre-dated the game's commercialization...

" (or "Milkcaps"), which was popular during the early-to-mid-1990s. Contrary to popular belief, POG was never sold in glass bottles with cardboard caps. By the time POG was sold, glass bottles with caps were obsolete. The connection between POG juice and milkcaps can be credited to Charlie Nalepa. He was hired by Haleakala Dairy as a marketing and promotions manager. Because there was still a demand for the cardboard discs, he ordered milkcaps imprinted with the trademark POG to give away as a promotional item.

The 90's craze using these milk caps was initiated by Blossom Galbiso, a teacher in Hawaii in 1991. She started using the milkcaps in her classroom, and told her students about an old game she used to play, by flipping milkcaps to be the first one to get the cream off the bottom. Her students began flipping the milkcaps, and the resurgence of the game of pogs began.

Mascot

The original mascot created when the POG drink was first marketed was called the "Izard of POG" who looked like a medieval Gnome with stars and a magic wand. The "Izard of POG" was later dropped in favor of the current mascot called the Poglodyte. He is covered in yellow fur, stands about ten inches tall, and is known for his happy-go-lucky personality. Poglodyte dolls are considered to be good luck. The Poglodyte is native to Bellevue.