Tropical Fantasy
Encyclopedia
Tropical Fantasy is an inexpensive soft-drink, originally from Brooklyn, New York. Its low price of 49¢ per 21-ounce bottle led to its success in the 1990s. Tropical Fantasy was initially popular in inner city areas, especially those with dense African-American and Hispanic
populations. The company did not employ large marketing campaigns and used simple store displays and low prices to sell its drinks. This made the product almost invisible to consumers not living in areas where the beverages were sold.
Tropical Fantasy is bottled by a small family-owned soft-drink manufacturer called Brooklyn Bottling Group
, which has bottled seltzers since 1936. In 1990, with its debut of the Tropical Fantasy line, the soft-drinks became an overnight success. It now bottles over $2 million each month in sales.
In April 1991 rumors began circulating in neighborhoods that the beverage was laced with a secret ingredient that would sterilize men. The beverage quickly earned the nickname "Tropical Fanticide." The rumors claimed that the Ku Klux Klan
was actually bottling the product and using the low price to attract poor citizens. Later that year the rumor spread rapidly and provoked violence in many city neighborhoods. Attacks occurred on delivery trucks and storekeepers who stocked Tropical Fantasy.
Due to these rumors and rising suspicions, sales of the beverage plummeted by 70%.
By mid June 1991 the attacks had stopped and the sales had rebounded, but the dark rumors about Tropical Fantasy were not forgotten. Even today, the rumors are still circulating. Many young teenagers refer to the beverages as "Nutties", mainly due to the rumor that it kills sperm. This is not however limited to the Tropical Fantasy beverage. Other beverages such as "City Club", "Top Pop", and "C&C", are ridiculed in exactly the same way.
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
populations. The company did not employ large marketing campaigns and used simple store displays and low prices to sell its drinks. This made the product almost invisible to consumers not living in areas where the beverages were sold.
Tropical Fantasy is bottled by a small family-owned soft-drink manufacturer called Brooklyn Bottling Group
Brooklyn Bottling Group
The Brooklyn Bottling Group is one of the largest independently owned beverage and food company in the United States. Founded by Jack Miller in 1936, the company started out by selling seltzers and syrups door to door in Brooklyn neighborhoods. The second generation, Arnold Miller, acquired the...
, which has bottled seltzers since 1936. In 1990, with its debut of the Tropical Fantasy line, the soft-drinks became an overnight success. It now bottles over $2 million each month in sales.
In April 1991 rumors began circulating in neighborhoods that the beverage was laced with a secret ingredient that would sterilize men. The beverage quickly earned the nickname "Tropical Fanticide." The rumors claimed that the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
was actually bottling the product and using the low price to attract poor citizens. Later that year the rumor spread rapidly and provoked violence in many city neighborhoods. Attacks occurred on delivery trucks and storekeepers who stocked Tropical Fantasy.
Due to these rumors and rising suspicions, sales of the beverage plummeted by 70%.
By mid June 1991 the attacks had stopped and the sales had rebounded, but the dark rumors about Tropical Fantasy were not forgotten. Even today, the rumors are still circulating. Many young teenagers refer to the beverages as "Nutties", mainly due to the rumor that it kills sperm. This is not however limited to the Tropical Fantasy beverage. Other beverages such as "City Club", "Top Pop", and "C&C", are ridiculed in exactly the same way.
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