What Made Slurpee Straws So Innovative

Since their accidental creation in the 1950s, Slurpees have been giving us a reason to go to 7/11. These frozen fizzy drinks have come in more flavors than we can count, from Coca Cola to cherry to pina colada. We've even been blessed — or cursed, depending on your perspective — with Slurpee flavors like "frawg," banana cream pie, and "Shrekalicious" (via Now That's Nifty).

While it may seem awesome enough that Slurpees revolutionized the world of carbonated frozen drinks, the story gets much more interesting. Yes, we're talking about the creation of the magnificent and totally necessary spoon straw. Today, these straws don't get a second thought from most of us, but in 1968, they were a groundbreaking invention.

Sit back with your favorite Slurpee and get comfy: we're about to take you on a tour of the Slurpee straw's important history. (Did we mention how much the world needed these spoon straws?) 

You know how when you get toward the end of your Slurpee, there's those icy little chunks floating around? They're next to impossible to suck up, especially with a normal straw. According to Mental Floss, this is where the spoon straw entered the picture in 1968.

To help 7/11 customers get the last bits of their drinks, inventor Arthur Aykanian took the classic straw and added a little spoon to the end. The world breathed a sigh of relief. We now see these straws at many more locations today, but we have 7/11 to thank.

But Slurpee and co. didn't stop there. In 2003, Slurpees could be purchased with an edible candy straw — as if your drink didn't already contain enough sugar. These straws came in sour strawberry and blue raspberry flavors, and resembled licorice in consistency until placed in a Slurpee (via The Auto Channel). The candy then hardened into a usable straw. We may never see the Slurpee candy straws again, but that's probably for the best.