TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Just like 3/14 was the day to get discounted or free pie in America, 7/11 is another day to celebrate because you can go to your local 7-Eleven and pick up a free Slurpee. No, it’s not a normal sized Slurpee that you’re used to getting. It’s a much smaller version. But it’s free – and you can’t beat that.

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In honor of their 96th birthday and Slurpee Day 2023, 7-Eleven will be giving away small cups of carbonated slushies today. This is the 21st consecutive year of the giveaway promotion and it’s become a summer favorite.

Slurpees in general are a summer favorite with more than 11.6 million Slurpees consumed around the world every day and 45 percent of them are sold during June, July and August.

And with more than 13,000 7-Eleven stores in the U.S. and Canada, it should be easy to find a close-by 7-Eleven to hop into for a cold cup of happiness, no matter what favorite flavor of icy joy you choose to partake in (I usually mix up a few flavors, my favorite being a Coca-Cola/cherry combo.)

Marissa Jarratt, 7-Eleven’s chief marketing & sustainability officer says in a news release, “To our awesome Slurpee drink fans: you asked, and we’re delivering by giving even more ways to redeem free Slurpee drinks and irresistible food deals to celebrate our 96th birthday. As a part of our summer-long ‘Anything Flows’ campaign, we invite everyone to celebrate the next generation of Slurpee with us. No matter what your flow is, we have a Slurpee flavor to match, so come enjoy yours this Slurpee Day.”

According to USA Today, new limited-edition Slurpee flavors include Sprite Lymonade Legacy, Summertime Citrus, Fanta Dragon Fruit Zero Sugar, and Hibiscus Lemonade.

For the fervent Slurpee fans, there is also a plethora of Slurpee swag they can check out on the 7-Eleven merchandise site with offerings of key chains, a Bomber Jacket, Slurpee beach towels, a beach bag and more.

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So where did the Slurpee come from anyway? And how did it endear its way into the hearts and mouths of Americans?

According to folklore (as well as 7-11 and the Kansas State Historical Society), Omar Knedlik bought a Dairy Queen franchise in Kansas after serving in World War II. The story is that in 1958, his soda fountain broke so he put bottles of Coke in the freezer and served them partly frozen. His customers were delighted with the new product which he advertised as the “coldest drink in town.”

Because the drink was so popular, Knedlik tried to retrofit an old ice cream machine to make a slushy drink, using parts from an automobile air conditioner. He took his homemade contraption to a company in Texas to refine it and five years later he had the perfect appliance that gave him the slush consistency he wanted. He patented it in 1960. He called the product an ICEE and the Texas company built 300 models of the machine. The positive response from customers was immediate and overwhelming.

In 1965, 7-11 licensed the ICEE machine technology from Knedlik and they named their product the “Slurpee” when it made its official debut in 1966. Slurpees only came in two flavors back then – Coca-Cola and cherry – but that was enough for customers to go wild over the cold new drink.

According to Kansas Public Radio, there are 32 ICEE flavors now with the most popular being cherry, blue raspberry, and cola.

For those of you who can’t make it to 7-Eleven today and want to try out some new flavors of your own, there are recipes for homemade shushies on the Internet including this one from “Seeded at the Table” that will bring joy and smiles to both the kids and adults in your home.