View source for The Icee Company

{{Short description|American beverage company}}
{{Hatnote group|
{{Redirect-distinguish|Icee|Ice}}
{{Other uses|ICEE (disambiguation)}}
}}
{{Infobox company
| name = The Icee Company
| logo = File:The Icee Company (logo).svg
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| industry = [[Beverage]]
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| predecessor = <!-- or: | predecessors = -->
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| founded = 1958<!-- if known: {{Start date and age|YYYY|MM|DD}} in [[city]], [[state]], [[country]] -->
| founder = [[Omar Knedlik]]
| defunct = <!-- {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
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| hq_location_city =      [[La Vergne, Tennessee]]
| hq_location_country = [[United States]]
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| key_people = Dan Fachner (CEO)
| products = [[Soda (soft drink)|Frozen soda]], [[Italian ice]]
| brands = Icee, [[Slush Puppie]]
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| num_employees = >1000<ref name="about"/>
| num_employees_year = 2020
| parent = [[J & J Snack Foods]]
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| website = {{URL|icee.com}}
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'''The Icee Company''' (also known as '''Western Icee''' and '''Icee USA''') is an American beverage company located in [[La Vergne, Tennessee]], [[United States]].<ref name="about">{{Cite web|url=https://www.icee.com/about-us/|title=About Us 2 – ICEE|access-date=2020-04-08|archive-date=2020-04-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200408020232/https://www.icee.com/about-us/|url-status=live}}</ref> Its flagship product is the Icee (stylized as '''ICEE'''), which is a [[frozen carbonated beverage]] available in fruit and [[soda (soft drink)|soda]] flavors. Icee also produces other frozen [[beverages]] and [[Italian ice]] pops under the Icee and [[Slush Puppie]] brands. ICEE Bear, an animated [[polar bear]], is the company's mascot. 

The Icee Company was founded by Omar Knedlik, the inventor of the original Icee drink. It became the foundation for the [[Slurpee]] and other frozen machine drinks after several machines made by the company were purchased by [[7-Eleven]] in 1965. It has been a division of [[J & J Snack Foods]] since 1988 and distributes products in the United States, [[Canada]], [[Mexico]], [[Guatemala]], [[Australia]], the United Kingdom, [[China]], and the Middle East.<ref name="SmithsonianBrainFreeze"/>

== History ==
[[Image:ICEE delivery truck Ypsilanti Township Michigan.JPG|thumb|right|Icee delivery truck at a [[Walmart]] in [[Ypsilanti Township, Michigan]]]]
The Icee was invented in 1958 by [[Omar Knedlik]], a [[Dairy Queen]] owner in [[Coffeyville, Kansas]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19911016&id=JN8cAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GGQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4170,69739 |last=Precker |first=Michael |title=Happy birthday to Slurpee, Icee |work=The Pittsburgh Press |date=October 16, 1991 |accessdate=February 28, 2012 |archive-date=April 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416192639/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19911016&id=JN8cAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GGQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4170,69739 |url-status=live }}</ref> The beverage was the result of faulty equipment in the Dairy Queen owned by Knedlik.<ref name="ThrillistAccident">{{cite news|last1=Fulton|first1=Wil|title=Slushies Are The World's Greatest Accident|url=https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/who-invented-slushies-history|accessdate=1 December 2016|publisher=Thrillist|date=14 November 2016|archive-date=2 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202101811/https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/who-invented-slushies-history|url-status=live}}</ref> His soda machine broke and he began placing bottles of soda in the freezer to keep them cold. Knedlik began selling bottles of the soda which would instantly turn to slush once opened.<ref name="SmithsonianBrainFreeze">{{cite news|last1=Wei-Haas|first1=Maya|title=The Brain-Freezing Science of the Slurpee|url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/brain-freezing-science-slurpee-180959750/|accessdate=1 December 2016|publisher=Smithsonian|date=11 July 2016|archive-date=2 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202170432/http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/brain-freezing-science-slurpee-180959750/|url-status=live}}</ref> The frozen soda became popular with the customers of the establishment.<ref name="ThrillistAccident"/>  

The name Icee as well as the original company logo were developed by Ruth E. Taylor, a local artist and friend of Knedlik.<ref name="ThrillistAccident"/> She developed the name "Icee", as well as the idea of the logo's icicles hanging from the block letters, which has remained unchanged. She thought of the Polar Bear, but the actual bear mascot had already been created by the Norsworthy-Mercer ad agency. The "Icee" word with the snow on it was designed by a Mitchell Company staff artist, Lonnie Williams, as part of a cup he designed. 

Knedlik partnered with the John E Mitchell Company in Dallas to develop the machine, for which Knedlik received a patent in 1960.<ref name="SmithsonianBrainFreeze"/> The first machine was made from a car air conditioning unit. It worked by combining freezing water, carbon dioxide, and a flavor mix.<ref name="CNNSlurpee">{{cite news|last1=Lammle|first1=Rob|title=The cool history of the Slurpee|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/11/16/mf.cool.history.slurpee/|accessdate=1 December 2016|publisher=CNN|date=16 November 2016|archive-date=2 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202101310/http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/11/16/mf.cool.history.slurpee/|url-status=live}}</ref> After five years, Knedlik's idea had become the iconic Icee Machine after drawing the attention of [[7-Eleven]]. The convenience store chain purchased several machines and later changed the product name to [[Slurpee]] based on the slurping sound people make when drinking the beverage.<ref name="SmithsonianBrainFreeze"/> 

The Mitchell Company instituted a two-tiered franchise plan involving "Developers" and "Subdevelopers". Essentially, the Developers and Subdevelopers both paid fees and rentals for the right to use specified numbers of Icee dispensers and for rights within exclusive territories to distribute the machines and to promote the sale of the Icee drink. By the mid-1960s, 300 Icee machines had been manufactured.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.icee.com/story.asp|title=The Icee Story|publisher=Icee|accessdate=August 26, 2011|archive-date=August 29, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110829113924/http://www.icee.com/story.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref>

J & J Snack Foods purchased The Icee Company in 1987. In December 2019, the company moved their headquarters from [[Ontario, California]] to [[La Vergne, Tennessee]].<ref name="about"/>

==Products and licensing==
===Drinks===
The Icee Company has over 75,000 Icee machines across America serving over 300 million Icee servings per year. Some American [[McDonald's]] and [[Subway (restaurant)|Subway]] restaurants inside [[Walmart]] stores sell Icees. [[Burger King]] restaurants and [[Sam’s Club]] cafe locations in the US sell Icees and Icee Floats. In [[Mexico]], Icee is widely available at department stores such as Walmart and inside movie theaters and convenience stores. Icee is also the primary frozen beverage sold in [[Wawa (company)|Wawa]] and [[Quick Chek]], two convenience store chains in the [[Mid-Atlantic (United States)|Mid-Atlantic region]] of the US. Icee is available at [[Valero Energy Corporation|Valero]] gas stations co-branded with their Corner Store marts (except for independently owned stores) as well as at most [[Rainforest Café]] locations.

In 2019, Icee expanded into the United Kingdom for the first time, by partnering with [[Vimto]], a UK-based international soft drinks manufacturer. A Europe-wide contract to supply the [[Cineworld]] cinema chain quickly followed. In late 2019 / early 2020 another European-wide contract to supply [[Showcase Cinemas]] further expanded the brand across Europe.

===Toys===
In January 2020, [[Moose Toys]] partnered up with Icee’s [[Slush Puppie]] brand to make 3 Special Edition Slush Puppie-themed [[Shopkins]] and Mini Packs for Season 13 (Real Littles Season 2) of the Shopkins franchise. The same 4 Shopkins were re-released for Season 14 (or Real Littles Season 3).

In 2021, it was revealed that Moose Toys again partnered up with Icee to make Shopkins and Mini Packs based on the main Icee line of drinks, which will be released in October 2021.<ref>{{cite web |title=Shopkins Real Littles Season 15 Micro Mart Shopper 8-Pack [8 Shopkins & 8 Mini Packs, RANDOM Figures!] (Pre-Order ships October) |url=https://toywiz.com/shopkins-real-littles-season-15-micro-mart-shopper-8-pack-8-shopkins-8-mini-packs-random-figures/ |website=ToyWiz |access-date=20 July 2021 |archive-date=19 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210719154946/https://toywiz.com/shopkins-real-littles-season-15-micro-mart-shopper-8-pack-8-shopkins-8-mini-packs-random-figures/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of frozen dessert brands]]

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*{{Official website|http://www.ICEE.com}}

{{Ice-based snacks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Icee Company, The}}
[[Category:Drink companies based in California]]
[[Category:Brand name frozen desserts]]
[[Category:Companies based in San Bernardino County, California]]
[[Category:Food and drink companies established in 1958]]
[[Category:J & J Snack Foods Corporation brands]]
[[Category:1958 establishments in Kansas]]