I was checking my Twitter feed earlier today and noticed a tweet about Girls Gone Wild and an energy drink. Without really processing what I had read, I clicked the link to find out who was the latest rapper to get on the energy drink bandwagon, who was teaming up with Girls Gone Wild in a last ditch effort to save their juice (with a name that may as well be "some pussy"), and have a good laugh. What I found was far more entertaining...
According to Gawker, "Sum Poosie is 'the Girls Gone Wild of energy drinks,' 'a vagina-themed cherry-flavored energy drink that will fight HIV while maintaining your erection.' It's a big hit in the lesbian community." Really? I feel pretty involved in the lesbian community, and have never heard of this concoction. Had I first come across it while out at a WeHo bar's lesbian night, I probably wouldn't have the initial reaction of finding it offensive.
That said, I will admit that the general concept behind it (but mostly all the jokes and 12-year-old boy type references that can be made about many aspects of the product itself as well as the process of enjoying the product) is amusingly good.
It all started when this guy from Ohio, Drayton Nas, turned down a job offer from Red Bull in 1996. He figured he could whip up "a better drink that looked better, tasted better, and mixed better with liquor." The resulting drink is hot pink and vagina themed, although I'm still trying to get to the bottom of just what 'vagina-themed' is. The bottles are covered with almost-naked "bottle models." Thus, you get to hold their breasts in your condensation-wetted hands (aka, sweaty palms). Sum Poosie has been distributed nationally since then, although its been slightly under the radar.
Amanda Hess, a blogger in D.C., Sum Poosie is "the Mary Kay of vagina-themed energy drinks." (How many vagina-themed energy drinks are there?) The D.C. distributor, Levar Turner, drives a hot pink Poosie-mobile and passes out drinks to customers. Now known as "the Poosie man," he talked to Hess about the snatch-themed brand:
"Basically, it's an energy drink, but it's like the Girls Gone Wild of energy drinks," Turner notes. "There are a million and one energy drinks. We needed to stand out. What better way than with Sum Poosie?"
Good point, I think. And thus, the brand has turned out to be too commanding to restrict itself to the Red Bull and energy drink market. On top of the drink, and the Poosie-mobiles, the logo is all over lollipops, Jello wrestling parties, the pink bikini-clad "Bottle Models," and Turner's rap career.
The drink "tastes a lot like Cherry 7-Up," and supposedly has a subliminal message. Turner explains that "Sum Poosie" is an acronym for "Subliminal Urgent Message: Positive Outlook On Sex Ignorance and Education."
Being a recovering Red Bull addict, I figure brand loyalty has kept me from noticing Sum Poosie sooner - especially since most of the brand's customers are supposedly women. When asked about what his customer base looks like, Turner says "Its mostly a female clientele. I'm loved by a lot of the lesbians. I get a lot of love from them."
I can't decide whether or not I am really surprised. For some strange reason, I am having visions of a whole new party event being added to The Dinah next year...
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