Squirt Advertising from the LIFE magazine August 6th, 1956 issue. Vol. 41 No. 6
Oh how times have changed where we can innocently name a product "Squirt" with an adorable little character and not have immediate public backlash.
This grapefruit-flavored, caffeine-free drink product was created in 1938 by Herb Bishop (and the Dr. Pepper Snapple group) during the Great Depression as a solution to create a drink that required less fruit and sugar. In the 1950s it was a popular mixer in cocktails and still one of the best selling grapefruit soft drinks in the United States.
The power of a good illustration.
In 1941 Bishop and his business partner
Ed Mehren introduced a mascot named
"Lil Squirt" that was an immediate hit.
As it appeared in the magazine