What Are Mondo Fruit Drinks?

The ‘90s were a wild time when it came to colorful, fruit-flavored beverages. The ones I drank the most were called Little Hugs, and they were little clear plastic barrels of various-colored liquid with a tinfoil cap. My grandmother would always have a supply of them at her house for the grandkids to drink. My favorites were orange and green, and my most detested was purple. I’m pretty sure these were basically just a mixture of corn syrup and food coloring, but I really loved those things.

Today, we’re talking about another beloved ‘90s fruity beverage, called Mondo. If you were alive at the time, maybe you remember squeezing a bottle or two of these down. But what is Mondo Drink, exactly?? Where did it go? Can you still buy Mondo anywhere? Let’s find out. 

What is Mondo drink?

Mondo Squeezers were a line of fruit-flavored drinks that came in a squeeze bottle. They were similar to Kool Aid Bursts and Betty Crocker’s Squeeze-Its. Mondo beverages were produced by the Jel Sert company, who is probably most famous for making Freeze Pops/ Flavor Ice/ Otter Pops

What happened to Mondo drinks?

The short answer is that with the United States’ obesity epidemic making headlines, consumers became more wary of what their children were eating and drinking. And while this particular product contained zero high fructose corn syrup, to call Mondo juice, or even a juice drink, is a slight exaggeration. 

Take a look at the ingredients list: “Water, Contains 2% Or Less Of The Following: Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Sucralose, Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate (Preservatives), Acesulfame Potassium, Red 40, Blue 1.” Outside of the dubious “natural flavor,” this isn’t quite fresh from the tree. It contains 0% juice. 

Nonetheless, Mondo stuck around for quite a while and was only discontinued recently, in 2021. Will it ever return? There are no plans on the horizon but it’s always possible that Jel Sert will try to wring out a little nostalgia with a limited run down the line. 

What flavor was blue Mondo? 

Ah, the ever elusive “blue” flavor. With most flavored beverages, candies, and the like, you know that yellow is going to be banana or lemon, orange is of course orange, and green is lime. But blueberry is not a very popular flavor, so blue is often something like blue raspberry or berry punch. So it is with Mondo: The blue flavor was Legendary Berry. Unfortunately, they don’t specify what makes the berries so legendary, but it might have something to do with how long they stain your tongue. 

What were the Mondo flavors?

According to Wikipedia, there were 11 different flavors of Mondo produced. Here they are, get ready for some faintly ‘90s copy: Chillin’ Cherry, Cherry Berry, Citrus Punch, Global Grape, Kiwi Strawberry Splash, Legendary Berry, Outstanding Orange, Pineapple Punch, Primo Punch, Sour Green Apple, Watermelon Wipeout. 

You’ve got to admire the alliteration and the casual use of apostrophes, but I do think “Watermelon Wipeout” sounds vaguely threatening. 


About the Author

Matt Crowley

Matt Crowley is a comedy writer living in Los Angeles. He likes maple-flavored snacks, loves every kind of cheese, and is slowly learning to accept mushrooms.

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