The brothers, who have slowly drifted apart since the younger Potorac began attending university, almost instantly regressed to a childlike state when Ryan casually brought up the flavoured juice crystals during a tense family dinner in which Charles announced he had decided to drop out of his welding diploma program to focus on his music career full-time.
“This tastes like purple Kool-Aid,” the junior Potorac said after taking a drink of the wine his mother had served with their dinner of fish sticks and steamed peas. “Remember Purplesaurus Rex?”
“It’s pre-hysterically purple!” Charles screamed at his brother, who burst into laughter at the reference to the over 20-year-old commercial for sugary-drink mix.
After yelling “purple” at one another for approximately three minutes the siblings began to recant other treasured childhood corporate trademarks.
“It’s fin-tastic!” Ryan yelled through a mouthful of pre-cooked, breaded fish. “It’s so hip, you’re gonna flip!”
“Which one was that?” Charles asked while his mother stopped crying long enough to pour herself another glass of Oak Leaf. “Was that Raspberry Shark?”
His younger brother informed him the character’s name had been Sharkleberry Fin, an anthropomorphic shark wearing large, novelty sunglasses who had served as the spokesperson for Kool-Aid’s “pink” flavoured drink in the early 1990s.
After exhausting the list of Kool-Aid icons with obscure names such as the punch-flavoured octopus magician the Great Bluedini and the saxophone playing reptile Rock-a-Dile Red, Ryan attempted to keep the high-energy atmosphere going by describing long-time General Mills cereal character Boo Berry.
“No, that wasn’t Kool-Aid,” Charles said, leaving the table to return to his room.
When reached for comment, the chief-executive of Kraft Foods Kool-Aid subdivision Micheal Rodriguez said he wasn’t surprised by the brothers’ affinity for the Kool-Aid brand.
“There’s no question that Kool-Aid marketing has staying power,” said the giant, red, jug-shaped Rodriguez.
“Oh yeah!” Rodriguez added, bursting through a solid brick wall.