When I was really little – and I’m thinking that this was when my granddad was still alive, so I’m talking like 5 years old and younger – I remember that there was a very special treat that we only got at my grandparents’ house: Donald Duck Juice.
I’ve thought about this for years. I remember that Donald Duck Juice came in tiny glass bottles, but I couldn’t even remember what it was – orange juice? Grape soda? Did we have it with breakfast or lunch? Why was it only at my grandparents’ house? (Most likely answer: because my mom would’ve deemed it too expensive and a silly sales gimmick, meanwhile my grandmother loved nothing more than indulging her only three grandkids.)
But was there even such a thing as Donald Duck Juice? Did I imagine this? How come I’ve never seen it or heard of it since then? Was it just a silly name that my grandmother made up for our benefit?
Then yesterday, I was at the grocery store, looking for citrus juice because it’s another crazy pregnancy craving I’m having (pineapple, grapefruit, orange juice… I want them ALL). Lo and behold, I did a double take, and I almost burst into tears right there in the juice aisle.
Donald Duck Juice. It actually exists. Sure it’s in cans instead of bottles now, but that is the stuff.
I didn’t care that it was $3 for a 6-pack of tiny cans, I bought them anyway because dude, that is a piece of my childhood right there.
(Oh, and the missing 4 cans in that photo? Are currently IN MAH BELLEH. They were delicious.)
When I went to check out, the cashier was an older guy in his 40s, and he said, “Wow, they still make this stuff? I haven’t seen it since I was a kid!” I was all, “I KNOW!! Can you believe it???” I think I might have freaked him out with my Juice Enthusiasm.
I called everyone in my family afterward – my parents both remembered it, but my sister didn’t remember it at all and my brother only barely did. So weird, the way our memories work and the things that stick with us throughout the years.
Does anybody else remember Donald Duck Juice? Was it just a Southern thing? Or do y’all all think I’m completely insane now? (Entirely possible, I suppose.)
I do, I do! Only they didn’t carry it in Jackson and we only had it at *our* grandmother’s house up north!
LOVE.
Pulp-free OJ, before that was everywhere!
@Susan @Whymommy, Yay! I’m not crazy!
Maybe that’s why we never had it at home, because it wasn’t available in Jackson? My grandparents lived in Meridian, so I guess that might explain why we only had it there.
Can’t help you on this one. I’ve never heard of Donald Duck juice, but I will be looking for it next time I’m at the grocery store. I’ll keep you posted.
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@AmazingGreis, It’s made in Florida, apparently. I don’t know if it’s available in Texas or not, but happy hunting!
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We have Donald Duck juice here in Ohio.
@Mandi Bone, Really? I thought it was a Southern thing, but clearly not. How strange!
I don’t remember it either, but then, my parents only let us have powdered skim milk and orange juice from frozen concenrate made with twice the water. Because they were cheap *and* weird.
@Cat, Your parents probably should’ve been reported to DCFS for that. *gag*
I don’t remember it was a kid but we have Donald Duck Orange Juice in cartons here in Washington.
@Linda, Seriously?? How on earth did I never notice it in the 7 years I lived there?! Crazy!
@Cindy W, I think it’s new here. I’ve just noticed it in the last year or so. I’ve only seen at Top Foods.
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I remember it. It was something only my grandpa had though. No clue where he got it. I thought it was pineapple/orange juice but I was seriously little when I had it last.
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Oh, I totally remember that from when I was a kid, too (in South-Central PA). I remember it being in glass bottles, and the other thing I remember was that it was displayed in the produce section, not in the refrigerated cases with the other orange juice. And I was never allowed to get it, either. 🙂
I SO remember DD orange juice! It was what my grandparents always had at their house, and I stayed with them for a week every summer…I thought that stuff was the best thing ever.
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I TOTALLY remember it. But I also remember it always being in cans. It also came in frozen concentrate form.
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