Yoo Hoo (soft drink and slang phrase)

“Yoo Hoo” is a popular chocolate soft drink. The New York Yankees helped to advertise the drink in the 1950s, and Yankee star Yogi Berra has long promoted the product.
 
The phrase “yoo hoo” probably comes from the earlier “yo-ho.” “Yoo hoo” was popularized by New York Tribune (later Herald Tribune) cartoonist Clare Briggs (1875-1930) in 1913.
 
   
(Oxford English Dictionary)
yoo-hoo, int. (n.)
[Cf. YOHO int.] 
A call made to attract attention, esp. to one’s arrival or presence; also as n.

1924 Dialect Notes V. 280 Yoo-hoo (call). 1926 New Yorker 2 Jan. 18/3 Yoo-hoo! When did your school let out? 1937 M. ALLINGHAM Case of Late Pig vii. 49 He opened the breakfast-room door. ‘Yoo-hoo!’ said someone inside. 1946 A. MARSHALL in Murdoch & Drake-Brockman Austral. Short Stories (1951) 316 There was a faint ‘yoo-hoo!’ from behind us. We all turned
 
 
http://www.drinkyoo-hoo.com/about/history.html
We’re gonna be spiffing up our Yoo-hoo History section really soon with some rarely seen memorabila and insider info, but for now, here’s a straightforward look at just who’s behind the ‘Hoo.

Ever since the 1920’s, Yoo-hoo has been making a permanent mark in the history of soft drinks.

The story begins in the beginning of the 20th century, when the Olivieri family of New Jersey ran a small business producing Tru-Fruit flavors by squeezing fresh fruit. Mr. Natale Olivieri believed that a chocolate flavor, which could be marketed without fear of spoilage, would be a very successful addition to his Tru-Fruit business.

In keeping with his policy of natural ingredients, Mr. Olivieri did not want to introduce a chocolate drink unless he could eliminate spoilage problems without the addition of any chemicals or preservatives.

One day Mr. Olivieri was assisting his wife in the kitchen while she was preparing to preserve her homemade tomato sauce. The idea struck him that heat might be a method of preserving chocolate as well. That day he prepared six bottles of chocolate drink and had his wife put them through the same process that she used on her tomato sauce. After a period of time, three out of the six spoiled. After further experimentation, Mr. Olivieri realized that while time and temperature were the two main factors in this new process, agitation was also necessary in order to achieve uniform heating of his product. This led him to the purchase of a rotating pressure retort with which he processed his first commercial batch of chocolate.

The name Yoo-hoo was already being used for the fruit drinks and was applied to the new chocolate drink. As far as we know, the term Yoo-hoo may have been derived from some of the popular expressions of the day, which led to the naming of some other beverage products, such as Whooppee, Vigor, and Moxie. The drink soon became so successful that a major bottler/distributor began distributing Yoo-hoo. Yoo-hoo sales increased and distribution became more widespread.
 
The following years saw continued success for Yoo-hoo, especially through the efforts of Yogi Berra and his Yankee teammates who supported what was probably the most successful Yoo-hoo advertising campaign in the company’s history. The slogans of “Me-hee for Yoo-hoo” and “The Drink of Champions” were certainly applicable through the representation of the product by the members of the World Champion Yankee teams of the 50’s and 60’s.

In the late 50’s, B.B.C. Industries, who were distributors for Yoo-hoo in the Bronx and owned the New York Nedicks at the time, became interested in acquiring the Yoo-hoo Beverage Company. Under B.B.C. Industries, Yoo-hoo continued to grow and expand and eventually invoked the interest of Iroquois Brands, Ltd., a corporation with interests in brewing, drug and chemical production, and specialty food processing. In May of 1976, Iroquois completed their acquisition of Yoo-hoo Chocolate Beverage Corp. and held it until July 1981.
 
In 1981, a group of private investors acquired Yoo-hoo from Iroquois Brands. And then in 2002 Yoo-hoo was acquired by its current owners, Cadbury Schweppes. The new management expanded distribution while it introduced new products and flavors. Yoo-hoo enjoyed renewed interest and growth as it geared up to become the popular drink that you know and love today. Yoo-hoo remains close to its New York area roots, with Corporate Headquarters and a plant in Carlstadt, NJ. Two additional company-owned plants are located in Hialeah, FL and Opelousas, LA.
   
   
http://www.riseman.com/auction.php?min=101
138. OH SKIN-NAY C’mon Over! (Yoo-hoo, Yoo-hoo!)/ RuthOwenBriggs&AubreyStauffer/ Remick/ 1913/ CLARE BRIGGS CARTOON KIDS & DOG/ E-(2j
 
   
25 May 1913, Chicago Daily Tribune, “The Days of Real Sport” comic by Clare Briggs,  pg. C1:
OH SKIN-NAY! YOO HOO! C’MON OVER! WRIGGLERS!
 
 
15 June 1913, Chicago Daily Tribune, pg. 3:
YOO HOO! COME ON IN SWIMMIN
Bathing Pools in Eleven South Parks
to Be Opened This Afternoon

 
(Trademark)
Word Mark YOO-HOO
Goods and Services IC 032. US 045. G & S: NONALCOHOLIC MALTLESS BEVERAGE SOLD AS A SOFT DRINK. FIRST USE: 19220703. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19220703
Mark Drawing Code (5) WORDS, LETTERS, AND/OR NUMBERS IN STYLIZED FORM
Design Search Code
Serial Number 71539343
Filing Date October 28, 1947
Current Filing Basis 1A
Original Filing Basis 1A
Registration Number 0507891
Registration Date March 22, 1949
Owner (REGISTRANT) OLIVIERI, NATOLE DBA YOO-HOO CHOCOLATE BEVERAGE CO. INDIVIDUAL UNITED STATES NO. 113 FARNHAM AVENUE GARFIELD NEW JERSEY
(LAST LISTED OWNER) YOO-HOO CHOCOLATE BEVERAGE CORP. CORPORATION BY MERGER WITH NEW JERSEY 600 COMMERCIAL AVENUE CARLSTADT NEW JERSEY 07072
Assignment Recorded ASSIGNMENT RECORDED
Attorney of Record Daniel Chung, Esq.
Prior Registrations 0168971
Type of Mark TRADEMARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Affidavit Text SECT 15.
Renewal 2ND RENEWAL 19890322
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE