Danimals

Danimals
Company typePrivate
IndustryDairy products
Founded1994; 31 years ago (1994)
ProductsYogurt
ParentDannon
Websitedanimals.com

Danimals is an American brand of low-fat drinkable yogurt.[1] Launched by Dannon in 1994, its packaging is decorated with pictures of wild animals and is popular among children and in school lunches.[2]

History

Danimals parent company Dannon popularized yogurt in the United States in the 1950s and has remained the nation's leading producer of yogurt.[2] Danimals was released in 1994 and initially donated a small part of their proceeds to the National Wildlife Federation.[3] Intended to be marketed to children, Dannon's marketing team told a New York Times reporter that "Yogurt hasn't been very kid-friendly in the past because the taste was too sour. This is a way of creating a new generation of yogurt eaters."[2]

Danimals was promoted by Dylan and Cole Sprouse, the stars of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. They starred in various commercials and in 2009 were part of a sweepstake with a grand prize of $10,000 and a trip to Hollywood to meet the Sprouses.[4][5] They were also promoted by Ross Lynch and Bella Thorne, at the time stars of Disney Channel's Austin & Ally and Shake It Up. They starred in multiple commercials from 2013 to 2014 and promoted a sweepstake for a trip to Walt Disney World.[6]

Variations

One variation of the product is Danimals Yo-Tubes, which lets kids squeeze yogurt out of a tube.[7] The same design concept is used in Danimals Squeezables.[3] The Danimals Crush Cup was a similar product that allowed consumers to squeeze yogurt out of a specially-designed cup without the need for a spoon.[4]

In 2020, Danimals launched Super Danimals, a probiotic version of their product advertised as supporting the immune system.[8]

Ingredients and nutrition

Danimals used to have 14 grams of sugar per serving, but in 2013 Dannon cut the sugar in the product to 9 grams per 50-calorie serving,[9] accounting for 72 percent of the total calories.[10] Their fruit flavors do not contain any real fruit.[9] As of 2019, their products are Non-GMO Project verified.[11]

References

  1. ^ Hoffman, Ken (2002-07-26). "Danimals skimps on drinkable yogurt". Florida Today. Cocoa, Florida. p. 99. Retrieved 2022-10-30 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c Grant, Tina; Derdak, Thomas, eds. (1996). International Directory of Company Histories. Vol. 14. St. James Press. ISBN 1558623426.
  3. ^ a b Shaw, Gabbi (2020-07-15). "15 snacks found in every '90s lunchbox". Insider. Retrieved 2022-10-30.
  4. ^ a b Gervasi, Angela (2020-07-17). "The Untold Truth Of Danimals". Mashed. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  5. ^ Nichols, Katherine (2009-07-02). "'Man v. Food' host tackles Mac 24-7". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. p. 26. Retrieved 2023-08-27 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Stelmach, Sandra (2014-04-11). "Bella Thorne And Ross Lynch's New Danimals Power Up Your Adventure Sweeps Commercial!". TeenInfoNet. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  7. ^ Klara, Robert (2017-10-31). "How Dannon Made Yogurt Mainstream in America After Starting as a Staple for Immigrants". Adweek. Archived from the original on 2018-03-07. Retrieved 2022-10-30.
  8. ^ Jones, Ashley (2020-06-17). "The New Danimals Yogurt Is Full Of Probiotics, & It's The Perfect Kid Snack". Romper. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  9. ^ a b Strom, Stephanie (2013-05-10). "The Trek to a Yogurt Less Sweet". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-10-30.
  10. ^ Haspel, Tamar (2022-02-24). "Food label translator: What 'less processed' and 'multigrain' actually mean". Washington Post.
  11. ^ Watson, Elaine (2017-07-26). "How far do consumers want Non-GMO claims to go in the dairy case? Right back to the farm, says Dannon". FoodNavigator-USA. William Reed. Retrieved 2022-10-30.