Martin Mandelblatt created Punchy, the obnoxious kid with the crazy red hat and blue and white striped shirt in 1961. Punchy was the company mascot for Hawaiian Punch. Punchy’s sidekick, Opie was another character in the advertisements for Hawaiian Punch.
Everyone felt sorry for Opie as Punchy whacked him on the side of the head and asked the famous question, “How about a nice Hawaiian Punch?”
Punchy gained in popularity and so did the product the character represented. Collectors of advertising search for Punchy in all variations from the past 62 years including the Hawaiian Punch magazine ads.
According to Joleen Robinson and Kay Sellers, authors of “Advertising Dolls” © 1980, the first promotional Punchy doll is 13 –inches tall. The cloth doll was made in either the 1960s or early 1970s. The authors were not sure which. The stuffed Punchy doll is what we call a “pillow doll.”
Another collectible of the 1970s is the Hawaiian Punch Game. Mattel Inc. a Hawthorn, California retailed the game in 1978. There ae four “Punchy” characters with the game. They ae made of hard plastic in four colors, blue, pink, orange and yellow. Each character is only one color and stands 2.75 inches tall. The features are molded with identifying marks molded on the back of the head; “1978 RJR FOODS”. R.J. Reynolds was the owner of Hawaiian Punch at the time.
One Punchy collectible from the 1980s is the colorful figural radio. The radio is the white mascot with the red hat and blue and white striped shirt. ‘PUNCHY’ is printed on one foot. The Punchy telephone is another collectible from the 1980s. Punchy on a platform is 11-inches tall. It is made of red, white and blue plastic. It is well marked with the Hawaiian Punch name on it.
Later, after the Del Monte Corporation acquired Hawaiian Punch, they began marketing the punch in 8.5 inch red plastic bottles. A paper label on the product advertised the “New Squeezable Punchy/ Hawaiian Punch.”
During the 1990s more Punchy collectibles were available A plush doll, 11 inches tall and wearing a removable blue and white striped shirt with “PUNCHY’ printed on the front, and a funny red hat. Other small items to look for are: Punchy key chains, Punchy wrist watches, Punchy postcards, and Punchy bobble heads.
Searching in the Internet I found the complete Hawaiian Punch game with the four Punchy game pieces priced from $99 to over $200. The four Punchy game pieces alone were priced at S10 each.
