Go-GURT, also known as Yoplait Tubes in Canada and as Frubes in the United Kingdom, is an American brand of low-fat yogurt for children. It is squeezed out of a tube directly into the mouth, instead of being eaten with a spoon. It was introduced by the General Mills-licensed brand Yoplait in 1998, as the first yogurt made specifically for children.
Background
Stephen Kaufman of Green Bay, WI, a food scientist, and Jim McGuire, a research and development technician, came up with the invention while working for General Mills in the late 1980s, after Kaufman was browsing through a women's magazine and seeing shampoo samples inserts. The original idea was based off frozen ice pops. Kaufman told the Minneapolis–Saint Paul magazine City Pages that the original conception was for the yogurt to be firm, so the tube would stand straight up — like an ice pop — but when that didn't work out, they shifted toward a creamy yogurt. The original idea faced internal opposition at General Mills. Kaufman used hotel shampoo pouches as an inspiration to create prototypes of Go-Gurt, which he made himself on a personal-care product pouching machine he rented, to convince General Mills engineers of the idea's worthiness. Go-Gurt became a side option in McDonald'sHappy Meals in 2014 in strawberry flavor. Anthropologist Susan Squires claims that her ethnographic research in U.S. American families led her client to the development of Go-GURT.
Sub-brands
In June 2006, frubes Fizzix, a carbonated yogurt snack, was released under the Yoplait brand. This "sparkling yogurt" was originally developed by Lynn Ogden, a professor in the College of Life Sciences at Brigham Young University, in 1983. Ogden obtained a patent in 1997 and finally found an interested licensor at General Mills in 2006. BYU receives 55% of the royalties, which will go toward BYU's mentoring program and research, while Ogden receives the rest. Fizzix was available in six flavors, but appears to have been discontinued. In 2005, frubes Smoothie, a drinkable yogurt for children was released. The product currently comes in four flavors: Strawberry Splash, Paradise Punch, Mango Blast, and Wild Berry.
Internationally
Outside of the U.S., Go-GURT is sold as "Yoplait Tubes" in Canada, as "Frubes" in the United Kingdom, and in Japan as "グルト". The name is a play on words, as it evokes the sound of gulping a liquid and incorporates part of the Japanese transliteration of yogurt, ヨーグルト. Go-Gurt is also available in Australia where they are known as "Yoplait Go-GURT" or simply "Go-GURT". There is also another brand available in Australia, known as "Yoplait Smackers," aimed at young girls.
Flavors
Generally, each box comes with two different flavors.
On August 1, 2017 Go-GURT launched a new campaign titled Kids Never Had It So Easy. The campaign features two "grumpy old fourth graders" bemoaning how easy kids - meaning third graders - have it today.
