Marketplace Logo Donate

Daily business news and economic stories from Marketplace

Let’s do the numbers: St. Patrick’s Day edition

A water taxi navigates the Chicago River shortly after it was dyed green in celebration of St. Patrick's Day on March 11, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Subscribe to our Newsletters

St. Patrick’s Day lands on a Saturday this year, so go on that pub crawl since, generally speaking, you’ll have all of Sunday for recovery, right?

Maybe with some Pedialyte?

Initially marketed to parents of young children, the folks behind Pedialyte have altered their approach in recent years, shifting toward an entirely new demographic: hungover adults.

You can find the company’s hashtag #TeamPedialyte across multiple social media platforms, along with a series of care packages for their biggest fans — the most recent being a St. Patrick’s Day themed box named the “Petey O’Lytie.” Among the free swag is, of course, a box of ready-to-use Pedialyte for all their hangover woes after a wild night on the town.

But believe it or not, St. Patrick’s Day didn’t start out as a holiday chock full of merry drinking at the local pub. The holiday is actually dedicated to St. Patrick of Roman Britain, who was brought to Ireland as a slave and is credited with introducing Christianity to the region. The holiday became official in 1903 and around the same time, the country passed a law that closed bars on March 17 because the Catholic country felt a night of drinking and debauchery was “too sinful.” From 1903 until 1961, when the law was repealed, bars in Ireland were closed to the public.

Drunken nights or not, in honor of St. Patrick and his order, let’s do the numbers.

 

What's Next

Latest Episodes From Our Shows

Listen
2:59 AM PDT
11:54
Listen
5:15 PM PDT
20:41
Listen
2:58 AM PDT
1:50
Listen
4:14 PM PDT
29:02
Listen
Jun 5, 2023
8:44
Listen
Jun 1, 2023
28:34
Listen
May 30, 2023
19:06
Exit mobile version