Heinz made green, purple and blue ketchup — kids loved it, parents did not

In July 2000, Heinz launched EZ Squirt — a line of colored ketchup packaged in squeezable plastic bottles designed for children. The first variety was green ketchup (made with green food dye instead of red), followed by purple, pink, orange, teal, and blue. The product was a response to declining ketchup consumption among children, who were increasingly choosing other condiments. Heinz spent heavily on marketing, positioning EZ Squirt as a fun way to make food more exciting.

The initial launch was strong: green ketchup sold 10 million bottles in its first seven months. But novelty wore off quickly. Parents refused to buy $2 bottles of dyed ketchup when regular ketchup cost a fraction of the price. The colors also stained hands and clothes — green ketchup left green smears on fingers and fabric that red ketchup did not. By 2006, Heinz quietly discontinued the entire line. The product became a museum piece: a green bottle of EZ Squirt is on display at the Museum of Failure.

Heinz dyed ketchup green, purple, pink, orange, teal and blue, selling 10 million bottles in seven months, but parents balked at $2 and the novelty wore off by 2006.

Parents saw colored ketchup as a frivolous upcharge — $2 for dyed ketchup when regular ketchup was cheap and familiar

The novelty wore off after the first few bottles — children lost interest once the 'fun' colour became routine

Green and purple ketchup stained hands and clothes in ways red ketchup did not, making it less practical for parents

A gimmick is a first purchase, not a business model. If the selling point is novelty, the product expires when the novelty does.

EZ Squirt joined the Museum of Failure and became a cautionary tale about novelty-driven product strategy. Heinz returned its focus to core ketchup innovation, including upside-down bottles and reduced-sugar recipes. The lesson — that gimmicks sell once but do not sustain a brand — is widely taught in food-industry case studies. However, the product foreshadowed later trends: in 2023, Heinz launched a 'Hot Purple' ketchup in Canada as a limited edition, proving the idea of novelty ketchup never entirely died.