If you’ve been on social media or in a Starbucks in the last few months you’ve probably seen something “unicorn-flavored.” In fact, the hashtag “unicornfrappuccino” has more than 159,000 posts attached to it on Instagram. With the internet’s infatuation with “unicorn food,” I decided to do some research and figure out where the trend came from.
How The Trend Started
Adeline Waugh, who is known on Instagram as vibrantandpure and is one of the founders of “unicorn food,” told The New York Times that she came up with the colorful creation while trying out natural food dye. Waugh told the Times that she used ingredients such as beetroot to create the bright and intricate colors.
“I posted it, and all my followers started saying it looked like a unicorn, so I said you’re right, and I started calling it that too,” she told the Times. “Then all of a sudden all these people were making it and tagging it, and now the unicorn thing has gotten just insane.”
How The Trend Has Changed
The main difference between Waugh’s creations and the unicorn frappuccino that Starbucks makes is that Adeline’s unicorn food is primarily made out of wholesome ingredients.
Waugh told The Times that she was able to make the unicorn colors by using all natural ingredients such as freeze dried berries and chlorophyll. Waugh would then use a base of cream cheese and mix the varying colors together to create one seamless piece.
Starbucks’ unicorn frappuccino, on the other hand, has over 400 calories in one serving as well as 59 grams of sugar. While the color may be similar, the entire concept was essentially warped to include a lot more sugar, calories and carbs, as well as artificial coloring and flavors.
While the concept has become something entirely different from what Waugh intended it to be about, she told The Times she wasn’t too upset over the whole misconception.
“I mean, it’s not like I created unicorns, so I can’t be too mad about it,” she told The Times. “But I definitely think the whole trend took off after my toast extravaganza.”