The Origin of the Smoothie

The common smoothie.

Countless Neopets flood their neighborhood Smoothie Shop regularly, but do they know anything about this common delicacy?

Not likely.

Many claim to be fans without even knowing the neopet who first created this hidden gem. Let’s take a look at how this world-renowned beverage was first created.

The legacy started several decades ago during a venture with a Tuskaninny named Wilson Shepard, Captain of the S.S. Neopia. During a routine sea voyage, the S.S. Neopia hit an unexpected patch of coral. Luckily, all the passengers managed to escape to safety, but as Captain, Wilson vowed to go down honorably with his precious ship.

After hours of battling the foaming sea, the S.S. Neopia finally submitted to the greedy waves. Once the ship was submerged in the green-blue water, Wilson left his Captain’s hat behind in the wreckage, proving he had stayed with his ship till she sank to the sandy bottom. As a Tuskaninny, Wilson had no problem finding his way to the surface, his real problem would be finding his way to land with neither a compass nor map. He swam for hours or maybe even days, Wilson couldn’t tell. All he knew was that he could finally see a bit of land peeking over the horizon. He urged his aching and fatigued body to swim ashore.

When he arrived on his little island, he looked around for some landmark that he might recognize. He had, of course, passed many islands during his years of being a captain and could recall what many of them looked, or even smelt like. Unfortunately for the Captain, he failed to remember if he had ever been on this island before.

Stomach grumbling, Wilson began his search for food. After fighting off a pack of ferocious Mazzews for a couple of handfuls of wild berries, Wilson made his way back towards his hopefully temporary shelter.

“Hmmm,” he thought, “these berries would certainly be enough for my supper, but why don’t we make things a little more interesting.”

So Wilson found a somewhat bowl-shaped rock, and with the help of another smaller, flatter rock, Wilson began smashing the multi-colored berries until he had formulated a sort of reddish semi-liquid concoction. Thankfully, he still had his empty canteen, which was attached to his captain’s uniform, and poured his new mixture into it. After shaking it for a minute, Wilson took a small sip. The moment it landed on his parched tongue, a sweet sensation whipped through his body and he knew he must share his creation with all of Neopia. He then continued drinking until the canteen was, once again, empty.

And thus, the smoothie was born.

There was one slight problem, however. Wilson was still stuck on an island in the middle of nowhere with no means of communicating to other Neopets.

“Ah...if only I knew how far I was from the mainland,” he thought longingly, “but since I don’t, I wouldn’t want to start swimming with no clue as to where I’m going. A Tuskaninny can only hold out for so long.”

So Wilson became somewhat depressed. The only things he could share his prized concoction with were a bunch of frenzied and unappreciative Mazzews.

So for days upon days Wilson drank his smoothies and wandered about the island, wondering what to do. He was in the middle of his morning walk one day when he saw something that made his heart jump. It was the faint outline of a ship, and by the looks of it, it was heading towards the island! His heart hammering, Wilson waved his flippers frantically trying to get the boat’s attention. It worked.

“Argggg,” spat the Krawk, captain of the ship, “anyone who’d be wantin’ passage must pay their way aboard,” he told Wilson.

“Oh, but I don’t have any money! Isn’t there some other way I could get aboard?” pleaded Wilson, “I can make smoothies!”

“What are you gabbering about now? What are these smoothies?” questioned the Krawk.

“Hold on one second, sir,” Wilson said as he dashed off to get his smoothie-filled canteen.

The captain took one sip of the smoothie and the expression on his scarred face was one of pure delight.

“Welcome aboard, Mr. Wilson,” he said.

Then, after gathering many buckets full of berries for future smoothies, Wilson boarded the dingy little ship. The crew took an instant liking to the delectable smoothies and, with the energy the sailors got from them, they were able to make port weeks earlier than scheduled. Once the ship was safely docked in the Neopian harbor, Wilson exited the ship, leaving behind a stock of smoothies for the captain and his crew. He was happy to finally be back home and was excited to share his beverage with his friends and family.

About a month later, after days spent advertising, standing in the sweltering sun in an oversized smoothie costume, after an incident involving a kiwi smoothie and several broken teeth, the first smoothie shop in Neopia was opened. Wilson employed only the best to make his smoothies, ensuring that every customer would be satisfied. Mr. Wilson would later quit his job as a captain to become manager of his beloved shop.

Almost instantly after opening, business poured in, Neopets of all ages wanted to get a taste of this new “smoothie” and Mr. Wilson made sure to treat every smoothie with care and his customers as well. The novelty of the smoothie never wore off and the smoothie is still extremely popular today.

Mr. Wilson eventually retired from the smoothie business and now spends his days educating the employees at the smoothie shop everything they need to know to create a perfectly blended smoothie. Of course, he still enjoys them himself quite often.

So now, every time you order your own unique smoothie made with the freshest berries Neopia has to offer, think of Mr. Wilson Shepard, captain, brilliant inventor, and, of course, the Tuskaninny who started the legacy that we know as the smoothie. He has blessed us with a delightful delicacy that we all can enjoy.