LAKEVILLE-MIDDLEBORO, Mass., Nov. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- It wiggles, it jiggles and it's most certainly the SWEETEST icon of the Thanksgiving table.  Today, Ocean Spray takes its tasty titan to the next level at 500 times its original size. Ocean Spray unveiled its saucy secret at the museum of all-out oddities, Ripley's Believe It or Not! in Times Square.

Tipping the table at approximately 500 pounds, this holiday heavyweight could serve a feast of over 3,000 guests (traditional can serves 5).  The can stands 3 feet high by 2 feet wide and boasts 57,000 individual cranberries in its 50 gallons of goodness.  This gelatinous juggernaut is no joke from a food science perspective, considering the balance between the cranberries own pectin producing power and the cooling pace at which the sauce needs to generate the right texture and jiggle.  This homage to the holiday was created at the HOME OF CRANBERRY SAUCE - Kenosha, Wisconsin, where all cranberry sauce is produced year-round and all the saucy secrets for this tasty treat are housed. 

"Ocean Spray is synonymous with holiday entertaining and what's more entertaining than a larger-than-life can of our beloved jellied cranberry sauce," said Kellyanne Dignan, Director, Global Corporate Affairs at Ocean Spray.  "As we kick off the holiday season, it's exciting for us to serve up this nostalgic, holiday staple in such an awe-inspiring way." 

"We are delighted to be working with Ocean Spray to showcase this record breaking Colossal Can of Cran at Ripley's Believe it or Not! especially just ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday," said Stacy Shuster, Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Ripley's Believe It or Not!  "We are always looking for new and exciting exhibits to add to our collection and are thrilled to be able to offer this Cranberry experience to our visitors"

So why is Ocean Spray going BIG?  Cranberry sauce is a holiday "must-have" and this silly, jiggly holiday favorite has been known to incite a delicious debate at the dinner table. Whether your guests are devoted members of Team Canned or Team Fresh, or serve it via scoop or slices, there's no doubt that iconic can gives you all the holiday feels!  Giggle if you must, but it just isn't Thanksgiving without it; and after almost 90 years, that's certainly cause for celebration.

We want to hear how YOU serve your sauce this Thanksgiving! Do you slice along the #CanLines or use a spoon to get the perfect #CanScoop? Visit Ocean Spray on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and tell us where you stand in this saucy Thanksgiving table debate, and we will announce which side #winsthanksgiving on Thanksgiving day!

Here are more staggering stats to celebrate this BIG celebration…COLOSSAL CAN STYLE:

Saucy Holiday Stats

• 5,062,500 gallons of jellied cranberry sauce are consumed by Americans every holiday season.
  
• 70 million is the number of cans of cranberry sauce Ocean Spray produces a year.

• The cranberry was considered a seasonal fruit until a lawyer-turned-grower named Marcus Urann realized that the berries he harvested exceeded demand.  Hating to see good fruit go to waste, he perfected a tasty sauce that he canned and named Ocean Spray in 1912.

American Cranberry Sauce Habits:

• 76 percent of Americans serve store-bought cranberry sauce at their Thanksgiving meals versus homemade.

• 73 percent of Americans prefer their cranberry sauce jellied in the shape of can!

• 54 percent of Americans serve their sauce sliced along the ridges.

About Ocean Spray
Ocean Spray is a vibrant agricultural cooperative owned by more than 700 cranberry farmers in the United States, Canada and Chile who have helped preserve the family farming way of life for generations. Formed in 1930, Ocean Spray is now the world's leading producer of cranberry juices, juice drinks and dried cranberries and is the best-selling brand in the North American bottled juice category.

The Cooperative's cranberries are currently featured in more than a thousand great-tasting, good-for-you products in over 100 countries worldwide. With more than 2,000 employees and nearly 20 cranberry receiving and processing facilities, Ocean Spray is committed to managing our business in a way that respects our communities, employees and the environment. For more information visit: www.oceanspray.com or www.oceanspray.coop.  

About Ripley's Believe it or Not! Times Square
Ripley's Believe it or Not! Times Square invites guests of all ages to experience the unbelievable mysteries of our world. This Ripley's Times Square is the largest "Believe It or Not!" in the world with over 20 galleries and more than 500 artifacts from the unique Ripley's Collection. Featuring brand new galleries like the newly launched "Music Room" or interactive games like Ripley's Smash Dash, this one-of-a-kind attraction in New York City is perfect for those who want to immerse themselves in the unusual, the unexpected, and the unbelievable.  Home to our own fully immersive, actor-led Escape Room Adventure, Ripley's Relic. Ripley's is open daily from 10:00 AM, 365 days a year and is perfect for visitors and groups of all ages. For more information visit: www.RipleysNewYork.com

SOURCE Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.