Arvada Origins Of 'King Soopers' Name: Archie Comics

ARVADA, CO – King Soopers, the popular grocery chain in Colorado was started after World War II in Arvada by Lloyd King. But where did the name "Soopers" come from?

According to journalist and researcher Matt Masich, the name may have come from the famous Archie comic books.

Masich told Colorado Matters radio program that King's two sons Lew and Larry were fans of the Archie comics, and suggested the name "Soopers" based on the exclamations from fictional Riverdale teens.

"When a something particularly exciting happened, Larry told his father, a character would exclaim, 'Sooper!'" Masich told the radio show. He said he's still trying to track down uses of the word "Sooper" in Archie comic books, he said.

A comic in the late 1960s was called "Sooper Hippies" which parodies Archie with a raggedy redheaded fellow named "Stanley Humbert – your plain, ordinary average hippie."

Meanwhile, the "goofy" name stuck and has become a household word for generations of Coloradans. King Soopers is now owned by Kroger.

Hear Masich's interview on CPR here.

Image via King Soopers

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