Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte

Peter Dukes created the PSL in 2003, and it has generated over $1.8 billion in cumulative revenue — making it the most successful seasonal menu item in food history. The PSL returns every August and signals the unofficial start of fall for 45 million Americans who order it annually. It spawned "pumpkin spice season" — a $800 million market of pumpkin-spice-flavored everything (cereal, Oreos, deodorant, dog treats). The PSL has its own Twitter account, was the subject of academic papers on seasonal marketing, and became a cultural signifier so potent that ordering one became a meme. The drink didn't contain real pumpkin until 2015.