From Oll Korrect to EDCKooperative: How ‘OK’ (and K) Took Over the World

It’s hard to imagine a world without OK, the word, not the magazine. In a way, it is the Swiss Army knife of words, simple, versatile, and understood pretty much everywhere. But behind those two little letters lies a story that’s equal parts inside joke, social trend, and linguistic revolution. And since this is the EDCKooperative, you know I couldn’t resist digging into the everyday carry of language, the words we sling around without even thinking about them.

Back in 1830s Boston, people had a thing for abbreviations. It was like the OG version of texting slang. There was ‘KC’ which was ‘Knuff Ced’ or, ‘enough said’ and ‘KY’ which was ‘Know Yuse’, or ’no use’ and then there was ‘OW’, ‘All Wright’ or, all right…alright. Then, one that really took off was ‘All Correct’ which was deliberately misspelled as ‘Oll Korrect,’ then snipped down to just ‘OK’. What started as a wink and a nod among socialites made its way into newspapers, politics, thanks to Martin Van Buren’s nickname Old Kinderhook, and eventually became the Swiss Army Knife of words, agreement, approval, filler, reassurance, all in two letters. It is an even a bigger part of history, fast forward a century, and when Neil Armstrong touched down on the moon in 1969, the very first word beamed back to Earth wasn’t some grand speech. It was: “OK.” From a Boston parlour joke to the Sea of Tranquility not bad for two lowly letters really.

But here’s where things get really fun. That humble joke boosted the letter K from an alphabetic benchwarmer, one that used to rank a lowly 22nd in its usage, to one of the coolest letters in branding. Suddenly, companies realised swapping a soft “C” for a punchy K gave their names more edge. Crispy became Krispy, cool turned into Kool, and even video games joined in (Mortal Kombat, anyone?), we still of course see evidence of that allover, whether it is with cheese slices, doughnuts or tissue companies. Which brings us full circle to the EDCKooperative a name that wouldn’t sound half as sharp if it were EDCCooperative.

So, from a joke abbreviation in Boston, to the first word spoken on the Moon, to a letter that clawed its way up the alphabetic social ladder, this tiny syllable has shaped how we agree, approve, and occasionally passive aggressively end a conversation., not me though of course.

EDCKooperative takeaway? Sometimes the smallest tools, whether in language or in your pocket, end up being the most universal or atteactive…