The Sunkissed mutation in corn snakes was first discovered/described by Kathy Love of Cornutopia.com
The first one was related to Georgia Okeetee stock, and at least one of these mutants has actually been found in the wilds of Georgia. Temporarily coined by Kathy they were called Hypo B, since it was the second HYPOmelanistic type mutation in our hobby. Rich Zuchowski named them Sunkissed, the intentional misspelling for their namesake Sunkist soft drink, the aluminum cans for which were brightly orange colored.
Sunkissed mutants can be called color mutations--for their persistently bold orange color--but Sunkissed mutants also have overt pattern features that are unlike wild-type corns. Also, when the Sunkissed mutation is possessed by Striped or Motley pattern mutants, instead of bellies that are usually devoid of all checkering, Sunkissed Motleys can have some belly checkering.
Striped or Motley Sunkissed also defy conventional namesake pattern, the Motleys having almost unrecognizable Motley dorsal pattern and Striped Sunkissed mutant compounds having essentially no discernible striped pattern. Head stamps are often shattered or indistinct, but another common comment from Sunkissed corn snake owners is their persistent grouchy demeanor. No, not all are human-intolerant, but most of the ones I've had over the decades picked fights with me the moment I opened their cages.
Recessive to wild type in their mode of inheritance, many corns that are het for Sunkissed (possessing only one of the paired SK gene copies) exhibit strong orange color aspects. All the features of Sunkissed mutants make them a favorite and valuable asset to corn snake breeders.