7-UP Gold

Since thinking about Cool Spot, the 7-Up mascot in the 1980s, I've been on a little 7-Up kick lately.  I thought I'd look into 7-Up varieties to someday add to my can collection.  I came across this can I'd like to find:

7-Up Gold

7-Up Gold was only available for a short time in 1988, long before my can collecting times.  It was a spicy ginger-ale beverage that executives hoped would capture at least one percent of the cola market.  It also had caffeine which ironically went against their advertising campaign at the time of bragging how 7-Up drinks didn't have caffeine.  It's didn't work.  By 1989, it was gone and a fitting obituary was published in the New York Times that can be read here. If anybody have a 7-Up Gold can, please let me know! 

Make 7-Up Yours

Thinking about the Make 7-Up Yours Campaign made me chuckle several times today.  I thought I'd look for an ad and post it.  By the way, the comedian is Orlando Jones and his website can be found here.  Seriously, this was one of the greatest advertising gags in history.

You can still find 7-Up Yours T-shirts at thrift stores.  Those babies are gems.

7-Up Cool Spot

Did you know 7-Up was the soda Sprite calculated to squash?  Coca-Cola concocted Sprite to compete with 7-Up. Sprite won by 1978 by capturing the majority of the lemon-lime soda market.  Still, I have found memories of 7-Up, primarily because of this guy...

Cool Spot

I didn't know this guy's name until I just looked it up, but I remember seeing him in 7-Up commercials as a kid. I vaguely remember him in some contest where the object was to try to find "Cool Spot" after he had gone missing somehow.  (If anyone has more information on this contest, please let me know.)  Cool Spot was born in 1987, but he must be off at college or somewhere at this point because I haven't seen him around lately, at least with his arms, legs, and sunglasses.

Cool Spot Going Nintendo

Cool Spot had an impressive advertising linage.  His great-grandfather in the 1940s was simply the title 7UP soaring through the sky with wings.  His 1960s grandfather was the tagline "The Un-Cola."  His father was the mantra "No Caffeine" to make it stand apart from other drinks in a decade where people started thinking hey, caffeine could be bad for me! Cool Spot came along in 1987 riding his way into video games, as seen on the left.  But his son was the sassy campaign "Make 7-Up Yours," by far the most giggle inducing soda tag line to date.  Sadly, you don't hear that campaign anymore. Then again, you also don't much 7-Up advertising these days.  Sad.

Diet Crush Orange

My friend brought in a can for me at work today.  It was one I didn't have and I was glad to get it!  It's a Diet Crush Can from 2013.  Crush is manufactured by the Dr. Pepper/Snapple company.  Orange Crush has been around for almost over 100 years, the first batch being made by Clayton J. Howell in 1916. Diet Crush obviously came along later, a date I have note yet been able to determine.

Diet Orange Crush 2013

Crush is available in a wide variety of flavors, however some of the more exotic such as peach and pineapple, are only available in certain markets.  The latest crush flavor to come out is Crush Cherry in 2010, a flavor I think I would enjoy because I have a sweet tooth calibrated specifically for cherry type sodas.  More information about crush can be found on their website http://www.crushsoda.com/.

As a side note, the name Crush apparently was give by Mr. Howell to describe the process of extracting the oils from the oranges.  It's a good name.  Real powerful sounding.  Like what you would want to do with the can when you were done if you weren't collecting them like me.

LeBron James

I watched a documentary on Coca-Cola today.  While watching, I enjoyed a Coke product myself and was able to add the can to my collection.  Below is the 2013 Sprite can featuring an impressive outline of LeBron James, currently of the Miami Heat.  I am not sure how many, if any, other cans are in the NBA series.  If I find a pack of Sprite I will try to turn the cans inside to see if anyone besides out man LeBron is hiding inside.

NBA Sprite 2013 featuring
LeBron James

I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke

I'm a Coca-Cola fan.  Now, I'm not a fanatic.  I buy and drink Pepsi occasionally.   For example, right now at the local grocery store, the Pepsi product 12 packs are a dollar less so I've been stocking up on those.  However, if you ask which I prefer, I'd say Coke.  Why?  I can't really tell the difference taste wise, which I suspect is sad.  I just like Coca-Cola because I like their marketing much better.  Coca-Cola's goal is to literally "bottle happiness."  I mean, sheesh, it's sugar, water, a little flavor, and carbonation   Big deal.  You like Coke, the marketing goes, because you associate it with happy memories. So when you drink Coca-Cola, you are getting a little refreshment and a endorphin rush with happy associations.  I like that.  It's brilliant manipulation and if I am going to be manipulated while I enjoy a drink, it might as well be a happy, peaceful, let's love the world, life, and give high-fives kinda feeling.  That's why Pepsi fails me.

At least while I was young, Pepsi was all about being young and having attitude.  Snowboarders, race cars, Britney Spears, you get it.  Generation NeXt.  What a bunch of hollow hype.  Give me Santa, Grandma's house, and a bottle of Coke over that Pepsi marketing any day.  So, I thought since this blog is about soda can collecting, but also about the grottos of interest surrounding soda, I'd post a commercial every now and again about, well, soda.  So below is Coca-Cola's hilltop "I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke" commercial   This is marketing brilliance.  I mean, you probably think this is a knock-off of "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing."  Guess what?  It's the other way around...the Coke song was first.  Gives you those feel good vibes don't it?

Andy Warhol on Coke

One of my favorite soda quotes is by Andy Warhol.  In his 1975 book, The Philosophy of Andy Warhol, he writes about Coca-Cola.

"What's great about this country is that American started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest.  You can be watching TV and see Coca-Cola, and you know that the President drinks Coke, Liz Taylor drinks Coke, and just think, you can drink Coke, too.  A Coke is a Coke and no amount of money can get you a better Coke than the one the bum on the corner is drinking.  All the Cokes are the same and all the Cokes are good.  Liz Taylor knows it, the President knows it, the bum knows it, and you know it."  -Andy Warhol

Yup!

Diet Coke with Bacon

I believe this is a long debunked internet meme, but I haven't found anything definitive to disprove it.  Then again, its hard to "disprove" anything since its absence can always be argued as inconclusive proof.  Regardless, a salty-sweet soda, like the saltiness bacon provides, might sound good.  However, since soda companies are under fire for being so unhealthy anyway, I don't they would market a salty/sweet Coke as bacon-flavored.  They would find a hip name for it, like Coke Y or something.  So yes, I think Coke may have tested a product, but, no, I do not think Diet Coke Bacon flavor ever existed.  But it does make a nice picture.

A joke, but who wouldn't want the can?

Aldi's Ginger Ale

We had a birthday party today.  I'm a fan of generic sodas and I purchased some for the occasion.  Generics are great because they are cheap.  They are great because they taste like the main brands.  But the best reason why they are great is because they are inexpensive for a growing can collection.  Here is an Aldi's ginger ale can.  They only sold ginger ale and a couple other flavors at my local Aldis, althought I know there are others out there.  Perhaps in the summer there will be more flavors available.  My son took the picture.  I'll leave it up for a while to make him feel good.

Bad lighting, but a new can.

2009 Halloween Pepsi Cans

These Pepsi Cans were released in 2009 as a Halloween promotion.  I noticed them on another collectors website.  Alas, in 2009 I had nary a dream about collecting soda cans.  Well, actually, as I have articulated before, I has always thought it would be fun to do so.  But these cans are lost in recycling plants and will be tough to find.  They serve as a reminder that its best to start projects today so you don't miss out.  I won't miss out on any more.  They do look rather spiffy don't they?  No new flavors, just a clever way of marketing Pepsi Max, Pepsi, and Diet Pepsi.  What's cleverer is that I heard they came with specific instructions to not stack the cans on top of each other, particularly Pepsi Boo because of the word that would result over and over and over again...I wonder if they were aware of that design flaw when initially planning these cans?

2009 Halloween Pepsi Cans

Diet Coke 2013

I went for one of my runs today and was lucky enough to find the new Diet Coke can.  Here it is!  My son chose the location and took the picture.  The new Diet Coke can is interesting to say the least.  Coca-Cola is trusting that we are able to see a curly D and a powerful K and interpret the contents of the can on our own. Clever.  And just so you know, Diet Coke's birthday is on August 6th, 1982.

Diet Coke can 2013

A better shot of the new Diet Coke Can
(Not mine nor my photography)

Yoohoo

We celebrated the birthday of one of our sons.  He got a special birthday drink.  I was sure to save the can.  Yoo-hoo is considerably older than our son.  The first batch of Yoo-hoo was sold in the 1920s.  It apparently a big deal back them to be able to package a chocolate drink that didn't spoil. 

As long as its cold, Yoo-hoo tastes fine.  However, it's a little errie to look at.  It's apperance reminds me of when my brother and I tried to make chocolate milk with water instead.  My son seemed to enjoy it though and so did I!

Baseball Lengand Yogi Berra also seemed to enjoy Yoo-hoo back in the day when he was an offical spokesman for the product.  Who knew?

First "Vinatge" Cans

While at my in-laws, I rummaged through their old barn searching for cans.  My efforts were not spent in vain.  I was able to find the two most "valuable" cans in my collection.  I say "valuable"
 simply because these cans are no longer produced, unlike most of my other cans which can still be bought in stores as of today.  It was a real treat to find them.  Hopefully, if I keep my eyes open, I can have more payouts like this.

Best Can Yet...2008 Vanilla Diet Pepsi

2012 A&W Halloween Can

Tops Never Stops

We enjoyed a dinner at the parents of my wife this evening.  It was a new taco thing where the shells were baked into the shapes of bowls.  I went shopping for the ingredients with my father-in-law and was sure to pick up some generic soda for all of us to drink.  That's two more cans!

First Attempt in the Field

While out visiting various friends and family for the weekend, I made it a point for the first time to actively search for some cans.  I looked in several recycle bins at people's houses and made out pretty well. Over 23 new cans for the collection.  I just might make that 100 can goal by June yet!

Cans, cans, and cans!

Soda Birthdays

As a budding soda can collector, I figured I should brush up on a little soda history.  Below are six birthdays (or simply birthday year) of some of my favorite sodas.  Now that I know the birthdays, I have an excuse to justify buying them on certain days of the year!

Coca-Cola: May 8th, 1886

Brad's Drink (Later renamed the ubiquitous Pepsi): August 28th, 1898

Mountain Dew: 1940

Sprite: 1961

Diet Coke: August 6th, 1982

Vanilla Coke: May 15th, 2002

Code Red

Left for a vacation with the family this afternoon.  While on the road, I enjoyed Mountain Dew Code Red.  One more can for the collection.

Mt. Dew Code Red and a Bottle of Sunscreen

Starting to Do the Dew

I picked up a 12 pack of soda the other day because it was on sale.  Not only was it on sale, but it was one of the newer Mountain Dew flavors I don't see in many stores, Mountain Dew White Out. Mountain Dew is always shuffling its flavors around and since I don't see these soda everywhere, like Mountain Dew Coda Red, I figured it's at least closer to the chopping block than other Dew flavors.  I would sad to miss a chance to add it to my collection.

2010 Dew-Mocracy2 Winner
Mountain Dew White Out

Mountain Dew White Out was part of the second Dew-Mocracy campaign and was the flavor that beat out a lime flavored Dew and a tropical punch flavored Dew.  I'm not sure when the next Dew-Mocracy will be, but I'd like to get the cans for any future candidate flavors.

One more thing that is special about this can.  I was drinking this can at work when my mental gears started to figure out exactly what the Valentine "surprise" was my wife had planned for me...and I was correct!

Car Repair Waiting

Aldi's Summit Mountain Frost 
2013

Aldi's Summit Citrus Twist 
2013

I took our family van to get the tires chained at one of the local big box retailers.  While waiting, I figured I would check out the recyclable area to see if there were any cans left behind.  I lucked out and found two Aldi cans.  This is great.  I mentioned yesterday I will be searching to complete the Aldi's generic brand collection and this knocks two off my list.  I cleaned the cans up a bit with one of those sanitary wipes you find near shopping carts, picked up the van with its new wheels, and went on my way.

Update:  From my research it appears there are at least TWO versions of these flavors.  I am assuming I am in possession of the newer design.  I will have to keep my eyes open...

The First of the Generics!

Price Chopper Lemon Lime 2013

I took my oldest son to buy a snack after school today.  Some student had brought nifty applesauce in a squeezable bag for snack.  My son saved the bag to show me so we could get some for our home.  While at the grocery store, I let him pick out a pack of soda to stock in our fridge.  He picked out Price Chopper Lemon-Lime.


It's the first of the generic brands for my collection.  Generic brands are great.  They are cheap but of limited supply due to their being regional.   Price Chopper has several flavors of soda.  In conjunction with Aldis where we also shop, they will be the first complete generic set I will attempt to collect.

Pepsi Backbone

Pepsi 2013 

I went for a walk this evening.  I am currently training for a large run this spring.  Unfortunately, yesterday I slipped on some ice and have felt a little sore.  Instead of tackling my evening run, I went for a walk to get in at least some movement.  I was lucky enough to find this can.

It's a regular old Pepsi can, but I was very thrilled to find it.  It was resting perfectly in a snow bank, probably only recently tossed out of a passing car. I'm not a Pepsi drinker, but I knew I would have to obtain one of these cans somehow.  I am conjecturing that any soda can collector worth his sodium has a backbone of Pepsi and Coca-Cola cans in his collection.  Now I have mine, at least the regular Pepsi found in winter of 2013.

The Basement

Since one of my goals of my collection is to cheer up my basement, I figured I should post some pictures of the current state of dreariness that lives there.  I decided to start taking over an abandoned laundry room in the basement currently used to store water barrels and a chest freezer we no longer use.  Hopefully, this will be the inspiring "before" photo to place in a blog entry a year or so from now to illustrate how far my collection has come.

View of the water barrels and empty wall I envision covered with cans.

"Cans in the Basement" Collection in Infancy.  It displays the only shelf presently available in the room to hold cans.  Fortunately, the collection is small enough for such limited residency.

Picture of the old chest freezer and water barrels.  The freezer needs to go and the walls need to be painted as well.

And that, folks, is the tour.  It will take a lot of cans to cheer this place up.  But it will happen.  Check back to see how it goes...

First 14 Cans

So I rummaged through my basement looking for cans to start my collection.  I had not taken items to the recyclable center for some time, so I was able to find several soda cans dating from a few weeks to several months old.  My official collection of 14 appear below (using my archaic cell phone to take photo).

Cans 1 - 5 

Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi

Dr. Pepper Cherry

Pepsi Max

Pepsi Max with a Buffalo Bills Promotion

2012 Mountain Dew with The Dark Knight Rises

Cans 6 -10

A&W Root Beer

Diet 7-Up

7-Up

Vanilla Coke

Caffeine Free Coca-Cola

Cans 11 -14

Vanilla Coke Zero

Diet Coke with Lime

2012 Sprite Proud Olympic Partner

Sprite

That's it!  That's the whole kit and caboodle.  But all journeys start with a single step.  In the next few days, I hope to examine each can more closely and provide additional detail to each can description.  I mentioned to a friend yesterday about my intentions to collect cans.  Hopefully, this person will bring me a can or two at work tomorrow.  If not, I intend to get a 12 pack of soda to go with Valentine's Day dinner with my wife, which will surely add at least one can.  

First Entry...Here we go!

This weekend I decided to become a soda can collector.  It will be a casual endeavor,  but I'm going to try to take it seriously.  My first goal will be to have 100 different cans by the end of June 2013.  A few reasons for justifying my collection.

1.)  I always wanted to collect something. I've tried various items since I was a kid but nothing really stuck.  I was excited about collecting bottle caps for a while about two years ago, but I don't drink so after the first dozen I found around a campground it was difficult to expand it.  I considered playing cards, but I don't play many card games.  I also considered stamps, but my wife thought it would be a waste of money.

2.)  I finally decided on cans because I love soda.  My wife loves soda.  My sons love soda.  It's an item we buy regularly so collecting them will not be a big expense.

3.) I want to collect something to share a hobby with my young sons.  I'm not a baseball card kind of man.  Soda cans are colorful and easy for my sons to obtain and understand.  It is also a potentially quick growing collection, which will make getting started easier.

4.) Soda cans are always changing.  From seasonal cans to movie tie-ins to limited time flavors, there are always new cans readily available.  I like that.

5.) My basement is dark and dingy, hence the title of this blog.  A nice soda can collection taking up space along the cement walls will cheer the place up a bit.

6.)  It's an experiment!  My wife does not yet know about my intention to collect.  She rarely goes in the basement.  I'm curious to see how many cans I collect until she discovers them!

So, with the posting of this first post, Cans in the Basement is now open for people to observe the journey of  casual soda can collector.