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MEMORIES:
801 remembers...My folks moved to Montreal from Texas for a few years in the late '80s. My dad went nuts 'cause ... More »
Posted on 09/22/08
PHOTOS:
In 1885, well before the first cola, a German pharmacist named Charles Alderton worked at Morrison’s Old Corner Drugstore in Waco, Texas. He combined a number of soda fountain flavorings and discovered a unique combination for a pleasing drink. Soon, store patrons were regularly asking for a “Waco.” The formula was given to store owner Wade Morrison, who made Dr. Pepper a household name. (Dr. Charles Pepper, the reported namesake, was the father of a girl Morrison had once loved.)
Dr. Pepper has staked its identity on being an original and unique product. Calling itself “The King of Beverages,” it made a hit at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition, and its popularity grew, though it fought for supremacy with two soft drink upstarts, Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola.
In the 1950s, the period was dropped from the name in order to create a cleaner looking logo. By this time, the drink had its own urban legend. School kids everywhere told one another that Dr Pepper was actually carbonated prune juice, a notion that, though completely untrue, is repeated as sworn fact on playgrounds to this day.
“You only have to try it to like it,” promised ads in the 60s. By the 70s, a series of TV commercials showed reluctant patrons taking one swig and becoming instant converts, to the triumphant jingle, “Dr Pepper, so misunderstood, if everyone would try you, they’d know you taste good.”
“It’s not a cola,” sang another 70s ad, “it’s something much much more.” This musical campaign sold Dr Pepper as “the most original soft drink ever in the whole wide world.”
In the early 80s, the company launched perhaps its best-remembered campaign. Actor David Naughton (who later became the title star of An American Werewolf In London) led crowds of dancing people through the streets singing “I’m a Pepper, he’s a Pepper, she’s a Pepper, we’re a Pepper.” The “Be A Pepper” slogan made a major mark on the cultural landscape. (Not in
Dr Pepper eventually merged with 7-Up to form DPSU, which was almost acquired by the Coca-Cola company, spurring an antitrust suit. It eventually became a part of the Cadbury Schweppes company.
Legally categorized as a “pepper” drink, Dr Pepper has had its share of imitators, most notably Coca-Cola’s Mr Pibb brand, as well as numerous store specific knock-offs. (Dr. Faygo, Dr. Smooth, Dr. Chek, Dr Publix, Dr. Perky, Dr. Thunder, and the UK Safeway brand, Dr Skipper.) Diet Dr Pepper leads the market in non-cola sugar free drinks, and in recent years, new flavors have hit stores, including Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper, Berries n’ Creme Dr Pepper, and the recently cancelled Red Fusion, a cherry cranberry mix. (Apparently, in the end, they didn't want it to be a Pepper, too.)
