Old school soda pop
Oct 21, 2015 | by Becky Oeltjenbruns
You can almost hear the fizzing bubbles!
My parents are coming to visit and one of the items on my “list of fun stuff to check out” is Rocket Fizz. It will be a first for me and I’m very excited. With my sweet tooth and love of all things vintage – this outing should be right up my alley! (Not to mention with my voice still sounding scratchy, the fizzy bubbles should help me feel right as rain.) What’s your favorite old school soda pop brand? Not sure? Allow me to present a couple special ones that stuck out to me…
First on the list is Grapico, a grape soda that hit the market before the flapper girls had even begun to raise their hemlines. It debuted in the 1910s to an excited crowd in New Orleans and quickly became a fan favorite beyond the state boundaries of Louisiana. Some credit the false, yet popular, rumor that it contained grape juice, but most credit the music. That’s right – the power of a great jingle catapulted this soda to early fame. Can you think of a more appropriate New Orleans marketing campaign than an original jazz composition? The tune was lovingly titled Meet Me in the Land of Grapico and had some real star power behind it. (One of songwriters went on to be inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.) The ballad was sentimental, moving, and dedicated to drinkers of Grapico. The store that sold and distributed this tasty treat, J. Grossman’s Sons, would play this hit proudly throughout the day. By the early 20s the drink reached its zenith due to the Prohibition. By the middle of that decade, Grapico was facing some stiff competition. Not to mention, that pesky fib about containing real grape juice reared its ugly head in the courts.
Shasta advertisement
Next up is a brand that has a special place in my heart: Shasta. When I would spend summers with my grandparents, I got very excited for thunderstorms. Because a thunderstorm at grandma and grandpa’s meant three things: sitting out on the porch swing, eating popcorn, and having shakes made with vanilla ice cream and Strawberry Shasta soda. The name comes from its origin near Mt. Shasta in California. It started out at the turn of the century producing mineral water from the abundant springs. The company stuck to mixers (ginger ale, club soda, etc.) for a few decades. But as the consumer age dawned, their approach broadened. By the 1950s the GI’s were back, soda pop was king, and the famous battle cry of the day ensued: “Shasta! It hasta be Shasta!” Check out some of their fun commercials here.
For our readers: what soda pop brands make you long for a return to poodle skirts and drive-ins? Let us know in the comments!