Win A Diamond Doorknob

Dr. Pepper celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1960, and in honor of this ran a contest with the unusual prize of a diamond doorknob. Specifically: "a doorknob of special design encrusted with 50 small diamonds and a huge two-carat, blue-white diamond mounted in its center. As the grand award the diamond doorknob will be attached to a $25,000 Swift Home having a family-size Refinite-Shedon swimming pool in its backyard and a new Rambler station wagon in its driveway."



Edith Dillion of Roanoke, VA eventually won the prize. Reportedly she sold the house but kept the doorknob. And perhaps the doorknob is still owned by the Dillion family.

Posted By: Alex - Sat Feb 04, 2023 - Comments (2)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Soda, Pop, Soft Drinks and other Non-Alcoholic Beverages, 1960s

Sodaburst Premade Ice Cream Soda

So much easier than 1) pouring a glass of soda and 2) scooping some ice cream into it. Completely eliminates the dreaded element of decision-making (which ice cream, which soda?).

Posted By: Paul - Sun Dec 04, 2022 - Comments ()
Category: Food, Soda, Pop, Soft Drinks and other Non-Alcoholic Beverages, Chindogu, 1960s

The NuGrape Twins

The NuGrape Twins were a Georgia blues and gospel duo who recorded in the 1920s. Very little is known about them. Were they really twins? No one knows.

What is clear is that they liked NuGrape soda. They only recorded six songs (all for Columbia Records), and two of them were about NuGrape. "I've Got Your Ice-Cold NuGrape" is considered to be their masterpiece. Dylan Kenny, of Yale Daily News, writes, "it’s catchy, it’s weird, it’s an excellent pop song."

Were the NuGrape Twins being paid by NuGrape to sing these songs? Again, no one knows. It seems more likely that they were just big fans of the soda.





I'd never heard of NuGrape soda before, but apparently it's still available. Though it's hard to find outside of the southeast United States.

Posted By: Alex - Mon Oct 24, 2022 - Comments (1)
Category: Music, Soda, Pop, Soft Drinks and other Non-Alcoholic Beverages, 1920s

Follies of the Madmen #535

Source. (Page 19)

Posted By: Paul - Tue Jun 14, 2022 - Comments (3)
Category: Death, Advertising, Soda, Pop, Soft Drinks and other Non-Alcoholic Beverages, 1910s

The replica Roman coin that fooled a museum

Nov 1971: Nine-year-old Fiona Gordon realized that the supposedly ancient Roman coin on display at the South Shields Museum was actually a promotional replica given away by a soft drinks company, Robinsons.

Newport News Daily Press - Nov 3, 1971

I'm pretty sure that the coin below is similar (if not identical) to the one that was on display at the museum. In 1971, Robinsons sent these coins to anyone who mailed in enough bottle caps. (Source: CoinCommunity.com)

Posted By: Alex - Tue Feb 22, 2022 - Comments (1)
Category: Imitations, Forgeries, Rip-offs and Faux, Money, Soda, Pop, Soft Drinks and other Non-Alcoholic Beverages, 1970s, Ancient Times

Follies of the Madmen #526

Are these supposed to be 18-year-old coeds at university? If so, why do they look 45?

From the SATURDAY EVENING POST for 1/14/1961.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Feb 17, 2022 - Comments (8)
Category: Business, Advertising, Stereotypes and Cliches, Soda, Pop, Soft Drinks and other Non-Alcoholic Beverages, 1960s, Women

The Cola Queens

So far as I can tell, these beauty queens hailed from a single year's contest in British Guiana.

Read about it here.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Sep 29, 2021 - Comments (1)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Soda, Pop, Soft Drinks and other Non-Alcoholic Beverages, 1950s, South America

Follies of the Madmen #513

What size of empty container was used to make that ice cylinder for the Pepsi bottle, and what size freezer could accommodate it? Only commercial units. How many hours would you have to prolong your sipping, to justify the creation of that ridiculous amount of ice for cooling one bottle of Pepsi? And was this gal the only one at the bonfire to receive such a treat? So many questions...

Posted By: Paul - Sun Aug 15, 2021 - Comments (4)
Category: Business, Advertising, Excess, Overkill, Hyperbole and Too Much Is Not Enough, Soda, Pop, Soft Drinks and other Non-Alcoholic Beverages, 1960s

Wakarusa Dime Store Sodas

The Wakarusa Dime Store in Indiana sells some weird stuff, most notably a variety of strange sodas. Unfortunately, you have to pick up in person.

More flavors than these at the site.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Jul 16, 2020 - Comments (5)
Category: Regionalism, Soda, Pop, Soft Drinks and other Non-Alcoholic Beverages

Follies of the Madmen #476

Source.

Posted By: Paul - Sun May 10, 2020 - Comments ()
Category: Ambiguity, Uncertainty and Deliberate Obscurity, Business, Advertising, Soda, Pop, Soft Drinks and other Non-Alcoholic Beverages, 1960s, Gender-bending