Pibb Xtra
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| Type | Cola |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | The Coca-Cola Company |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Introduced | 1972 |
| Color | Caramel |
| Variants | Pibb Zero |
| Related products | Dr Pepper Dr. Thunder |
Pibb Xtra (previously sold as Mr. Pibb) is a carbonated soft drink marketed by The Coca-Cola Company. As of 2009, it is sold in the Mariana Islands and the United States.
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[edit] History
Mr. Pibb was introduced in June 1972 to compete against Dr Pepper[1], had a less widespread blend of flavors, but appealed to many due to its sweeter taste.[citation needed] The original test markets for Mr. Pibb in 1972 were located in Waco, Texas[2] (original "home" of Dr Pepper) and Mississippi.[citation needed]
In 2001, a new flavor called Pibb Xtra has 23 flavors and was introduced with added cinnamon flavor,[3] replacing the original flavor in many parts of the US.
The soda has a small but loyal following in many parts of the United States, especially the South.[citation needed] A diet version was also available into the 1990s in some markets, notably Texas.[citation needed] Some cans, instead of being a traditional cylinder, had faceted sides.[citation needed]
Mr PiBB's slogan in the mid/late 1990s was "Put it in your head", and the can featured an odd cartoon head drawn in a squiggly scribble style.
In 2005, the Coca-Cola Company introduced Pibb Zero, a sugar-free version of Pibb Xtra, in Texas, Georgia, Kansas (except for areas around Wichita and Hutchinson, and the northwestern portion of the state), Oklahoma, Missouri, Chicago and parts of the Midwest. The Coca-Cola Company reports that there are no plans to introduce Pibb Zero to the rest of the US.[citation needed]
[edit] Availability
Pibb Xtra is widely available in Texas and the southern United States, parts of the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest, and other areas of the country, depending on the local Coca-Cola bottler. It is rare to nonexistent in other parts of the US, such as the Northeast, where most bottlers are distributors of Dr Pepper. Pibb Xtra is common and very popular in Maryland, especially the Baltimore area. In Baltimore, you can find Pibb Xtra in many stores and also in 16 oz bottles at convenience stores. In Michigan, it is available outside of the Detroit area. In Wisconsin Pibb Xtra can mainly only be found in restaurants and scarcely in stores. In California it used to be available in Bakersfield and Fresno in cans and plastic bottles as recently as 2005 but distribution has apparently been stopped. Despite its somewhat isolated location, Pibb Xtra is widely available throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, Sonora, CA, and the rest of Tuolumne County. In Southern California, Pibb Xtra can be found in McDonald's restaurants, despite not being sold in convenience stories and supermarkets there. However, Pibb Xtra is still fairly easy to find in western Nevada, since the bottling plant in Reno still produces it.
It can be found in fountain form in restaurants such as Jimmy John's, Del Taco, Wendy's, Chuck E. Cheese's, McDonald's, Subway, Dairy Queen, Quiznos, Baja Fresh, Rocky Rococo, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Buffalo Wild Wings, Waffle House, Qdoba Mexican Grill, Fazoli's, Moe's Southwest Grill, Zaxby's, Potbelly Sandwich Works, and at select Piccadilly Cafeterias; it is available in the northeast at Dennys, Longhorn Steakhouse, TGI Fridays, Ruby Tuesday's, 5 Guys, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Quik Check convenience stores. It's also available on board of Continental Airlines flights. Some fountains and vending machines still have Mr. PiBB labels, even though it has been replaced by Pibb Xtra. Pibb Xtra is also available in other areas such as Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and is limited in New York. In Western New York, even though Pibb's rival Dr. Pepper is bottled by Pepsi bottlers, Coke bottlers have not made Pibb available, and do not bottle any rival to Dr. Pepper. Though it is widely available as a fountain drink, it is not available in bottles or cans in New Jersey.
[edit] Nutrition facts
In an 8 ounce serving of Pibb Xtra, there are 97 calories, all of which are from sugar. There are 28 mg of sodium, and 26 g of carbohydrates.[4]
[edit] Video game
In the 1990s, the marketers of Mr. Pibb distributed a video game. It featured a cartoon man similar to the cartoon used on the original Mr. Pibb can, whose mission was to escape from a school inhabited by zombies. He defeated the zombies by burping at them and he could increase his burp capacity by drinking Mr. Pibb. This video game was played through MS-DOS on a PC, and was distributed in floppy disk format (3.5" diskette) and (less common) PC CD-ROM.
It was given away free with a large Mr. Pibb at some McDonald's in the fall of 1998.
[edit] References
- ^ Janos, Leo (1973), "Understanding Dr Pepper", Texas Monthly 1 (1 [1])
- ^ Dougherty, Philip H. (1973), "Advertising: Howdy to Mr. Pibb; Furs, Feathers, Fins Direct Mail Doings People", The New York Times (June 27): 109
- ^ Coca-Cola Brand Fact Sheet - Pibb Xtra
- ^ http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/mail/goodanswer/soft_drink_nutrition.pdf
