The drink was first sold in Waco, Texas in 1885, and was introduced nationally in the United States at the 1904Louisiana Purchase Exposition. The exact date of Dr Pepper's conception is unknown, but the U.S. Patent Office recognizes December 1, 1885 as the first time Dr Pepper was served. It is the oldest widely sold soft drink in production today, although Hires Root Beer, Vernor'sginger ale and Moxie and several other soft drinks are actually older. It was formulated by pharmacist Charles Alderton in Morrison's Old Corner Drug Store in Waco, Texas. To test his new drink, he first offered it to store owner Morrison, who also found it to his liking. After repeated sample testing by the two, Alderton was ready to offer his new drink to some of the fountain customers. They liked it as well. Other patrons at Morrison's soda fountain soon learned of Alderton's new drink and began ordering a "Waco." Alderton gave the formula to Wade Morrison, the owner of the drug store. A popular belief is that the drink was named after Morrison's former employer in Texas, but this has been disputed by the Dr Pepper company itself. They state that before moving to Texas, Morrison lived in Virginia near a Dr. Charles T. Pepper, and may have been close to Pepper's daughter at the time. The name is also reinforced by being an obvious play on "pep", i.e. providing quick energy to its consumer. kajkfakfakfak;ujf;ka;guklfahskdofhakdslgjak.
Unlike Coca-Cola and Pepsi, Dr Pepper is not marketed as a cola. Dr Pepper's flavor is allegedly derived from a mixture of soda fountain flavors popular when the drink was first devised. A partial list of these flavors can be seen at the bottling plant in Dublin, Texas; although the formula itself (with its twenty-three ingredients) is a closely-guarded secret. Contrary to a popular urban legend, Dr Pepper does not and never has contained prune or cherry juice. [1] In Texas, Dr Pepper is extremely competitive in the soft drink market, regularly outselling Pepsi.
The Dr Pepper Museum, located in Waco, Texas
There is also a Dr Pepper Museum in Waco, Texas. It is located in the Artesian Manufacturing and Bottling Company building in downtown Waco, and opened to the public in 1991. The Artesian Manufacturing and Bottling Company building was the first building to be built specifically to bottle Dr Pepper. The building was completed in 1906 and Dr Pepper was bottled there until the 1960s. The museum has three floors of exhibits, a working old-fashioned soda fountain, and a gift store full of Dr Pepper memorabilia. You can visit the museum's website at www.drpeppermuseum.com.
Distribution
In the United States, Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc. does not have a complete network of bottlers and distributors, so it is sometimes bottled under contract by Coca-Cola or Pepsi bottlers. In about 30% of the country, the product is distributed by Pepsi bottlers, in about 30% of the country by Coca-Cola bottlers, and in the remainder it is distributed by bottlers that are not affiliated with either of those companies.
In Canada, Cadbury-Schweppes has licensed distribution rights to PepsiCo. In Germany, Mexico, Sweden, The Netherlands, Slovakia, Finland, Austria, The Czech Republic, Belgium, Norway, and Canada, Cadbury-Schweppes owns the trademark and distributes the product. In all of the other countries of the world, The Coca-Cola Company purchased the trademark from Cadbury-Schweppes and distributes the product. This mixed worldwide ownership of the trademark is due to anti-trust regulations which prevented Coca-Cola from purchasing the rights everywhere.
The oldest Dr Pepper bottling plant is in Dublin, Texas, a small town 80 miles southwest of Fort Worth. In the 1970s, plant owner Bill Kloster (1918–1999) refused to convert the plant from cane sugar to less expensive corn syrup. Today, the plant is still in operation, and is the only U.S. source for Dr Pepper made with real cane sugar (from the Imperial Sugar company in Sugar Land, Texas). Dr Pepper of this nature is called Dublin Dr Pepper. Contractual requirements long limited the plant's distribution range to a 40-mile radius of Dublin, an area encompassing Stephenville, Tolar, Comanche, and Hico; however, sales to individual customers in non-commercial quantities were (and still are) allowed, and the plant sells its product over the internet.
Recently (as of 2003), Dublin Dr Pepper has expanded their shipping and the product is now distributed over most of Texas, and apparently available for direct sales via the net. Originally, the drink came in 8 fl. oz. glass bottles. It is also available in 12 fl. oz. cans produced by the Temple Bottling Company in the nearby city of Temple. These cans can be distinguished from normal Dr Pepper by the "Imperial Cane Sugar" labels on the front (also included on the bottles) and a tribute to Bill Kloster on the back. This should not be confused with Dr Pepper from Dublin, Ireland, where the drink is bottled by Coca-Cola Bottlers Ireland.
Name formatting
The period after "Dr" was discarded for stylistic and legibility reasons in the 1950s. Dr Pepper's logo was redesigned and the text in this new logo was slanted. The period made "Dr." look like "Di:". After some debate, the period was removed for good (it had been used off and on in previous logos), as it would also help remove any medical connotation with the product.
Advertising and product placement
The movie Short Circuit had many advertisements for Dr Pepper contained within it, including a notable slogan ("Wouldn't you like to be a pepper too?") used by the main protagonist Johnny 5. Dr Pepper was also featured in cross-promotion with several Marvel Comics movies, including X-Men 2, Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2. Likewise, characters from the respective movies appeared on Dr Pepper cans around the time of each film's release. Also, Dr Pepper is featured in many of Tom Hanks' movies, most notably in Forrest Gump and Cast Away.
Dr Pepper was introduced to the Australian market in 1997 with TV adverts and low priced half-sized cans sold through supermarkets, but an unsustained marketing push meant the soft drink did not gain widespread acceptance among consumers. Dr Pepper continued to be sold in 1.25 litre plastic bottles until as recently as late 2004 (in some regions), but has since quietly withdrawn from the market.
Dr Pepper was never officially introduced into the New Zealand market, but is becoming available after the demise of the brand in Australia. As of 2005, Dr Pepper is available in 335ml cans either sold separately or in 6-packs across the country in most supermarkets. Also available from specialty and convenience stores.
2006: "Can You Handle The Taste?" (seen in Denmark)
Other flavors
Sugar Free Dr Pepper was introduced in 1974, reformulated in 1990 and renamed Diet Dr Pepper. According to Cadbury-Schweppes, Diet Dr Pepper is the leading non-cola diet soda.
Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper was released in some areas on October 15, 2004. The beverage tastes similar to Dr Pepper but has cherry and vanilla flavors added. Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper is the first drink in the planned "Fountain Classics" line of beverages from Dr Pepper, a range of drinks designed to taste similar to popular soda fountain drinks from the 1950s. It is now availible in all areas of the U.S.File:Diet cherry vanilla dr pepper.jpgDiet Cherry Vanilla Doctor Pepper
Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper, which has zero calories, is also availible. It was the pilot and was on the shelves before the non-diet version. The Diet version of the drink is now a pilot in Canada.
Imitations
Many imitations of Dr Pepper exist and can often be identified by the use of "Dr" in their name. One of the most well-known competitors is Pibb Xtra, formerly called "Mr. Pibb", which attempts to emulate Dr Pepper's flavor. Other imitators are given in list and link format at this site. Comedian Mitch Hedberg, on the subject of Mr. Pibb and Dr Pepper, once said "Mr. Pibb is a replica of Dr Pepper, but it's a bullshit replica, 'cuz dude didn't even get his degree. Why did you have to drop out of school and start making pop so soon?" [2]
