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Showing posts with label Soda. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Soda. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 08, 2016

Go 'n Joy Stores

Outside of Vancouver, WA Go 'n Joy store, circa 1981. Image: WSU Libraries Digital Collection
From the outside of it, Go 'n Joy convenience stores looked like your typical early 1980s convenience store chain.
 
As well as the inside of it. They made fresh deli sandwiches, had a full selection of potato chips, beer, candy and soda. As well as various other quick must-buys like milk, bread and eggs. They had a cold soda/Icee fountain. There were a couple of arcade video games in the front of the store. Pretty average stuff for a convenience store chain in 1981.

Nothing really seemed out of the ordinary. Except that this chain literally went from idea to 17 locations that sprang up within a period of a few months in western Washington State in early 1981 (something even your most ambitious retail chain doesn't do.) They had further plans of expansion of up to 30 stores at this time.

What are these places?, people began to ask. And how did they get so big, so fast? It seemed pretty strange. But nothing to be concerned over really, just odd.

The Washington State Liquor Control Board wanted to know too, as they were licensing each store for beer and wine sales (Hard liquor was still sold in state-run liquor stores at that time.) Their concern was knowing who actually owned the chain.

But after wandering through a maze of various shell companies and people who seemed to change positions within the company on a dime, the investigations revealed one common link; the various operatives of Go 'n Joy, from distributors to several franchise operators revealed ties to Rev. Sun Myung Moon and his Unification Church.

The Unification Church is a religion with a large worldwide membership (known as "Moonies"), but is still considered a cult by many. But this was a cult with a difference. While most cults were considered dirty Commie free-love hippies who are against capitalism by most people in post 1960s America, the Unification Church not only embraced capitalism, but made it front and center in it's various operations. They hated Communism. Members were clean and upstanding people.

One of my neighbours was a Moonie. He drove a nice car and owned a restaurant. At no time during my first two months of knowing him had I ever suspected he was a Moonie. But one day, religion snuck into our conversation and he casually mentioned he was a member of the Unification church. I wasn't upset or nervous about it. He didn't try to convert me. It was his thing, not mine.

But alternative religions were not looked upon kindly in 1981. We were a nation still in shock over the 1978 People's Temple mass suicide and anti-cult groups sprang up for families to "deprogram" other family members who were inducted into them.


The revelation of this chain being owned by the Moonies led to assorted accusations of the true intent of Go 'n Joy stores. Some parents believed the Unification Church was actively using the store chain as a front to lure young people into the religion.

While many young people (including myself at that time) occasionally stopped at a Go 'n Joy for a burrito and a soda, maybe played a video game, no one there ever gave me any leaflets. Nor do I remember seeing any. No one there ever asked me if I heard of Reverend Moon, that kind of thing. They wouldn't have lasted ten minutes if they did in that more religiously partisan time.

Unable to control the negative publicity, the Go 'n Joy chain was quietly sold. Some locations were sold to 7-Eleven, which used some locations as expansion outlets for their then recent acquired Hoagy's Corner chain of deli/convenience stores. Others to independent operators. In 1982, Rev. Moon was convicted of tax fraud and sentenced to 18 months in federal prison.

The Unification Church still owns lots of businesses. But today, the same outrage there was in 1981 doesn't exist now as people today are less concerned with the religion of a business operator and more eager for a good deal.

Rev. Sun Myung Moon passed away in 2012.

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Frozen Sodas



Ooooooh....What's this?

Chills & Thills was a cherry and orange flavoured (artificially of course) frozen soda concentrate made from 1967-68 that was apparently targeted to those hip young people that were probably influenced by Timothy Leary. Or wanted to be.

You mixed it with tap water, which made it fizz into a thick foamy (and judging from the film degradation on these commercials, possibly psychedelically bright coloured) goo you ate with a spoon.....


....and once you hit brainfreeze, you begin acting like this lady.

But Chills & Thrills wasn't the first frozen soda concentrate. That distinction belongs to an earlier Bird's Eye product called Sodaburst.


Sodaburst was a frozen instant ice cream soda fountain drink made from 1963-64. It came in four flavours. All chocolate, "Black & White" (chocolate syrup and vanilla), Strawberry and Pineapple. Plus a scoop of vanilla ice cream in each one. Just add tap water.

The problem here likely, as mentioned in the TV ad, was the price. If it was too pricey, mom was not buying it. And chances are, it probably didn't taste very good.

Wednesday, September 02, 2015

Canfield's Diet Peanut Fudge Soda, 1989

Special thanks goes out to reader/contributor Peter Laurence of Camarillo, CA for this shocking find - PEANUT fudge flavoured soda?

"Here are some pictures...First, there's the can. The rest is for Geeks of different types.  You've got the ingredients, the NutraSweet label (The patent on aspartame expired, but it still exists.) and the bar code.  I tried the code on my QR reader, and it comes up unknown.

The can is unopened, but the contents have evaporated over time.  It is about 1/3 full."
All photos courtesy of Peter Laurence.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Tab Flavors of the 1970s


It wasn't ONLY just cola. In the 1970s, Tab had a line of diet soda flavors. (Photos: USA Soda)






Sunday, February 01, 2015

Friday, May 23, 2014

MTV Hot Hits From Cherry 7-Up Cassette (MCA Special Products, 1988)

These cassettes were loss leaders, yours free with two 2 liter bottles of Cherry 7-Up in 1988.






Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Gatorade Cola





A short lived competitor in the cola wars, Gatorade Cola was introduced in the late 1960's. It was made and distributed by the RC Cola company for Stokely-Van Camp, the then-makers of Gatorade thirst quencher drink.

Friday, September 27, 2013

It's An Outrage!: Pepsi Products Available In Japan, But Not In America


Pepsi Flavoured Cheetos



Shame on Pepsi! Don't they think American foodies wouldn't love to try these here?

Friday, September 20, 2013

Pussy Pop


Yes this was a REAL product. In 1981, the Pet Beverage Company of Covington, KY made this. It was allegedly chicken flavoured. However, cats are persnickety and most don't like carbonation.

(And just what were you thinking....Hmmm?.....)

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Take 10 Minutes To Learn The Metric Way!


Ahhh......the metric system. To this day the US, Burma (Myanmar) and Liberia are the only nations in the world who have not formally adopted the metric system.

While the US has authorized the use of the metric system since 1866, outside of science and a few other places, it was largely ignored. In 1975, Congress authorized a ten year plan for national conversion. Which seemed like a good idea.  Canada and Mexico already adopted it

And PSAs like this began appearing. (I remember watching this - my elementary school teachers were (quite reluctantly) trying to teach it and I tried to explain it to my mom and how nearly every country in the world uses it and now the US was changing over. She rolled her eyes and said with deadpan sarcasm "Wow. And all this time, I thought we won the war.....")

Today you find some uses of the metric system. Namely this:

And along the borders for our Canadian and Mexican friends

Speed limit sign in Blaine, WA.....just a few meters over the border.......
 
 And virtually all retail food/drink and household products in America have both standard (or imperial) and metric measurements listed on their containers. Wine and spirit bottles are also metrically portioned. And it's ubiquitous in the illegal drug trade. Foreign imported bikes also use metric nuts and bolts (I found this out with my old Peugeot 10 speed.)

So what happened?

Simple, for the most part, we Americans resisted. In fact, the government gave up around 1982 and closed the metric conversion office when then President Reagan made the first sweeping wave of government cutbacks, ending all funding for a national conversion.

However there are still a few hopeful holdouts. But it's doubtful Americans will ever convert.   

Monday, April 01, 2013

BREAKING NEWS: Pepsi Trademarks 'Jazz'


PepsiCo, the world's second largest soft drink company, has claimed trademark protection on the word "Jazz" and has issued cease and desist orders to anyone currently using the word other than in reference to their diet cola product of that name.

Pepsi Jazz has been on the market since 2006, while the word "j---" goes back to around 1915, but PepsiCo was able to exploit a loophole in the burgeoning field of ridiculous intellectual property claims. "No one had trademarked the word," said Pepsi spokesbastard Phil Clabbard, "so we took the opportunity to secure our brand property. We feel this will eliminate confusion that may be usurping our brand integrity and product recognition. From now on, when anyone says 'Jazz,' everyone will know they mean 'Pepsi Jazz.'"


More below.....

























































APRIL FOOL!!!!

(http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=28849#.UT_eeqrIkiw)

Friday, August 31, 2012

A Virtual Time Warp To 1975......

I found this awesome YouTube clip that will REALLY take you back to 1975.

It's an unscoped aircheck from a rock station, "The All New K-Keg 92" KKEG-FM Fayetteville, AR from 1975.

Complete with music, jock and original commercials. The guy who posted this said he found it on an 8-Track tape somebody recorded and he transferred it on YouTube.

".....this was most likely recorded in order for the owner to be able to listen to the radio while driving through the dead-air area between Fayetteville and Little Rock that existed in NW Arkansas during the mid-70s......."

And believe me, this can take you there and beyond. I don't know who Bo James was, but he definitely had the right sound for this format.

This was what Classic Radio REALLY sounded like back in the day. You'll hear the Doobie Brothers cover version of "Jesus Is Just Alright" ad nauseum today. But NEVER the Byrds ORIGINAL.

See how much of this music you haven't heard in EONS - if at all. (Segues like Blood Sweat & Tears cover of "Ride Captain Ride" into "Liar" Queen anyone?)



KKEG is still on the air and still rockin', but they've moved up the dial to 98.3 FM. KKEG's original 92.1 frequency is now home to an ESPN sports station. 

Pop open a can of Tab and enjoy......

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Bonne Bell Lip Smackers


Bonne Bell Lips Smackers were a lip gloss that came in SUPER cool flavours. Like Coca Cola, Dr, Pepper, 7-Up, Hires Root Beer, Orange Crush and many others.

But alas, it was a lip gloss for girls. The boys were stuck with ChapStick....unless they wanted their lips really shiny...... 

UPDATE: They're still available (in "Party Packs" even!)

http://www.lipsmacker.com/productListing.php?id=8


Saturday, August 04, 2012

My-Te-Fine




The old house brand of Fred Meyer stores.......

Thursday, August 02, 2012

Pepsi Light


Pepsi Light was a saccharin flavoured sweetened diet soda which came out in the late '70s. It was flavoured with lemon, which was a good thing, but did nothing to overcome the saccharin aftertaste. Pepsi somehow never though of making a regular version of this soda, which I think would have been a much bigger hit.

Later in the '80s, the lemon flavouring was removed for some reason and the product tanked. It was just a poor imitation of their own Diet Pepsi.