Pibb Xtra
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Pibb Xtra | |
|---|---|
 The Pibb Xtra logo |
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| Type | Cola |
| Manufacturer | The Coca-Cola Company |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Introduced | 1971 |
| 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. It is currently sold in the Mariana Islands and the United States. Mr. Pibb is considered similar to Dr. Pepper in taste, but with a slightly different more seasonal and exotic flavor.
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[edit] History
Mr. PiBB was introduced in July 1971 to compete against Dr Pepper and has a very similar taste, but was sweeter and not as sharp as Dr Pepper.[citation needed]
In 2001, a new flavor called Pibb Xtra was introduced with added cinnamon and cherry flavor, replacing the original flavor in many parts of the U.S. Some regions had both variations for sale at the same time.
There is currently an online petition to bring back the old version, Mr. PiBB, to areas that no longer receive shipments of Mr. PiBB, but rather Pibb Xtra. This petition has around 1800 signatures.[1]
The soda has a small but loyal following in many parts of the United States, especially the South. A diet version was also available into the 1990s in some markets, notably Texas. Some cans were uniquely shaped. Instead of the traditional cylinder, the can had faceted sides.
Mr PiBB's slogan in the 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, Kansas, 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. It can be found in these regions in fountain form in restaurants such as Wendy's, McDonald's, Subway, Quiznos, Rocky Rococo's, Chipotle, Buffalo Wild Wings, Waffle House, Qdoba Mexican Grill, Potbelly Sandwich Works, and at select Piccadilly Cafeterias; it is available in the northeast at Dennys, TGI Fridays, 5 Guys, and Quik Check convenience stores. 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, West Virginia, Colorado and Upstate Pennsylvania.
[edit] Nutrition facts
In a 20 ounce bottle of Pibb Xtra there are 240 calories, zero of which are from fat. There are 70 mg of sodium, 65 g of carbohydrates, and 64 g of sugar.
[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). More data is needed to assess whether this marketing strategy worked.
[edit] In popular culture
Mr. PiBB is mentioned several times throughout the series American Dad as it is Stan Smith's favorite drink. It is a big part of the sub-plot in the episode "A.T. The Abusive Terrestrial", where Stan and Francine try to save the original Mr. Pibb drink from being discontinued. Eventually they meet a man named Mr. Pibb (voiced by Peter Graves) who introduces them to Pibb Xtra.
Mr. PiBB was also in an episode of King of the Hill, where Dale fills Hank's lawnmower with the soft drink instead of gasoline.
On December 17, 2005, the "Lazy Sunday" sketch on Saturday Night Live included the line "Mr. Pibb & Red Vines equal CRAZY DELICIOUS," rapped by Andy Samberg and Chris Parnell.
Mr. PiBB is featured on a Family Guy episode where Peter Griffin tells of his living with Superman. A flashback follows leading to Peter asking Superman to go to the grocery store as they have run out of Mr. PiBB and Cheez-Its.
In the Yes, Dear episode "Worst In Show", Greg is excited to find a Mr. Pibb machine at the veterinarian's office.
Mr. PiBB is spoken about in the movie Slither, Jack MacReady goes off in a tantrum screaming about the circumstances and how there is no Mr. PiBB. It's the only coke he likes.
In the Scrubs episode "My Long Goodbye", Elliot Reid tells a story of a quiz she took in school about Mt. Dew's original name, and gives Carla a piece of trivia about Mr. Pibb, claiming it was originally called Señor Brown Water.
In the movie Zoom, Tim Allen (or Zoom) nicknamed the Zenith Program's robotic assistant Mr. PiBB, after the cola drink.
In the Simpsons episode "Homer Alone", Selma and Patty babysit Lisa and Bart and offer them a choice of beverages including "Clamato, Mr. Pibb, and soy milk".
[edit] Other
During the 1993 Nascar Winston Cup season, it was an associate sponsor to Hut Stricklin's Ford Thunderbird.
Mr. PiBB was also the name of a character in four skits featured on the 2004 Adam Sandler album Shhh...Don't Tell.
