Something awful.

Just as I was about to reply to the email I had received from Larry Thomas, I noticed a link to a recent news story, on one of the beverage forums I had seen during my research. I decided to click on it, and it took me to this:

ATLANTA (AP) — June 7th, 2010

Coca-Cola Co. says it will distribute certain drinks made by Dr Pepper and Snapple (DPS) as part of a $715 million deal.

The agreement was announced Monday morning.

Under the terms of the deal, Coca-Cola (KO) will distribute Dr Pepper and Canada Dry ginger ale in the United States. It will also distribute drinks in Canada. Dr Pepper Snapple gets a one-time $715 million payment from Coca-Cola.

The beverages were previously distributed by Coca-Cola Enterprises, which Coca-Cola is acquiring. Monday's agreement replaces an established deal between Coca-Cola Enterprises and Dr Pepper.

The new agreement will last for 20 years and includes renewal options.

As part of the deal, Dr Pepper and Diet Dr Pepper will be included in Coke's new "Freestyle" fountain dispenser, which can mix more than 100 drinks.

Dr Pepper paid Coca-Cola between $115 million and $135 million to be the only non-Coke product on the high-tech dispenser, which is expected to be in 500 locations by the end of the summer.

In December, Dr Pepper inked a similar deal with Pepsi (PEP) for $900 million. Both Coca-Cola and Pepsi are trying to gain more control over their bottlers and distributors, hoping to get new drinks on shelves more quickly to keep up with changing tastes.

As I finished reading the story, the terrible realization hit me: if the rumours were true and Pibb was only available in places where Coca Cola didn't own the rights to distribute Dr Pepper, would this deal mean the end of Pibb? I started to panic. I needed some clarity, so I emailed my new friend Larry immediately:

From: Pibb Lover
To: Larry Thomas
Date: Thu, Jun 10, 2010 at 1:18 PM
Subject: Re: Hello my Pibb-loving brothers!
   
Hi Larry,

Thanks so much for your quick reply! I am extremely envious of the fact that you can get 12 packs of Pibb there - it seems crazy that they don't sell it in San Diego!

It's also exciting to hear that I'm not the only English person who's a fan of Pibb. We obviously have good taste!

I would definitely love to come and see your Pibb collection sometime soon, and document it for my blog! When are you usually available?

Also, I'd like to share some news with you. I was initially excited to read this news announcement, earlier today. However, my excitement soon turned to despair when I realised that the inclusion of Dr Pepper in Coke's new freestyle fountain dispenser might mean that Pibb gets left out, or discontinued entirely! Do you think that is possible? I am really hoping it won't be true. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

Many thanks,

San Diego Pibb Lover

This time, I had to wait a little longer for the response. Whilst I waited for an email to appear in my inbox, I decided to investigate something in the news story which had caught my eye: "the new 'Freestyle' fountain dispenser, which can mix more than 100 drinks". I found this story, on a local news site, which describes the new dispensers as "the soda fountain of the future" and then explains exactly how they work. I had to admit, they sounded amazing, but what would be the point of having the choice of so many new flavours if Pibb wasn't amongst them? It all seemed like a cruel joke.
 
Finally, after almost two agonising days of waiting, I received another reply from Larry. I opened it with trepidation, afraid of what it might say. This was his response:

From: Larry Thomas
To: Pibb Lover
Date: Sat, Jun 12, 2010 at 12:39 AM
Subject: Re: Hello my Pibb-loving brothers!
   
Hi again,

The way the Coca-Cola company has been bottling and distributing Pibb is rather confusing.  The way it's been for many years is that Coca-Cola will only bottle and distribute Pibb in regions where they were unable to secure a deal with Dr. Pepper.   Dr. Pepper requires a 'No Competition' clause in their agreement with Coke which forbids Coke from producing Pibb in every region where they have an arrangement with Coke.

The Coca-Cola company would much rather offer Dr. Pepper instead of their own brand (Pibb) and will only produce Pibb in areas where Pepsi or 7UP has obtained the rights to offer Dr. Pepper.  San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Los Angeles Counties have all been 'Dr. Pepper only' territories because Coke owns the rights to distribute Dr. Pepper in those areas.

But in Kern County (Bakersfield) and also the Fresno area, Coke does not have the right to distribute Dr. Pepper (Pepsi has that agreement) and so they can offer Pibb in cans and bottles to compete.  However in recent years Coke has chosen to scale back the production of Pibb in cans and bottles and it can now only be found in a few stores like Albertson's in Bakersfield.  Vons no longer offers it.

The fountain drink dispensing machines in fast food places and restaurants are a different situation and have nothing to do with the bottling agreements that I mentioned.  For many years Pibb was available at McDonalds but that is no longer the case.  McDonalds decided they wanted Dr. Pepper and so they switched over about 6 months ago.

My guess is that Pibb might be completely phased out at some point because it just hasn't been a good seller for Coke.   I hope that doesn't happen but it wouldn't surprise me if it did.

I read on your blog that you would like a copy of the Pibb game on floppy disc.  I'm sure I have some spares around and will give you one when you visit.  How soon do you want to come?  Sundays are usually good for me and it's also probably the best day to avoid traffic.  Any Sunday this month would probably be good for me but if you'd rather come on a different day I can arrange that as well.  Our collection is mostly packed in boxes now but we have some items out and I can open up a few of the boxes and show you some of our favorite items.

Bye for now.

Larry

Despite my excitement about getting a copy of the Mr Pibb game on disc, and a potential visit to meet Larry and see his Pibb collection, I was furious. How could Coca Cola be doing this? Were they insane? Didn't they care about people like Philip and Larry and I?

I couldn't take it any more. This was criminal! Somebody had to stand up for all the Pibb-lovers out there! I decided to write to Coca Cola.

Connecting with the Thomas brothers!

The day after discovering Pibbthug.com , I decided to send its creators a message:

From: sandiegopibb@gmail.com

To: webmaster@pibbthug.com
Date: Thu, Jun 10, 2010 at 7:17 AM
Subject: Hello my Pibb-loving brothers!
 

Dear Philip and / or Larry,

Hello!

Please allow me to introduce myself. I recently moved to San Diego from London, Englan and last December my wife (although she was actually still my fiancee at the time) took me to Florida, to meet my future in-laws. Whilst in Florida, I tried my first ever Pibb and, as you can imagine, I fell in love. I couldn't wait to come back to San Diego and stock up; living out the rest of my days in some kind of Pibb utopia. So I was devastated when I got back and realized that Pibb is not available here.

But I refused to give up on my dream that easily. I kept on looking, and never lost hope. And as a result, the San Diego Pibb Project was born.  A few days ago, I was doing some research for my blog; trying to find out more about the history of Pibb. I was amazed by how little is known about this topic, and how scarce the information is. So I had almost given up hope, when I stumbled upon your website. I couldn't believe it! I was delighted! Here were two other people with same passion as me!

I knew right away that I had to write to you both. Not only to thank you for your hard work and dedication to Pibb, but also to ask if I could have your consent, to mention your website on my blog and to use some of the facts you have gathered, on my quest to track down Pibb. Perhaps we could work together in some way! I would be happy to contribute to the "Availability" section of your website, if you wish. Maybe we could even all meet up someday, and celebrate the glory of Pibb together! I would certainly love to see your collection of Pibb memorabilia.

Anyhow, I hope you are both well, and I look forward to hearing from you.

All the best,

San Diego Pibb Lover

Then I sat and waited, patiently hoping for a response.

I didn't have to wait long. Just a few hours later, this appeared in my inbox:

From: Larry Thomas
To: Pibb Lover
Date: Thu, Jun 10, 2010 at 12:23 PM
Subject: Re: Hello my Pibb-loving brothers!

Hello!

Thanks for writing to us.  My brother Phil and I have been collecting Pibb memorabilia for over 15 years and have compiled the world's largest collection.  We previously had another Mr. Pibb web site called 'The Ultimate Pibb Site' (1997-2004) when we ran out of time to devote to it and had to let it go.  A couple of years later we started the new site (pibbthug.com) which still as a lot of work to be done on it.

Over the years we have done a lot of traveling around the country in our quest for collectibles, finding very rare items in places like Bishop, CA, Bakersfield, CA, Dallas, TX and Kansas City, MO.   Currently we buy Pibb Xtra in 12 packs at the Kmart store in Bishop, CA or the Albertson's in Bakersfield, CA.  As you know, some fast food places such as Del Taco have Pibb in the fountain machines as well.

Yes feel free to use whatever you want from our site on your blog.   We would love to meet up sometime and for you to see our collection.  We have a few spare collectible items that we could give you as well.  I am in Orange County (City of Orange) so that would only be about a 1.5 hour or less drive for you.  We also met someone else from Devon, England through our Pibb site and she has come over with her mother three times and visited us since 2004.  They love Pibb as well.

Hope to hear from you again soon.

Larry

I couldn't believe it! Not only had Larry replied, but he was happy to meet with me, and might even have some spare collectible items to give me! I felt like all my Christmases had come at once.

But then, just as I was about to reply, something awful happened.

Pibbophiles unite!

I only started this blog a few days ago, but I'm already learning that the quest for Pibb is an emotional rollercoaster. After my previous disappointing encounter with Wikipedia, I decided I'd have to delve deeper into cyberspace in order to find some answers to my questions about the mysterious origins of Mr Pibb. I typed "Pibb", "Mr Pibb" and "Pibb Xtra" into Google and then scoured the thousands of search results, but there was still a distinct lack of information available. All I got was some links to now-defunct forums, where people were arguing the merits of various drinks, or sharing anecdotes about their favourite beverages. Some of these forums suggested that the reason Pibb isn't available all over America is to do with a distribution deal between Coke, Pepsi, and Dr Pepper, but this was all laid out as rumours and hearsay, without any real sources quoted. It was all very disheartening. I began to lose hope. How could I continue the San Diego Pibb Project? This was useless. I needed concrete facts.

Then, something remarkable happened. I found not one, but two websites which are entirely devoted to Mr Pibb!

The first is the Unofficial Pibb Page, constructed by Chris Houser. In his list of things he has worked on, Chris states that he has co-authored a book, called The Joy Of Clojure. I had no idea what clojure was, so I decided to have a quick look at the first chapter of Chris' book, which is avilable free, online. Section 5 of the chapter is titled "Being Lazy And Set In Your Ways", which sounded like excellent advice to me, but on closer inspection turned out to be about some kind of computer programming language; it turns out clojure is the name of a particular type of code. Frankly, it was all a bit boring, and I thought the book was rubbish, but Chris is still all right by me, because he loves Pibb.

The first thing Chris says on his Pibb site is

Wow! You should really be proud of yourself! You have found a page dedicated to the most incredibly delicious beverage on the planet.

Which is very true. I was feeling proud of myself. Sadly, after that Chris's website goes downhill a bit. It hasn't really been updated since the late 1990s, and there's really not much on there anymore. However, on question 5 of the site's FAQ page, I found something amazing: a map of Pibb availability!

When I looked at the map, I was very upset. As I'd suspected, San Diego is classified as part of the "Fountain only" section of California; just down in the left hand corner of the West coast. What this means is that Pibb is available in some places in San Diego, but not for purchase in bottles or cans at the shops; only as a fountain drink, avilable from the drink dispensers in restaurants. Of course, this isn't as bad as living on one of the scattered purple patches of "No Mr Pibb" areas - I would be horrified if I lived there - but it's still far from perfect. Ever since I first tried Pibb, all I want to do is to be able to bring some home, keep it in my fridge, and enjoy it at my leisure. It seems ridiculous that I am unable to do so, in the ninth-largest city in the United States! The aim of this blog is to find a place that rectifies that problem; or at the very least plot out a map of all the places where I can get Pibb in some form, at short notice. Thanks to Chris's map, I now had a better idea of the regions that might have it in stock.

The second Pibb website I found was the marvellous Pibbthug.com, which was put together by two brothers, Philip and Larry Thomas. Here they are, look:

I'm not sure which one's Philip and which one's Larry, though, so you'll have to do your own guesswork there.

The Pibbthug site is a veritable goldmine of Pibb information, ranging from a complete and detailed history of the drink, to incredible stories about disastrous Coca Cola marketing campaigns! The Thomas brothers proudly state that their site is "committed to providing global fans with a PiBB cup-runneth-over wealth of information and images from PiBB's glorious 35-year history and will strive daily to deliver its promise to be 'the most comprehensive Mr. PiBB fan website ever' ". They also remind us that the "information presented on this website has been personally researched and compiled by Philip and Larry over the course of the last 13 years after countless hours spent in libraries and visiting dozens of different bottling facilities across the United States". Finally, they boast that their collection of Pibb memorabilia is "the largest of its kind, by far, in the entire world, and will go unmatched for all of eternity". Gosh!

As I looked through the pages of the Thomas brothers' site, I was overjoyed. Finally I had found someone whose passion for Pibb matched my own! And I had found some reliable information about the history of the drink! I felt rejuvenated, and was confident that the San Diego Pibb Project was not in vain; particularly as the brothers' relationship with Pibb had humble beginnings, and is very much like my own story:

for the first several years, their true refreshment was sourced only from fast-food restaurant fountain drink machines; residing in Southern California meant no access to canned or bottled PiBB. Just his poor-excuse cousin, Dr Pepper, made appearances in supermarkets, convenience stores and vending machines.

I like that term - "poor excuse cousin". I think it describes my own feelings about Dr Pepper pretty accurately, too.

I left the Pibbthug site with a sense of determination, jubilation, and unity. I'd hit the motherload, and I wasn't alone! I had found some kindred spirits! Perhaps the Thomas brothers might be able to help me on my quest! I decided to I'd better contact them.

WikiPibbia

After I'd finished my research on the definition of Pibb, I decided that my next step should be to try to learn about the history of the drink. Maybe by delving into the past and trying to learn the drink's origins I'd find some clues as to why it's only available in certain areas, or how I might be able to find it.

I started by looking in the same place as everyone else looks when they need some information about something: Wikipedia.

As you can see, the Wikipedia page for Pibb is woefully disappointing. There's only one exciting bit, which is where it explains that there used to be a Pibb video game in the 1990s:

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.

That sounds amazing, doesn't it! If anyone out there has a copy of this game, please get in touch. But, other than that, besides a couple of "media influence" anecdotes, there's no information on Wikipedia which you couldn't find by simply checking the brand page on the Coca Cola website. All it says about the drink's origins is this:

Introduced in June 1972 to compete against Dr Pepper, Mr. Pibb had a less widespread blend of flavors.

I don't know about you, but I don't like the tone of that. It's sounds like it's suggesting that Pibb is somehow inferior to Dr Pepper, which we all know is obviously untrue. It continues:

The original test markets for Mr. Pibb in 1972 were located in Waco, Texas (the birthplace of Dr Pepper).

Waco, Texas is of course also the place where seventy-six people died, in 1993, as a result of the infamous Waco Siege. It's unclear as to whether these tragic events were in any way connected to the 21st Anniversary of Mr Pibb, but it seems unlikely.

And, finally, the Wikipedia article states: 

In 2001, a new formula called Pibb Xtra was introduced with added cinnamon flavor, replacing the original formula in many parts of the US.

And that's it. It had become clear: I'd have to delve deeper, and do some investigating.

Map, Twitter, and RSS Feed

Right, this is going to be a constant work in progress, but I've set up a Google Map for the San Diego Pibb Project, and also a Twitter account. You can access the map at any time by clicking that tab above this blog that says "The San Diego Pibb Project Map", and you can access the Twitter account my clicking that little "t" in the style of the Twitter logo, on the top right hand side of the site. I'll post a note to the Twitter account every time I update this blog. You can also set up an RSS feed to this blog, by clicking the little orange icon next to the Twitter button. I'm not really sure what an RSS feed is, but it sounds good, doesn't it.

I've started the map by marking out all the places where I've looked for Pibb, in the San Diego area so far. The blue markers are places where Pibb is available, and the red markers are places where it is NOT available. If you click on the individual markers, you'll be able to read my notes on each location, as well as the availability and beverage pricing. Hopefully, by the time this project is over, this map will be the definitive guide to Pibb availability in the region.

Here it is. You can click to enlarge, if you want to see the whole thing.


View The San Diego Pibb Project Map in a larger map

The Definition Of Pibb

As you might imagine, after my return to San Diego from Florida, and the shocking realization that America wasn't quite the promised land of Pibb I had hoped for, I decided to do some research. I needed to know more about this delicious elixir. I wanted to find some answers.

I typed "Pibb" into Google and was immediately taken to the Coca Cola website. Apparently, Pibb is made by the Coca Cola company. Coca Cola's website has the following to say about Pibb:
 

Brand Name: Pibb Xtra

Pibb Xtra: In 2001, Pibb Xtra was introduced as a bolder version of the original Mr. Pibb taste. Its bold taste and graphics appeal to young adults who are looking to get the most out of life and the most out of their soft drink. It appeals to teens who are just gaining independence from home and looking for things to call their own. The soft drink enables them to have an uninhibited, fun and unconventional attitude and touts the sweet, refreshing bold taste they need to express their independence.

Available in the following flavor: Cherry Spice.

Available in the following locations: Mariana Islands and United States.

The website also contains a picture of the holy grail itself, a bottle of Pibb:

That description of Pibb Xtra on the Coca Cola site is quite exciting, isn't it. It claims that the drink itself actually enables people to have an uninhibited, fun and unconventional attitude! Incredible. I'm not sure I would go as far as to say it's done that for me, but I definitely enjoy drinking it. If anyone out there has a story of how they used to have trouble adopting an uninhibited, fun and unconventional attitude, but have been more able to do so since they started drinking Pibb, I would definitely like to hear it.  

I was also quite excited to read the part that says "Available in the following flavor: Cherry Spice". I had been quite frustrated in my previous attempts to accurately describe the taste of Pibb to people who hadn't tried it, but now I knew that the definitive description of the flavor was Cherry Spice.
 
I had also been equally frustrated with people who had tried it, suggesting that it was "the same as Cherry Coke" or that I should "just get a Dr Pepper because it's the same thing". Now I had proof that it wasn't. It was unique.

To clarify, the Coca Cola website has the following to say about Cherry Coke:  

Cherry Coke: For outgoing teens who love to have fun with lots of friends, cherry Coke combines the bold, exhilarating taste of cherry with Coca-Cola to add life to the party.

Available in the following flavor: Cherry Cola.

So they are clearly completely different drinks. Cherry Coke is for outgoing teens who love to have fun with lots of friends, whereas Pibb is for teens who are just gaining independence from home and looking for things to call their own. Furthermore, Cherry Coke has a Cherry Cola flavor, whereas Pibb is Cherry Spice.

 

Next, the Dr Pepper website FAQ states:

 

Q: What is the flavor of Dr Pepper supposed to be?

A: Dr Pepper is a unique blend of 23 flavors. The formula for Dr Pepper is proprietary information.

Q: Does this product come in other flavors?

A: Yes, Dr Pepper comes in Diet Dr Pepper, Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper, Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper, Caffeine-Free Dr Pepper, Caffeine-Free Diet Dr Pepper, Dr Pepper Cherry and Diet Dr Pepper Cherry.

So the suggestion that Dr Pepper is the same as Pibb is ludicrous. Dr Pepper is a unique blend of 23 flavors, whereas Pibb is Cherry Spice. Furthermore, Dr Pepper also comes in a special Dr Pepper Cherry flavor, which means that Dr Pepper itself cannot be cherry flavored. Sadly there was no description of the teens that drink Dr Pepper on their website, though.

 

Anyway, I hope that clarifies the unique taste of Pibb, and puts an end to any pointless comparisons with Cherry Coke or Dr Pepper.

 

I also quite like the term "Cherry Spice" as it reminds me of "Geri Spice"; Geri Halliwell, from the Spice Girls.

 

 

 

She was always my favourite. 

An Introduction

Hello. Welcome to the San Diego Pibb Project. Please allow me to explain.

I'm an Englishman. I was born and raised in London, but I now live in San Diego, California. I moved here in August 2009, and one of the things I was most excited about on my arrival was the opportunity to try all the different foods that are available here. However, after living here for a few months, I realised something: despite having a great variety of food on offer, Southern California seems to have a somewhat limited range of beverages to try. Sure, there's all the usual alcoholic drinks and sodas - Coke, Pepsi, 7Up, etc. - but very little else. After just a few months here I found myself missing the array of drinks I used to get back home - orange squash, lemon squash, cordials, Ribena, and so on. I felt like something was missing from my life.

Then, in December 2009, my wife (who was still my fiancée at the time) took me to Florida, to meet my future in-laws. On the final day of our trip, on our way to the airport, the in-laws offered to take us to a restaurant called Five Guys. In case you were wondering, Five Guys was founded in 1986 by Janie and Jerry Murrell and their four sons (with Jerry and the sons being the original "Five Guys")^. Jerry and Janie had a fifth son two years after opening their first restaurant; all five sons, the current "Five Guys", are now involved in the business. Anyhow, my in-laws said it was an excellent burger place - like an East Coast version of In'n'Out - and seemed confident that I would enjoy it. They weren't wrong.

But, little did they know: that visit to Five Guys would give me much more than just a tasty burger. In fact, it would change my life forever.

As I approached the restaurant's drinks fountain, I noticed a sign for something I had never heard of before: a drink called"Mr Pibb".

"What's Mr Pibb?" I asked my wife.
"I think it's a sort of Cherry Coke", she replied. "A bit like Dr Pepper."

I don't like Cherry Coke or Dr Pepper, but I decided to give it a try anyway. And, as soon as the liquid hit the back of my mouth and then flowed down my throat, I realised I had found a beverage to fill the void that had been left by all my old favourite drinks in England. It was delicious! This was exactly what I had been looking for, for all these months: a drink that was tasty, refreshing, sweet (but not TOO sweet), had a hint of cherry (but not as sickly as Cherry Coke), and tiny element of spice (but not as nauseating as Dr Pepper) and left a pleasant aftertaste.

It was perfect! I had found my new favourite drink! I couldn't wait to get back to San Diego and stock my fridge with this glorious Mr Pibb; I'd be able to sit out in the sun and watch the sunsets whilst sipping it. I could even take it to the beach with me!

So, when we got back from Florida, I rushed out to the shops. And then, tragedy struck. This was not to be. My dreams were about to be shattered. One after the other, the shopkeepers all shook their heads and turned me away, empty-handed. Ralphs, Vons, Albertsons, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Henry's... every store was the same. None of them stocked Mr Pibb. It had all been in vain. I was devastated.

But I couldn't just forget Mr Pibb. Not so easily. Instead, I checked Google, to try to find San Diego stockists. Again, nothing. But I realized that I was not alone. There was a chorus of voices out there, all searching for Mr Pibb, somewhere out there in Southern California.

I vowed to not give up hope. I would lead this chorus, and track Pibb down. And, sure enough, it was only a few weeks later, when I found myself in a restaurant, and noticed they were serving something called Pibb Xtra, right here in San Diego! I tasted it, and it was just as satisfying as the original Mr Pibb. I was overjoyed. Then, a few weeks later, it happened again; I found another place serving Pibb! Slowly I began to note down the names of these places where I could get my regular Pibb fix; connecting the dots all around San Diego, like a treasure map.

At this point I remembered my friend James Ward, from London, and I thought of his London Twirls project. And I realised I shouldn't just keep this information to myself; I had to get it out there. I had to spread the word! I had to make sure my fellow Pibb-lovers could get their fix of Pibb, too! So I decided that it would be a good idea to set up Google Map, to plot my progress. Indeed, you might notice that some of this blog uses a similar layout to that of the London Twirls Project, and for that my thanks go to James Ward.

So, that's the story behind this blog. It's the simple story of one man's quest for the elusive Mr Pibb, and a map of that journey.

I hope you like it.