MelloYello Redesign and Rebirth

So this is pretty cool. I don’t think I’ve ever seen MelloYello sold in Hawaii before but I do remember it as being the brand that sponsored Cole Trickle’s car in the 90’s flick Days of Thunder. Although MelloYellow was released in 1979 to compete with Pepsi’s Moutain Dew, it has been regulated mainly to the Midwest and Southeast parts of the United States.

That’s about to change, though, as the Coca-Cola Company is set to bring MelloYello to the masses (that means the Northeast and Western United States) complete with a vintage 1979 redesign. the redesign comes to us courtesy of Norwegian graphic designer Mats Ottdal and was designed at Stag & Hare in New York City.

My only question is, MelloYello, when are you coming to Hawaii?

Root Beer Mozart

YouTube star, MysterGuitarMan, takes music to the next level with his rendition of the overture of “Die Zauberflöte” by Mozart. Now I’m thirsty for some root beer!

Mobile Phone Runs on Coke

London based designer Daizi Zheng created this Nokia concept eco-friendly phone that does not run on batteries, but instead uses Coca-Cola. The device uses the sugar found in the coke to power the fuel cells found on the device. Of course, you could use any sugar based power product to power the fuel cells but saying that the phone runs on Coke instantly makes the story sexy. Not sure if you’ll be able to find this at your local AT&T , Verizon or T-Mobile store anytime soon, but it is fun to think about the power of science.

“This is a client project aimed at designing an eco-friendly phone for Nokia. As a result of my research, I discovered that conventional phone batteries are: expensive, harmful to the environment and difficult to dispose of. In addition, the conventional battery manufacturing process consumes many valuable resources. The concept is based on the idea to create a pollution free environment by using bio-batteries as an alternative to conventional batteries. A bio-battery is an ecologically friendly, energy supply system which uses enzymes as a catalyst to generate electricity from carbohydrates (currently sugar). In order to use the bio-battery as a power source for the phone all that is required is a small supply of a sugary drink. Once the battery dies only oxygen and water remains. Bio-batteries are fully biodegradable and have, on a single charge, a potential life-span three to four times longer than conventional lithium batteries. Meanwhile, bio-batteries are a whole new way of looking at batteries and afternoon tea.”

Via TreeHugger.

Nasty New York City Anti-Soda Ad Campaign

Let’s be honest, soda tastes good but it surely isn’t good for you. The empty calories lead to unwanted fat and no one wants that. And now it looks like the New York City Department of Health is taking it upon themselves to combat the fizzy calorie booster. The NYC DOH recently started a print and TV ad campaign that shows the nasty side of soda -- the side that cause you to gain unwanted pounds. The TV ad is especially disgusting as it shows a man sipping on what seemingly looks like lard. Next time you think of sipping down an ice cold coke, think of these ads.

You can learn more about the ad campaign at the official NYC Department of Health website.

What do you think, would these ads deter you from drinking soda?

Afri Cola

Talk about amazing product shot. The sexy and svelte Afri Cola bottle makes me want to jump on a plane to Germany and find a bottle for myself. Prior to seeing this on ffffound, I had never heard of Afri Cola. At first I thought that Afri Cola was a new trendy drinky, instead, it has quite a history having been first introduced to the German public in 1931. For a short time in the 90’s, Afri Cola was available in select cities in the US, including Seattle and Minneapolis. Afri Cola is also available in Austria, France, Saudi-Arabia, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

Via Below The Clouds.

OK Soda

I tend to like my beverages to be better than OK so when I found out about the beverage known as OK Soda, I had to cringe. That cringe turned into a nod of approval once I saw the packaging of this now extinct drink. The can has a great sense of design and typography. It makes me wish that the “big boys” like Coca-Cola and Pepsi would re-imagine some of their current and stale packaging designs. Ironically, Coca-Cola was responsible for developing the drink, but ultimately failed to capture an audience for it.

“OK Soda was a soft drink created by The Coca-Cola Company in 1993 that aggressively courted the Generation X demographic with unusual advertising tactics, including endorsements and even outright negative publicity. It did not sell well in select test markets and was officially declared out of production in 1995 before reaching nation-wide distribution. The drink’s slogan was Things are going to be OK.”

Colorless Coca-Cola Can

This eco-friendly colorless design is concept work done by New York based industrial designer, Ryan Harc. The idea was to create a can minus the spray painted color and featuring an embossed like surface instead. I actually like the minimalistic look of the can and can appreciate the thought behind it.

“A convex logo substitutes colorfully sprayed can. Naked can help to reduce air and water pollution occurred in its coloring process. It also reduces energy and effort to separate toxic color paint from aluminum in recycling process. Huge amount of energy and paint required to manufacture colored cans will be saved. Instead of toxic paint, manufacturers process aluminum with a pressing machine that indicates brand identity on surface.”

What do  you guys think? Is this something that you would like to see implemented? Do you prefer the classic red can? Or do you not care? 

Limited Edition ToFurkey and Gravy Jones Soda

Ok, this drinks sounds nasty. Very, very nasty. And so it is my duty as the author of this lovely drink blog to talk about it. How could I resist! It’s a ToFurkey and Gravy Soda. You can’t make something like that up, even if you tried. Having said that, I’ definitely give this drink a try!

“Some people are crazy for turkey around the holidays… others not so much. For those of you with veggie leanings, Jones teamed up with the good folks at Tofurky® to bring you a meatless option.”

Each limited edition gift pack includes:

• 1 Bottle of Jones Zilch Black Cherry
• 1 Bottle of Jones Zilch Pomegranate
• 1 Bottle of Jones Zilch Vanilla Bean
• 3 Bottles of ToFurkey
• 1 ToFurkey Metal Lunch Box.

Buy the Limited Edition ToFurkey and Gravy Soda from Jones Soday for $11.99.

Waialua Soda Works

I was introduced to Waialua Soda a few years ago and have been a fan ever since. I usually get the same two flavors, Root Beer and Pineapple, but I can definitely vouch for the Lilikoi flavored soda. The sodas comes in 12 oz bottles and offer a taste that is crisp, clean and refreshing. Waialua Soda is widely available in Hawaii and is also available at a few select mainland locations. You can also find it online at Pop Soda and Soda King.

“Waialua Soda Works, Inc. brings back the “experience” of drinking soda by using natural, high quality ingredients to create a refreshing and lightly carbonated gourmet soda. Down to the glass bottle, Waialua Soda Works is a source for the nostalgic soda connoisseur, and those who prefer to savor a purer beverage”

Buy Waialua Soda from Pop Soda for $1.09 a bottle.

Dungeons & Dragons Spellcasting Soda

I’ve never played Dungeons & Dragons in my life. Ever. But that doesn’t stop me from wanting to take a sip from these spellcasting sodas. It’ll make for the perfect compliment the next time you have friends over to play a little D&D. If you want these I’d recommend you order now because of high demand it can take up to 2 weeks for your soda to be delivered. I guess a lot of people play D&D. Who knew.

Buy the Limited Edition Dungeons & Dragons Spell Casting Soda from Jones Soda for $10.99 (6 Pack).