Best-Selling Sodas From the Past That Sadly No Longer Exist

Released: 1963
Invented by: The Coca-Cola Company
Original Price: $0.05/$0.44 (with inflation)*

Considering just how many drinks are unleashed upon the world, sticking around for the best part of 60 years is very impressive for any brand. Tab soda was a Coca-Cola product that customers first tasted in 1963. It was one of the first diet drinks ever to hit the market. 

@coca-cola/Twitter.com

As a result, Tab was almost instantly popular. It enjoyed incredible sales for many years until Coca-Cola ultimately killed it off itself by introducing Diet Coke in 1982. Tab hung on, but production waned and it gradually faded into the background. Coke finally discontinued it in 2020, much to the chagrin of longtime fans. 

Released: 1997
Invented by: The Clearly Food & Beverage Company
Original Price: $0.55/$0.92 (with inflation)*

Of all the interesting sodas to ever hit the market, Orbitz might be up there with the best of the best – at least in terms of marketing. The carbonated clear soda made by Cleverly Canadian had floating bits inside of it, sort of like bubble tea. 

Orbitz Bubble Soda ©Ortbiz Soft Drink/Wikimedia

But perhaps the most interesting part of all was its advertising strategy that claimed it was from the “bowels of the Orbiterium.” One of the drink’s defining features was that it was one of the first food products to have its website printed on the bottle. 

Released: 1993
Invented by: PepsiCo. 
Original Price: $0.50/$0.88 (with inflation)*

When Pepsi introduced Crystal Pepsi, it spared no expense. It even bought a costly Super Bowl commercial, hoping that it would be enough to intrigue consumers and explode onto the market. However, the “pure” soda gimmick fell flat and by 1994 it was just a failed memory. 

@flipboard234/Twitter.com

That didn’t stop some Pepsi trying to make the same concept fit with other brands like 7UP though, but again, there were more flops than successes. You have to admire Pepsi’s constant refusal to give up on creating new and interesting sodas, even if they rarely work. 

Released: 1986
Invented by: PepsiCo. 
Original Price: $0.29/$0.71(with inflation)*

We all know that soda isn’t particularly good for you, but that doesn’t stop some brands from trying to make themselves look a little more appealing to health-conscious consumers. Back in 1986, Apple Slice was the lighter version of other sweeter drinks like 7Up. 

@FetchRetro/Instagram

By sticking “Contains 10% juice” on the can, the marketing company probably thought it would be head and shoulders above the rest of the fruity drinks. Indeed, it sold for a very honorable 10 years before Pepsi decided to pull the plug and explore pastures new. 

Released: 1995
Invented by: PepsiCo.
Original Price: $0.50/$0.88 (with inflation)*

Josta managed to stick around for four years after it was introduced onto the American market in 1995, but something about the guarana soda just didn’t hit the right chord with consumers. Although it was an honorable try, guarana sodas have never been a favorite for Uncle Sam’s masses. 

@Thrillest/Twitter.com

Pepsi tried its hardest to make it work but it never really took off. You may not be able to find it in Walmart now, but guarana-based drinks are still popular in countries like Brazil, so if you ever go on vacation there you might be able to get your hands on something similar.

Released: 1985
Invented by: The Jolt Company, Inc. 
Original Price: $0.50/$1.24 (with inflation)*

Energy drinks are moderated these days, with parents largely choosing to keep their kids away from high-caffeine drinks for good reason. In fact, in some countries you can’t buy energy drinks when you’re under a certain age. That being said, rewind a couple of decades, and Jolt Cola was still on the shelves. 

Jolt Cola @RealJoltCola / Facebook.com

Its proud tagline exclaimed, “Twice the sugar and twice the caffeine.” If you needed a boost that would send you flying through the ceiling coupled with an intense sugar crash, Jolt was your drink. Jolt managed to stay on shelves until 2009 before the parent company was bought out.

Released: 1983
Invented by: The Coca-Cola Company
Original Price: $0.35/$0.94 (with inflation)*

Say what you want about ‘80s soda Quatro, but there’s no doubt it had some of the jazziest branding around. The fruit-flavored drink wasn’t an American creation, but rather one that was sold in the UK for a few years before it disappeared off the map. 

@retro-hen/Twitter.com

Although Quatro did enjoy some success in Blighty, Coca-Cola decided to switch it up and rebrand it as a grapefruit-flavored creation that would better suit the market in South America, where it has remained on shelves since 1996. Coca-Cola has a very vast portfolio that extends across the world. 

Released: 1997
Invented by: The Coca-Cola Company
Original Price: $0.55/$0.92 (with inflation)*

Energy drinks have been heavily criticized over the last few years, but back in the ‘90s, they were still all over the place. Surge was created by Coca-Cola and certainly looked like it would appeal to the younger generation. The bright green color couldn’t be missed. 

Surge Soda @PelicanRockPictures/YouTube

Surge managed to stay in production for the next six years after first hitting the shelves in 1997. Although it was popular in some circles, it ultimately wasn’t lucrative enough for Coke to keep pushing ahead with it. 

Released: 1994
Invented by: The Coca-Cola Company
Original Price: $0.50/$0.90 (with inflation)*

There’s no denying that the name Fruitopia sounds good. Coca-Cola decided to throw this one out there in 1994, hoping to get a larger slice of the teen market. Coke had seen just how well Snapple had done with its fruit drinks, and you know what they say – imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. 

Fruitopia @TheMiniMaid/Twitter.com

However, Fruitopia ended up struggling to compete with other big juice brands like Minute Maid, so by the 2000s, the jig was up. It was a sad day for Fruitopia fans when it was taken off the shelves, but Coca-Cola still remained on top.

Released: 1983
Invented by: Dr. Pepper Snapple Group
Original Price: $0.30/$0.45 (with inflation)*

It’s fair to say that root beer is incredibly popular in the United States, which might explain why Snapple tried to jump on the bandwagon way back in 1983. At this point in Snapple’s development, they had yet to produce the drinks that they are best known for today. So, while this soda and others were undeniably good, they would end up being pushed out in favor of a new direction. 

@msmetalprincess/Twitter.com

It’s a crying shame as by all accounts Dr. Pepper’s Snapple’s Tru Root Beer was a tasty beverage that deserved to stick around for longer. That being said, Snapple didn’t do too badly over the years so it probably doesn’t regret a thing. 

Released: 1987
Invented by: Minute Maid division of The Coca-Cola Company
Original Price: $0.40/$0.94 (with inflation)*

Hi-C Ecto Cooler actually started out life as a way to promote The Real Ghostbusters series. The show got plugged, while Coca-Cola benefited from sales. It was a win-win for both companies. Although Coke thought it would just produce the “100% vitamin C” drink for as long as the show lasted, it actually outlived the program. 

Hi-C Ecto Cooler @u/TirelessGuardian / Pinterest.com

The series was axed in 1991, but the drink continued to live on for a decade afterward. 2001 saw the product get discontinued as Coke turned the Minute Maid brand to focus on more relevant items at the time.

Released: 1988
Invented by: Dr. Pepper Company
Original Price: $0.40/$0.90 (with inflation)*

7Up is still a popular drink today, but back in the ‘80s, Dr. Pepper was trying to figure out a way to give it a little more spice. Unlike the most popular version of 7Up, 7Up Gold had a spicy cinnamon ginger flavor. However, it went directly against the branding that 7Up had always stuck to. 

7Up Gold @FT Depot/YouTube

With the original 7Up, the company made it clear it prided itself on not including caffeine, but 7Up Gold had this as one of the ingredients. Consumers were ultimately confused by the sudden switch, so the product was pulled two years later after flagging sales. 

Released: 1919
Invented by: Sweet Valley Products Co. 
Original Price: $0.03/$0.46 (with inflation)*

At first glance, Bubble Up looks a lot like 7Up. The brand was created by Sweet Valley Products Co. and actually hit the market way back in 1919. At the time of its creation, the soda was actually grape-flavored, but this changed and it was rebranded as a lemon and lime drink. 

@CollectorsWeekly/Instagram

The company ended up changing hands several times over the years, before gradually petering out. While Bubble Up is still technically an active brand, it’s no longer one of the best-selling products on the market and isn’t as widely available as it once was. 

Released: 2006
Invented by: The Coca-Cola Company
Original Price: $0.79/$1.05 (with inflation)*

You don’t have to be a soda connoisseur to know that Coke contains caffeine. It’s part and parcel of the whole soda experience when it comes to this brand. But, in 2006, Coca-Cola thought it would take this association one step further and introduce Coca-Cola Blak. 

@SodaPopWiki/Twitter.com

It was billed as having the same Coke taste but with added coffee, but consumers weren’t down for the strange taste. Famed journalist Anderson Cooper even gave it a whirl on one of his shows, but it didn’t do the company any favors. In 2021, Coca-Cola tried again and released a similar product onto the European market.