Mr. Pibb
Mattmp says it best by calling Mr. Pibb "Pepper’s most successful competitor". Whether this is true is up for debate, but of all the soft drinks mentioned on the site, Pibb is the only one I've tasted - or would want to taste - and very likely the only one I've heard of. Nearing 50 years old, Pibb was likely the first competitor to have a formal name. Granted, Pibb has no terminal degree, and Dr. Pibb sounds too formal. Pibb was originally named Peppo - which sounds like a Marx Brothers reject - but is now a cherry-flavoured concoction called Pibb Xtra. Did the dropping of the E from "extra" score points with someone? I remember once wondering what Dr. Pepper's first name was (Charles? Wade? Cleve Pepper?), and you could take it to the next logical extreme and wonder what Pibb's first name was. (Clint? Harry? Deuce?) I also wondered if the manufacturer ever considered a lighter, crisper version called Ms. Pibb. Let us not be silly. (A-)
The Dr. Soda
Remember our earlier review about "not giving the shit"? This isn't one of the many "Dr. Sodas" out there; no, this is The Dr. Soda. The one Dr. Soda all other Dr. Sodas emulate and strive to taste like. I mean, I guess that's the gist of the naming. It actually comes off as a bit pretentious since there are - as the site shows - a dozen or so other doctors. None of them appear to be on a first-name basis with customers. (B)
Dr. Hy-Vee
Another Dr. surfaces, and this one loses points for simply adding the now-meaningless title to the name of the grocery chain. Hy-Vee is a great midwestern supermarket chain, but Dr. Hy-Vee sounds lazy and sad. Is there someone - nay, something - else called Dr. Vee preventing you from using that name? All that comes to mind when I hear the name is a potential jingle as sung by Jackson Browne: "Doctor, Hy-Vee we drink the years..." (C-)
Dr. Slice
I'm old enough to remember drinking Slice, a lemon-lime-cirtus-like knock-off of Sprite or 7-Up. Their advertising bragged about its "10% fruit juice", which I guess meant something to 1980s-era soda drinkers. Understanding its history, I'm curious about what juice went into Dr. Slice. Or was there any? I read it tasted fruity, so perhaps there were "fruit" juices. Adding the honorific to a blend of fruit juices seems misguided and a transparent attempt to divert customers' eyes to a similarly named product. Do these manufacturers think adding the "Dr." to a drink name increases its legitimacy? Does someone think the "Dr." gives credibility to the product? (C)
Dr. Thunder
Dr. Thunder sounds like one-half of a villainous duo of cartoon characters. The character talks big and tough, but it's the companion character, Dr. Lightning, who impresses visually. I mention lightning as this beverage was initially known as Southern Lightning. The name makes it sound like another can of discipline - like Whoop-Ass - though, perhaps, not as intimidating. I've read Walmart changed the name to Dr. Thunder to make it sound like Dr. Pepper. I suppose we should celebrate they didn't rename it to Dr. Sam or worse (see Dr. Hy-Vee). Walmart apparently still has a lightning-named drink in Mountain Lightning, which should feature in the Mountain Dew knock-off ratings. All said, it's a decent name, but in a vast field of imitations, what makes Thunder stand out? (B+)
Dr. Rush
Dr. Rush sounds like a caffeine-laden drink - maybe with too much caffeine. From what I can tell, RJ Corr was a one-time Chicago-area soda manufacturer. I found an image of something called RJ Corr's Original Ginseng Rush Natural Soda, prompting me to wonder if the drink was later rebranded to get it on the Dr. Pepper bandwagon. That blog author mattmp noted the drink "contains ginseng" makes me think rebranding might have been the case. I'll leave the taste review to mattmp but as a name, Rush comes across as a strong brand. I could envision a whole series of Rush drinks ... until I realized the folks at Orange Crush may not appreciate this. This makes me wonder why Crush never came up with Dr. Crush. (B-)
Dr. Celeste
This is another example of taking an existing soda brand (Celeste) and adding an honorific (Dr.). Dr. Celeste sounds like a small, regional brand named after the founder (herself, a wife, a mother, a family name - you get the idea) trying to compete with other similarly-named drinks. It also sounds like the neighborhood pediatrician. (C+)
Mr. Pigg
Ah, Piggly Wiggly. I remember finding the pig-faced stickers on pork products in the meat department sort of depressing. There are a few things I immediately notice with the bottle. One, Piggly Wiggly didn't fancy up ts drink by calling it Dr. Second, the chain almost followed Hy-Vee's lead and tacked the honorific onto the store name. There were worse choices: Mr. Piggly sounds suspect, and Mr. Wig is a terrible name for a drink. But you work with what you've been given, and this chain is named after a pig. (B+)
Dr. Smooth
Blogger mattmp refers to the "Dr flavor" in his review of Dr. Smooth. I had yet to think of a mass name for this flavor. If cola is cola flavored, then Dr-themed drinks are Dr flavored. Eh. Is there an actual drink called Dr. Flavor? I don't see one. There you go, budding mixologists: Dr. Flavor. Granted, it comes off as the name of a weekend radio DJ. The can boasts it is a "secret recipe soda", but that shouldn't wow anyone. All soda recipes are mostly secret. An average grade for an average name and appearance. (B)
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