.svg){kind=logo}  American and international logos used since 2024 and 2023, respectively | |
| Type | Lemon-lime drink |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Keurig Dr Pepper PepsiCo (international distribution only) |
| Distributor | PepsiCo |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Introduced | August 7, 1928; 96 years ago (1928-08-07) (as SEVEN UP)[1]: §2 |
| Color | Colorless Pink (Cherry/Diet Cherry, United States only) |
| Variants | List
|
| Related products | Mitsuya Cider,Sprite,Bubble Up,Starry |
| Website | www |
7 Up (stylized as7UP worldwide) orSeven Up is an American brand oflemon-lime–flavored non-caffeinatedsoft drink. The brand and formula are now owned byKeurig Dr Pepper, although the beverage is internationally distributed byPepsiCo except the UK where it is distributed byCarlsberg Britvic, PepsiCo's designated UK distributor.
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7 Up was created byCharles Leiper Grigg, who launched hisSt. Louis–based company The Howdy Corporation in 1920.[2] Grigg came up with the formula for a lemon-lime soft drink in 1929, and the product was launched two weeks before theWall Street Crash of 1929. An oft-repeated story is that the drink was originally called "Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda,"[3][4] but some have argued that there is little to no evidence that a drink with this name actually existed.[1]: §1 The drink did, however, claim to containlithium citrate, a mood-stabilizing drug, initially.[1]: §2 It was one of a number ofpatent medicine products popular in the late-19th and early-20th centuries.[5]
In fact, "Bib-Label" is not part of the name of the soda, but refers to the practice of hanging a piece of paper around the neck of a soda bottle like abib.[1]: §1 The trademark "SEVEN-UP" was granted in 1928, and a 1929 taste test advertisement featured a flying "7up" logo. The name became "7up Lithiated Lemon Soda" in 1930–1931, as indicated by the use of a logo with tilted "up" and historical paper labels. In 1936 the federal government forced the manufacturer to remove a number of health claims, and because "lithium was not an actual ingredient", the name was changed to just "7 Up" in 1937.[1]: §2
The origin of the name is unclear.[6]Britvic claims that the name comes from the seven main ingredients in the drink,[a][8] while others have claimed that the number was a reference to thelithium contained in the original recipe, which has anatomic mass of 7.[9] Britvic also claims that the name alluded to 7 Up being packaged in seven-ounce bottles when Coca-Cola and most other soft drinks were bottled in six-ounce bottles.
The 7 Up company was privately owned by its founding families until it was sold in 1978 toPhilip Morris, which sold it in 1986 in two parts: the international division toPepsiCo[10] and the US business to a group led by the investment firmHicks & Haas.[11] In the US, 7 Up merged withDr Pepper in 1988 to formDr Pepper/Seven Up;Cadbury Schweppes bought the combined company in 1995. TheDr Pepper Snapple Group wasspun off from Cadbury Schweppes in 2008; it merged with Keurig Green Mountain in 2018 to formKeurig Dr Pepper.
7 Up is commonly consumed cold – refrigerated or with ice. It is also used as a mixer forhighball alcoholiclemon-lime soda cocktails, including the7 and 7 (Seagram's 7 Crown and 7 Up) and CC and Seven (Canadian Club whisky and 7 Up). 7 Up is also used in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic punches.
7 Up has been reformulated several times since its launch in 1929. In 2006, the version of the product sold in the U.S. was reformulated so it could be marketed as being "100%natural". This was achieved by eliminating thechelating agentcalcium disodium EDTA, and replacingsodium citrate withpotassium citrate to reduce the beverage's sodium content.[12] This reformulation contains nofruit juice and, in the U.S., is sweetened withhigh-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). The manufacturing process used in the production of HFCS has led somepublic health andadvocacy groups to challenge thead campaign's "natural" claims.[13]
In 2007, after theCenter for Science in the Public Interest threatened to sue 7 Up, it was announced that 7 Up would stop being marketed as "100% natural". Instead, it is now promoted as having "100% Natural Flavors". The controversy does not extend to other countries, such as the United Kingdom, where HFCS is not generally used in foods, including 7 Up. In 2011, 7 Up began test marketing a formula, called 7 Up Retro,[citation needed] using sugar rather than HFCS. Container labels sport the caption "Made With Real Sugar".
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| Name | Year launched | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Up | 1929 | A Lemon-Lime flavored soda and the original variety. | |
| Cherry 7 Up | 1987 | A variant with added Cherry flavor and a pink color. It was renamed and reformulated asCherry 7 Up Antioxidant in January 2009; however, the soda's antioxidant line was pulled from shelves in 2012 amid a controversy about the rumored detrimental health effects of consuming antioxidant drinks, and the original formula returned. | [14][15][16] |
| 7 Up Gold | 1988 | Aspice-flavored beverage, similar toVernor's Ginger Ale. Though 7 Up's marketing slogan at that time was "Never Had It, Never Will" (referring to caffeine), 7 Up Gold included caffeine as an ingredient. It was introduced by 7 Up in the hopes of capturing 1% of thecola market, which at the time was $26.6 billion. However, it only captured 0.1% of the market because people were confused by 7 Up marketing a dark-colored soft drink with caffeine, and the drink was discontinued the following year. The 7 Up Gold recipe was actually an unused Dr Pepper invention. | [17] |
| 7 Citrus | 1980s | A fruity soda with real juices. Sold for a short time in the United States. | [18] |
| dnL (7 Up turned upside down) | 2002 | An alternate take on 7 Up released in the United States containing an added citrus kick, green color and caffeine, made to rivalMountain Dew in the market. It was released during a time when other attempts to extend soft drink brand names were done with new variations, includingPepsi Blue, Dr PepperRed Fusion, andVanilla Coke. The drink was discontinued in 2006 in favor of the "7 Up Plus" brand. | [19][20] |
| Pomegranate 7 Up | 2007 | A pomegranate flavoured variety that was sold for the holiday season in the United States from 2007 until 2010, and saw returns in 2016, 2021 and 2022. The 2009 and 2010 formulas were namedPomegranate 7 Up Antioxidant. | |
| 7 Up Retro | 2011 | A variety sold in the United States that uses cane sugar instead of corn syrup. It was Introduced on the 2011 season finale ofThe Apprentice, packaging in 12-oz. cans features either the 1970s disco mirrorball-themed logo or the 1980s logo. It is also available in 12-oz. glass bottles with a label inspired by 7 Up's original logo. | [21] |
| Mixed Berry 7 Up Antioxidant | 2011 | A mixed berry variety that was sold for a limited time in 2011. It used the "Antioxidant" formula. | |
| Tropical 7 Up | 2014 | A pineapple and mango flavored variety. It was sold in the United States in 2014 for a limited time, as well as a return in 2015 with newer branding. It was re-released in 2023 and sold exclusively at Kroger-owned stores. | |
| Simple 7 Up | 2022 | A natural variant made using filtered water, cane sugar, and stevia leaf extract. | |
| Shirley Temple 7 Up | 2024 | A cherry and pomegranate flavored variant based on the lemon-lime soda and grenadine combination featured in theShirley Temple non-alcoholic mixed drink. | [22][23] |
| 7 Up Hecho en Mexico | A variant of regular 7 UP sold in the United States produced and imported from Mexico using real cane sugar and packaged in 12-ounce glass bottles. |
| Name | Year launched | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Up Zero Sugar | 1963 | No calorie variant of 7 Up. It was originally introduced in 1963 under the name ofLike (not to be confused with 7 Up'sLike Cola from the 1980s), usingcyclamate as sweetener. After the U.S. government ban of the sweetener the drink was discontinued in 1969, and relaunched asDiet 7 Up in 1970. The drink had a brief period of using the nameSugar Free 7 Up between 1973 and 1979 before reverting to its former name. Diet 7 Up was later reformulated and advertised as being sweetened withsucralose andacesulfame potassium replacingaspartame. The recipe later reverted to using aspartame. The beverage was rebranded as 7 Up Zero Sugar in late 2020. | [24][25][26] [27][28][29] |
| Cherry 7 Up Zero Sugar | 1980s | Low-calorie version of Cherry 7 Up. It was pulled from shelves around the time 7 Up Plus Cherry was introduced but was reintroduced in 2006 due to popular demand. As with the regular variety, it was reformulated asDiet Cherry 7 Up Antioxidant in 2009 before reverting to the original formula in 2013. It was rebranded as Cherry 7 Up Zero Sugar in late 2020. | [30][31] |
| Diet 7 Up Gold | 1988 | Low-calorie variant of 7 Up Gold, released and discontinued at the same time as the standard variety. | |
| 7 Up Plus | 2004 | A range of healthy low-calorie alternative drinks, containing no caffeine and has 2 grams of carbohydrates per serving, as well as 5% apple juice, which is uncommon among American market carbonated beverages. It was available in three varieties - Mixed Berry, Cherry and Island Fruit. | [32] |
| Diet Pomegranate 7 Up | 2007 | A low calorie pomegranate flavoured variety that was sold for the holiday season in the United States from 2007 until 2010. The 2009 and 2010 formulas were namedDiet Pomegranate 7 Up Antioxidant. | |
| Diet Mixed Berry 7 Up Antioxidant | 2011 | A mixed berry variety that was sold for a limited time in 2011. It used the "Antioxidant" formula. | |
| 7 Up Ten | 2013 | A low-calorie variant with only ten calories per serving, sold as part ofDr. Pepper Snapple Group's "Ten" lineup in the United States. It uses a blend using high fructose corn syrup along withaspartame andacesulfame potassium to sweeten it. | [33] |
| Tropical 7 Up Zero Sugar | 2023 | Low calorie Mango and Pineapple flavored variety, sold exclusively at Kroger-owned stores. |
| Name | Year launched | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Up with Cherry on Top | 1989 | A variety originally sold in the United Kingdom (Originally asCherry 7 Up), although has since been discontinued. It is differentiated from the US variety as it is a pure Cherry flavored drink with a completely different recipe. It was also sold in the Netherlands during the early-1990s, and currently in France since 2014.[citation needed] | [34] |
| 7 Up Ice Cola | 1995 | Produced by PepsiCo for the Netherlands and a few other international territories, this was aclear cola, in essence, a repackaging ofCrystal Pepsi. As with that, it failed in the market and was discontinued shortly afterward. | [35] |
| Orange 7 Up | 1980s | A variety with added orange flavor. It was sold in many non-US territories byPepsiCo throughout the 1990s including Canada (As7 Up Orange Chill) Thailand (As7 Up Clear Orange Flavour), Germany (AsOrange 7 Up Plus, Austria (As7 Up Orange) and The Netherlands (as7 Up Clear Orange). | [36][37] |
| Raspberry 7 Up | 1980s | A variety with added raspberry flavor. It was sold for a short time in some European territories and in Canada (as7 Up Raspberry Chill) and was later sold in several Asian territories including Vietnam (from 2002) before becoming sold exclusively in Singapore.[citation needed] | |
| 7 Up Revive | 1990 | A special variant sold in India and Laos and is marketed as anIsotonic drink. It was relaunched in 2015, and prior to that was also sold in other Asian territories such as Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Vietnam. | [38] |
| 7 Up Free/7 Up Light/7 Up Zero Sugar | 1990s | The alternative to Diet 7 Up sold in countries such as Iceland, UK, Ireland,Mexico, Spain, Norway, Sweden,Argentina, Finland, UAE,Uruguay,Pakistan, theNetherlands,Thailand, Malaysia, France and Germany. However, some regions also have it under the original Diet 7 Up brand. In the UK, the drink was originally branded as 7 Up Light until rebranding as 7 Up Free in 2005.[39] In Norway, it contained a combination of artificial sugars, and for eight years was the only variety on the Norwegian market. The lack of the usual light or zero-label is confusing to Norwegian consumers, who often buy it not knowing they are buying a product with artificial sugars.[citation needed] | [40][41] |
| 7 Up Tropical Twist | 2002 | A tropical flavored drink that was sold in Canada by PepsiCo for a limited time in 2002 as7 Up Tropical Splash, and re-released for a limited time in 2018. It was also sold in the Netherlands during 2002. | [42] |
| 7 Up Citrus Splash | 2004 | A variety with added Pink Grapefruit flavor. It was sold in Canada by PepsiCo until being discontinued in 2006, with a brief re-release in 2008. | [43] |
| 7 Up Ice | 2004 | A mint-flavoured variety which was sold by PepsiCo in a few international territories such as Portugal, Russia, and France and Mexico before being discontinued in 2006.[citation needed] | |
| 7 Up Ice Tropical | 2006 | A variant of 7 Up Ice with added tropical flavor. Only sold in Russia.[citation needed] | |
| 7 Up Frootaz | 2000s | A tropical flavored variety sold by PepsiCo in the Philippines for a short time in the 2000s.[citation needed] | |
| 7 Up H2OH! | 2000s | A range of lightly carbonated water drinks that were sold in Latin America, Malaysia, the UK, and Ireland in the late 2000s, it was discontinued as a 7 Up-exclusive variant in the early 2010s. In South America, it is sold solely under the brand H2OH!, distributed for the first time in 2005, with exotic flavors such as: Grapefruit, lemon lime, apple, passion fruit, and many more. | [44][45] |
| 7 Up Lemon Squeeze | 2007 | A variety with extra lemon juice. It was sold in Canada by PepsiCo for a limited time during the 2007 season, as the Canadian alternative to Sierra Mist Lemon Squeeze. | [46] |
| 7 Up Clear Dry | 2010 | A limited edition no-calorie variant with a high carbonation and caffeine count. It was sold exclusively in Japan bySuntory.[citation needed] | |
| 7 Up Yerbabuena | 2013 | A variety containing theYerba buena mint. It was available for a limited time in Colombia in 2013.[citation needed] | |
| Salted Lemon 7 Up | 2014 | A variant exclusively sold in Hong Kong that contains Salted Lemon. It is a common drink that can be found indai pai dong andcha chaan teng. It is also named one of the Hong Kong summer drinks by Cathay Pacific Discovery. | [47][48] |
| 7 Up Mojito | 2014 | A mint-flavored variety that was first released in France, but was later released in Belgium and Germany as well. | |
| 7 Up Cocktail Exotique | 2014 | A tropical flavored variety sold in France, originally as7 Up Goût Tropical. | |
| 7 Up Free Mojito | 2016 | Low calorie variant of 7 Up Mojito sold in the United Kingdom, and later was released in Belgium and France. | [49] |
| 7 Up Lemon Lemon | 2016 | A lemonade sold in France, the Netherlands and Belgium. | |
| 7 Up Free Cherry | 2020 | A low-calorie cherry variant sold in the United Kingdom. | [50] |
In 2007,Cadbury Schweppes entered into a licensing partnership with Vita Food Products to produce a line ofbarbecue sauces andmarinades flavored withDr Pepper, 7 Up, andA&W Root Beer.[51]
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Metal pedestrian crossing markers saying "Drink 7up Safety First" were installed in many U.S. cities in the 1930s.[52]
"Fresh-Up Freddie" was the rooster mascot for 7 Up in the 1950s. He gave viewers lessons about how to plan successful parties and picnics by having plenty of 7 Up on hand. The commercials were produced byDisney, giving the character the specific Disney look of the time.[53] Freddie has been described as a hybrid of the roosterPanchito Pistoles fromThe Three Caballeros and the zanyAracuan Bird from the same film.[53] He often was dressed in human clothes. Freddie also appeared in the 1957Zorro TV series' commercial intermissions.[54] In these commercials, Freddie fought withPete the Cat. Freddie, who was featured in a small amount of merchandising, was voiced byPaul Frees.[53]
In the late 1960s and 1980s,Geoffrey Holder appeared in television ads as part of 7 Up's "Uncola" ad campaign, designed to highlight differences between 7 Up and other soft drinks on the market with cola flavoring. In the ads, Geoffrey holds a pair of cola nuts in one hand and a lemon & lime (used to flavor 7 Up) in the other hand and describes them as "Uncola nuts".[55]
In 1987, 7 Up introduced Spot, the red-orange dot in the 7 Up logo anthropomorphized into a mascot. The character was used heavily in advertising and licensed items across the U.S.,[56] including the 1993platform video gameCool Spot, and its 1995 sequel,Spot Goes to Hollywood.[57]
The cartoon characterFido Dido was used as amascot in international areas from the late 1980s through the early 1990s, and was reintroduced in international markets in the early 2000s.[58] Since PepsiCo did not own the rights to 7 Up in the US, certain ads featuring Fido Dido were instead reworked to advertise the company'sSlice brand of lemon-lime soda.[59]
In the early 2000s,Orlando Jones served as the spokesperson for 7 Up in the United States in a series of commercials. Notably, one commercial had him wear a t-shirt that had 7 Up's then-sloganMake 7 Up Yours divided between the front and back with thedouble entendre on the back that featured theUp Yours part; 7 Up would sell the shirt through specialty retailerSpencer Gifts for many years.[60]
In 1974,7 Up becameThe Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon's first corporate sponsor; this was at a time when its sponsorship was generally limitedto trade unions and civic organizations.[61][62]
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