Dragon Fruit Pepsi

 Cool logo, right?  It's obviously not something you'd see in stores, so what does it represent?  Well, in case you haven't heard, Pepsi has a new flavor out and it's in stores now!  Is it Halloween related?  Nope.  Is it Fall themed?  I don't think so.  So why is it being covered on The Holidaze?  Because it's new and I plan on twisting it to be made into a Halloween drink.  In name alone, this becomes spooky.  Why is that?  Because this new Pepsi flavor is... DRAGON FRUIT!

 

This was something I didn't expect.  I didn't see a single advertisement for this limited edition and, if it were not for TheImpulsiveBuy.com, I probably would have never noticed this at all.  Apparently, in partnership with "The X Factor," Pepsi went out and had fans test out new flavors.  In the end, much like the game show, only one would survive and make it to our shelves.  I guess those who taste tested the flavors chose Dragon Fruit because that's what we got!

Before I get to the taste, I have to talk about the box and point out how disappointed I am.  When I read that there was a Dragon Fruit Pepsi flavor, my imagination ran wild.  There were so many possibilities in terms of box and can design.  This was their shot to take things to the next level and go all out for a limited edition product.  And, if it's Halloween themed, there's no telling where it will end.  But, what did we get?  Blue and Red.  Ughhh.. Yeah, the blue is lighter and brighter.  They added some type of dragon scales which I do like.  But overall, this is exactly the same as every other Pepsi box.  If you weren't looking for Dragon Fruit Pepsi, how would you know the difference?  My prediction?  This is going to lead to another Polar Bear Coke Can fiasco.  I expect many people to cause an uproar over the lack of change.  Come on, Pepsi.. You coulda done better!

Cans are exactly the same and slapped with an X Factor logo.  What I don't know is if this is called "Pepsi X," "Pepsi," or "Dragon Fruit."  It doesn't do much to classify itself as Dragon Fruit Pepsi.  All it does is state, really small, "Dragon Fruit Flavored Cola."  Wow, how exciting is that?

To save a sinking ship, we had to Halloween this baby up a bit.  How do you do that?  My girlfriend bought an ice tray that transforms the cubes into pumpkin shapes.  That's enough for me!  Now we have a Dragon Fruit flavored cola with pumpkin ice.  Just like that, this has become a Halloween drink.  There's no denying it now, from here on out I'll always associate this Pepsi with this time of year.

I'll also associate it with Pepsi Clear and Pepsi Blue because, trust me, this cola will not be making a return after it's brief run.  Everything about this was poorly executed.  The graphics are horrible, the flavor is nothing but bitter and, even though I've never tried a Dragon Fruit, I'm fairly confident that it tastes nothing like this Pepsi.  I'm just disappointed in this.  I was really hoping for something different, something good!  I thought it was going to have a great flavor like Wild Cherry Pepsi.  But this was just a waste of time.

To turn things around here, I quickly made a design that would have been better.  For as much as I would have loved to make this all about Halloween, I thought realistically.  It's obvious Pepsi didn't want this associated with anything other than them and The X Factor, so I went that route.  At least add a few different colors and make this stand out.  Regardless of whether or not it looks like Halloween, becoming a seasonal item is enough to make this related and remind people of Fall.  Look at Cranberry Sierra Mist.  It doesn't look like Halloween, but it IS Halloween.. at least for me!

It's not true to scale, but it's much better than what's being offered.  This lets you know exactly what you're buying, brings attention to the product, and allows customers to make an educated decision on what they're about to buy.  When you see this, you expect something fruity and you don't have to look hard at all to understand what flavor this is.  Plus, I stayed true to The X Factor partnership and whatever that "X" logo is.  I still have no idea if that's supposed to be a letter or a bird.  I just threw it on there.

Overall, I'm very disappointed in Dragon Fruit Pepsi, but I'm happy with my own design and wanted to share it all, the good and the bad, with all of you here.  I'd recommend you buy this edition anyway because you might like it.  I didn't, but that's just one man's opinion.  You might think it's the greatest soda of all time.  Either way, it's worth trying.  Along with the various failed attempts of years past, this could go down in history!  You don't want to be the one who missed out on Dragon Fruit, so don't! 

Look at that, I just sold it better than Pepsi did!

Halloween Soda?

Ya know, I was thinking about all the various products that brand themselves differently for the Halloween season and I realized that Pepsi and Coca-Cola don't bother.  Can you believe that?  It just doesn't make any sense.  If you've read The Holidaze at all, you'd know how much of a stickler I am when it comes to seasonal packaging.  It adds so much to the Holidays and increases my interest in the product.  So why do the top cola companies, who have both created amazing art in the past, no longer take part in Halloween?  I don't know the answer, but it disappoints me that I don't see orange Coke cans everywhere I go.

Pictured above is proof that Halloween Edition Soda did in fact exist.  At one point in time, Sunkist, A&W, Canada Dry and 7-UP all put on a costume for Halloween.  Personally, I don't remember ever seeing these mini cans, but according to this site http://www.drinkwhat.com/halloween-chill-for-color-changing-thrills-soda-drinks/ they were for real!

They look awesome!  If these cans were available now, especially this week, I would have picked up as many as I found.  But, unfortunately, nothing like this exists.  At best, I found a pack of orange soda with a Haunted House on the box and cans.  It was something, but not enough to make me go bananas.  Orange you glad I didn't say Orange?

All candy corny jokes aside, we're stuck with Jones Soda, which I've seen, but have yet to try.  I planned on doing so this year, but Target didn't have any in stock.  In recent years, they had shelves and shelves filled with Jones Soda, but not this Halloween.  At least I have Google Images..

Those cans would have been so friggin cool to have in my 'fridge!  I love the cartoon monsters, especially Frankenstein.  I know, he's really "Frankenstein's Monster," but I like calling him Franky better.  Those flavors just sound dreadfully amazing as well.  Lemon Drop Dead, Spookiwi, Candy Corn, and Buried Pomegranate?  That screams Halloween and is nothing but creative.  Sadly, unless I find some Jones' in the next week, I won't know if the flavor matches the can. 

Since I can't find any Jones Soda and the bigger companies won't do their part to make my Halloween even better, I decided to imagine what those cans or bottles would look like if they did.  These designs are not to scale, but for doing them in an hour, they're pretty good.  If Pepsi or Coke released anything even close to these next year, I'd be more than pleased.  Check 'em out!

Halloween Diet Coke

This is simple.  Take a classic Diet Coke design and add a spider web.  It isn't much, but it provides just enough spookiness to remind you of Halloween.

Haunted Diet Pepsi

This Haunted Diet Pepsi design would only work if Pepsi decided to change the color of it's classic red, white, and blue logo.  In my opinion, their logo is so iconic that they can afford to do so for a short period of time.  In celebration of Halloween, making the legendary logo look like the moon would be perfect for this broom-riding witch.  If I saw this in stores, I'd most definitely buy it.

Wild Halloween Cherry

This is design heavy, but it's worth it.  This time, we're not changing the logo, but we're adding purple and green which, in my opinion, are two of only four true Halloween colors.  The red cherries now have faces and the font is just as much evil as it is wild.  This would instantly catch my eye.

Halloween Edition Pepsi

What says "Halloween" more than the colors black and orange?  By changing the logo, we're once again messing with what people are used to.  However, I refuse to believe that Pepsi would drop in sales due to a color change.  No way.  In fact, I'd be willing to bet that sales would rise if Pepsi ever released a can designed this way.  Who wouldn't want to throw a Halloween party with this beauty in the cooler?

Blood Red Mountain Dew

I've always been a fan of Mountain Dew: Code Red, especially around Halloween because it looks like blood.  For that reason, coming up with this idea was easy.  I suggest that, for the month of October, Code Red should become Blood Red, complete with Dracula and all.  This is very design heavy, but Mountain Dew usually is.  They're also big on special editions, such as Pitch Black, so I don't see why this couldn't happen.  Read this and take my idea, MTN Dew!!

Halloween Coca-Cola

Finally, we have the most classic of all pops -- Coca-Cola.  As you know, Coca-Cola is known for their signature text and color scheme.  Pepsi is blue, and Coke is red, we all know not to differentiate the gangs.  But, for Halloween, this design is a must.  It maintains the classic appearance that Coca-Cola is known for while only changing the colors.  The addition of a Jack-O-Lantern smile provides customers with just enough Halloween spice.  But, really, the black and orange is what sells this soda.

As you can see, I have too much time on my hands.  But that's not the point.  The point is that these companies need to do whatever they can to enhance the Holidays.  This isn't hard and it would only benefit the producer and, most importantly, the consumer.  I'm sure Pepsi and Coke will never read this or even care, but if they do, I'd hope they take this post and use it to make their product better next Halloween.  Maybe we'll even get a Holidaze Edition.  A man can dream!