7 Up facts for kids
 
American and international logos used since 2015 and 2023, respectively
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| Type | Lemon-lime drink |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Keurig Dr Pepper PepsiCo (international distribution only) |
| Distributor | PepsiCo |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Introduced | June 19, 1929 (as Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda) June 23, 1936 (as 7 Up) |
| Color | Colorless Pink (Cherry/Diet Cherry, United States only) |
| Variants |
List
dnL (discontinued)
7 Up Plus (discontinued) 7 Up Ten Tropical 7 Up 7 Up nimbooz 7 Up nimbooz masala soda (India) 7 Up Retro (outside of the U.S.) Diet 7 Up 7 Up Zero Sugar Cherry 7 Up Diet Cherry 7 Up Cherry 7 Up Zero Sugar Orange 7 Up Raspberry 7 Up 7 Up Free 7 Up Free Mojito (UK, Ireland, Germany) 7 Up Light 7 Up Lime 7 Up Cherry (UK) 7 Up Mojito (France) 7 Up Gold (discontinued) 7 Up Revive 7 Up Ice Cola (discontinued) 7 Up Citrus Splash (discontinued) 7 Up Lemon Squeeze (discontinued) 7 Up Tropical (France) 7 Up Tropical Splash (discontinued) 7 Up Pomegranate (discontinued) 7 Up Frootaz (discontinued) 7 Up Yerbabuena (discontinued) |
| Related products | Mitsuya Cider, Sprite, Bubble Up, Starry |
7 Up (also spelled 7up outside the United States) is a popular American brand of lemon-lime flavored soft drink. It does not contain caffeine. The main company that owns the brand and its recipe is Keurig Dr Pepper. However, PepsiCo helps distribute the drink around the world, except in the UK where Britvic handles it.
Contents
The Story of 7 Up
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7 Up was invented by Charles Leiper Grigg. He started his company, The Howdy Corporation, in St. Louis in 1920. Grigg created the recipe for this lemon-lime soda in 1929. It was first called "Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda." This long name was used just two weeks before the big stock market crash of 1929.
The original drink contained a substance called lithium citrate. This ingredient was used in some medicines at the time. It was removed from 7 Up in 1948. The name was later shortened to "7 Up Lithiated Lemon Soda" and then simply "7 Up" by 1936.
No one is completely sure how the name "7 Up" came to be. One idea is that it refers to the seven main ingredients in the drink. Another idea suggests it was a secret nod to the lithium, which has an atomic mass of 7. Some also believe the name came from 7 Up being sold in seven-ounce bottles, while most other sodas like Coca-Cola were in six-ounce bottles.
The 7 Up company was owned by its founding families for a long time. It was sold to Philip Morris in 1978. Later, in 1986, it was split up. PepsiCo took over the international sales, and a group called Hicks & Haas bought the US business. Over the years, 7 Up has been part of bigger companies like Dr Pepper and Cadbury Schweppes. Today, it's part of Keurig Dr Pepper.
How People Enjoy 7 Up
Most people drink 7 Up cold, either from the fridge or with ice. It's also a popular ingredient in punches for parties.
How the Recipe Changed
The 7 Up recipe has been updated several times since it first came out in 1929. In 2006, the 7 Up sold in the U.S. was changed so it could be advertised as "100% natural." This meant removing certain ingredients and reducing the salt content. This version used high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) for sweetness.
However, some groups questioned if a drink with HFCS could truly be called "100% natural." So, in 2007, 7 Up changed its advertising. Now, it's promoted as having "100% Natural Flavors." In some countries, like the United Kingdom, HFCS is not commonly used in 7 Up. In 2011, 7 Up started testing a "Retro" version that uses real sugar instead of HFCS.
Different Kinds of 7 Up
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| Name | Year launched |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Up | 1929 | This is the original lemon-lime flavor. |
| 7 Up Zero Sugar | 1963 | This is the no-calorie version of 7 Up. It has had different names over the years, like "Like" and "Diet 7 Up." It was renamed 7 Up Zero Sugar in 2020. |
| Cherry 7 Up | 1987 | A popular cherry-flavored version. It was briefly called "Cherry 7 Up Antioxidant" but went back to its original recipe. |
| Cherry 7 Up Zero Sugar | 1980s | This is the low-calorie version of Cherry 7 Up. It was also briefly called "Diet Cherry 7 Up Antioxidant" before returning to its original formula and being renamed in 2020. |
| 7 Up Gold | 1988 | This was a spice-flavored drink that had caffeine. It was different from regular 7 Up, which has no caffeine. It was discontinued because people were confused by a dark, caffeinated 7 Up. |
| Diet 7 Up Gold | 1988 | The low-calorie version of 7 Up Gold, released and stopped at the same time. |
| 7 Up with Cherry on Top | 1989 | A cherry-flavored drink originally sold in the UK, with a different recipe than the US Cherry 7 Up. |
| 7 Citrus | 1980s | A fruity soda that contained real fruit juices, sold for a short time in the US. |
| 7 Up Ice Cola | 1995 | A clear cola, similar to Crystal Pepsi, sold in the Netherlands and other countries. It was not very popular and was discontinued. |
| Orange 7 Up | 1980s | A version with added orange flavor, sold in many countries outside the US. |
| Raspberry 7 Up | 1980s | A raspberry-flavored version, sold in parts of Europe and Asia. |
| 7 Up Revive | 1990 | A special version sold in India and Laos, marketed as a sports drink. |
| 7 Up Free/7 Up Light/7 Up Zero Sugar | 1990s | These are different names for the low-calorie or no-sugar version of 7 Up, sold in various countries around the world. |
| 7 Up Tropical Twist | 2002 | A tropical-flavored drink sold for a limited time in Canada and the Netherlands. |
| dnL | 2002 | A green, caffeinated version of 7 Up with extra citrus flavor, made to compete with Mountain Dew. It was discontinued. |
| 7 Up Plus | 2004 | A healthier option with less sugar and some apple juice. It came in flavors like Mixed Berry, Cherry, and Island Fruit. |
| 7 Up Citrus Splash | 2004 | A version with added pink grapefruit flavor, sold in Canada. |
| 7 Up Ice | 2004 | A mint-flavored version sold in some countries like Portugal and Russia. |
| 7 Up Ice Tropical | 2006 | A tropical-flavored version of 7 Up Ice, sold only in Russia. |
| 7 Up Frootaz | 2000s | A tropical-flavored version sold in the Philippines for a short time. |
| 7 Up H2OH! | 2000s | A line of lightly carbonated water drinks sold in Latin America and other regions. |
| 7 Up Lemon Squeeze | 2007 | A version with extra lemon juice, sold for a limited time in Canada. |
| Pomegranate 7 Up | 2007 | A pomegranate-flavored version sold during the holiday season in the US. |
| Diet Pomegranate 7 Up | 2007 | The low-calorie version of Pomegranate 7 Up, also sold during the holidays. |
| 7 Up Clear Dry | 2010 | A limited edition, no-calorie, caffeinated version with high fizz, sold only in Japan. |
| 7 Up Retro | 2011 | A version sold in the US that uses real cane sugar instead of corn syrup. It has old-school packaging designs. |
| Mixed Berry 7 Up Antioxidant | 2011 | A mixed berry flavored version sold for a limited time. |
| Diet Mixed Berry 7 Up Antioxidant | 2011 | The low-calorie version of Mixed Berry 7 Up, also sold for a limited time. |
| 7 Up Ten | 2013 | A low-calorie version with only ten calories per serving, part of Dr. Pepper Snapple Group's "Ten" drinks. |
| 7 Up Yerbabuena | 2013 | A version with yerba buena mint, available for a limited time in Colombia. |
| Tropical 7 Up | 2014 | A pineapple and mango flavored version, sold for limited times in the US. |
| Salted Lemon 7 Up | 2014 | A unique version sold only in Hong Kong that contains salted lemon. |
| 7 Up Mojito | 2014 | A mint-flavored version first released in France, then Belgium and Germany. |
| 7 Up Cocktail Exotique | 2014 | A tropical-flavored version sold in France. |
| 7 Up Free Mojito | 2016 | The low-calorie version of 7 Up Mojito, sold in the UK, Belgium, and France. |
| 7 Up Lemon Lemon | 2016 | A lemonade drink sold in France, the Netherlands, and Belgium. |
| 7 Up Free Cherry | 2020 | A low-calorie cherry version sold in the United Kingdom. |
| Simple 7 Up | 2022 | A natural version made with filtered water, cane sugar, and stevia leaf extract. |
| Tropical 7 Up Zero Sugar | 2023 | The low-calorie mango and pineapple flavored version, sold only at Kroger stores. |
| 7 Up Hecho en Mexico | A version of regular 7 Up sold in the US, imported from Mexico, using real cane sugar and glass bottles. |
7 Up in Sauces
In 2007, the company that owned 7 Up at the time, Cadbury Schweppes, partnered with Vita Food Products. They created a line of barbecue sauces and marinades that were flavored with Dr Pepper, 7 Up, and A&W Root Beer.
Fun Advertising Campaigns
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In the 1930s, metal signs saying "Drink 7up Safety First" were placed at pedestrian crossings in many US cities.
Some early slogans for 7 Up were "Fresh up with 7 Up" and "You like it – It Likes you." These phrases were on 7 Up bottles until the late 1960s.
"Fresh-Up Freddie" was a rooster mascot for 7 Up in the 1950s. He appeared in commercials made by Disney. Freddie taught viewers how to plan great parties and picnics with plenty of 7 Up. He often wore human clothes and sometimes fought with Pete the Cat in commercials.
In the late 1960s and 1980s, actor Geoffrey Holder starred in the "Uncola" ad campaign. This campaign aimed to show how 7 Up was different from other soft drinks that tasted like cola. In the ads, Geoffrey would hold cola nuts in one hand and a lemon and lime (which flavor 7 Up) in the other, calling them "Uncola nuts."
In 1987, 7 Up introduced Spot. Spot was the red-orange dot from the 7 Up logo, brought to life as a cartoon mascot. Spot was used a lot in ads and on licensed products, even starring in a video game called Cool Spot in 1993.
The cartoon character Fido Dido was used as a mascot for 7 Up in other countries from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. He was brought back in the early 2000s.
In 1991, 7 Up sponsored the Jordan Grand Prix racing team. This was the team for which Michael Schumacher drove his very first Formula One race.
In the early 2000s, Orlando Jones was the spokesperson for 7 Up in the United States. One famous commercial showed him wearing a t-shirt that said "Make 7 Up Yours." The back of the shirt had the "Up Yours" part, which was a playful phrase. 7 Up even sold these shirts in stores.
From 2002 to 2009, "The 7 Up Christmas on Ice" was a yearly ice skating event in Ireland. Over 90,000 people attended the event in Dublin one year.
Company Support
In 1974, 7 Up became the first company to sponsor The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon. This was a big step, as the telethon usually only had support from trade unions and local groups.
See also
- Fizz-nik
- Vess
- 7 Up Headquarters
