Patio (drink) facts for kids

Patio Diet Cola was a type of diet soda made by Pepsi. It was first introduced in 1963. Pepsi created Patio Diet Cola because another company had released a similar drink called Diet Rite Cola.

A fitness expert named Debbie Drake helped advertise Patio Diet Cola. The company also promoted the drink as a good choice for people with diabetes.

In 1964, Patio added new flavors like orange, grape, and root beer. These new flavors were not meant to compete with popular drinks like Orange Crush. Instead, they were added to offer more choices in the Patio soda line. You could find Patio sodas in grocery stores and small local shops. There wasn't a lot of advertising for Patio sodas because, at that time, soda companies often advertised only in local areas.

Later in 1964, Patio Diet Cola changed its name to Diet Pepsi. The new Diet Pepsi was advertised alongside regular Pepsi. Their slogan was "Pepsi either way." Most of the other Patio flavors were stopped by the early 1970s, but a few lasted until the mid-1970s.

Today, you can still find Patio Red Cherry as a soda fountain drink at some Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits restaurants. These restaurants are mainly in North Carolina and southern Virginia. Patio Red Cherry is not a diet soda. It contains sugar, unlike the original diet cola. The "patio" logo on the soda machine is very similar to the one used on the old diet soda cans from the 1970s.

Patio in TV Shows and Movies

Patio sodas have appeared in some popular TV shows.

Where Can You Spot Patio in The X-Files?

In an episode of The X-Files called "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" (from 1995), you can see an old advertisement for Patio. It appears in the window of a small store in the very first scene of the episode.

How Did Mad Men Feature Patio?

The TV show Mad Men also featured Patio in a few episodes during its third season. This show is about an advertising agency.

• In the episode "Love Among the Ruins" (2009), the advertising team starts working on a campaign for Patio.
• In the next episode, "My Old Kentucky Home" (2009), the advertising agency hires someone who looks like the famous singer and actress Ann-Margret.
• Finally, in "The Arrangements" (2009), they create a TV commercial for Patio. It was inspired by Ann-Margret's opening song from the movie Bye Bye Birdie.

What Were the Patio Soda Flavors?

Patio offered several different soda flavors over the years:

• Diet Cola (This became Diet Pepsi in 1964)
• Root Beer
• Orange
• Imitation Grape (This flavor was later called "artificially flavored")
• Imitation Strawberry
• Dry Ginger Ale
• Dry Club Soda
• Dry Tonic Water
• Red Cherry (Remember, this one has sugar and is not a diet soda!)