Mr. Pibb
| Type | Soft drink |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | The Coca-Cola Company |
| Origin | United States |
| Introduced | June 8, 1972 (as Mr. Pibb, first era) June 27, 2001 (as Pibb Xtra) October 30, 2025 (as Mr. Pibb, second era) |
| Color | Caramel |
| Flavor | "Spicy cherry"[1] |
| Variants | Mr. Pibb Mr. Pibb Zero Sugar |
| Related products | Dr Pepper Dr. Wells Dr Thunder |
Mr. Pibb, formerly Pibb Xtra and Peppo, is a soft drink created and marketed by The Coca-Cola Company.[2] It is similar to and considered a competitor to Dr Pepper.[3]
As of 2025, Mr. Pibb is sold in bottles, cans, and two-liter bottles, and is available in most Coca-Cola Freestyle machines, and a zero sugar version is available.[4]
History
[edit]
The Coca-Cola Company introduced Peppo, marketed as a "pepper-type soda", in early 1972.[5] The beverage, then only contained to the Memphis, Tennessee market, drew ire from The Dr Pepper Company, who sued The Coca-Cola Company for trademark infringement in June of that year.[6] As this litigation continued, Coca-Cola modified the Peppo formula and introduced the new Mr. Pibb to Jackson, Mississippi and Waco, Texas[7] (the birthplace of Dr Pepper before the company moved to Dallas) in the same month.[8] A sugar-free variety of Mr. Pibb would be introduced in late 1973. Peppo would continue to be produced in limited quantities as the case continued through August 1975, when after PepsiCo filed its own suit concerning the drink's name, Coca-Cola would agree to abandon the Peppo name and sell off the remaining stock. In 1980, Mr. Pibb was reformulated and marketed with the words "New Taste" printed prominently on the products.[9]
In 2001, a cinnamon-forward "spicy cherry" flavor replaced the original formula in many parts of the United States, marketed as a bolder version of original Mr. Pibb.[10] Diet Mr. Pibb would be discontinued with this rebrand, and a replacement, Pibb Zero, would only be introduced in 2005. As recently as 2020, Pibb Xtra has been marketed as a "refreshing, spicy cherry alternative to regular cola".[1][11][12]
In October 2025, the Mr. Pibb name was restored along with a reformulation that includes more caffeine. The brand relaunch was in response to the loss of distribution rights to Dr Pepper by Reyes Coca-Cola, the bottler and distributor of Coca-Cola Company products in much of the Midwestern and Western United States.[13]
Variations
[edit]Standard flavors
[edit]Mr. Pibb was reintroduced in 2025, replacing Pibb Xtra. The rebranding also included a reformulation, with additional caffeine.[13]
Mr. Pibb Zero Sugar replaced Pibb Xtra Zero.
Coca-Cola Freestyle flavors
[edit]Mr. Pibb is now available in some Freestyle machines at restaurant chains that do not serve Dr Pepper or regions where Dr Pepper is not bottled by a local Coca-Cola distributor, which introduced the brand to new countries exclusively through the machines.[14] In 2011, Pibb Xtra expanded to two new flavors: Pibb Xtra Cherry and Pibb Xtra Cherry-Vanilla. Released for Coca-Cola Freestyle machines, both new flavors were also released for Pibb Zero. Pibb Xtra Strawberry was released in 2018, along with Dr Pepper and Coca-Cola Strawberry.
Ingredients
[edit]Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, caramel color, phosphoric acid, potassium sorbate and potassium benzoate, artificial and natural flavors, caffeine, monosodium phosphate, lactic acid, polyethylene glycol.
| Nutritional value per 12 fl oz (355 ml) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 140 kcal (590 kJ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
38 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sugars | 40 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dietary fiber | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saturated | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Trans | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other constituents | Quantity | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cholesterol | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| †Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults,[15] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.[16] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Pibb Xtra". Pibb Xtra. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
- ^ Southard, Lukas (October 16, 2025). "Coca-Cola Touts Mini Cans, Mr. PiBB's Return At NACS". BevNET.com. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
- ^ Helena Nichols. "14 Facts About Dr. Pepper That Are Pretty Fascinating". The Daily Meal.
- ^ "Mr. Pibb". coca-cola.com. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
- ^ Janos, Leo (1973), "Understanding Dr Pepper", Texas Monthly, 1 (1)
- ^ Soda Pop of the Week: Peppo, archived from the original on March 3, 2014, retrieved April 18, 2011
- ^ Dougherty, Philip H. (1973), "Advertising: Howdy to Mr. Pibb, Furs, Feathers, Fins Direct Mail Doings People", The New York Times (June 27, 2001): 109
- ^ Dr Pepper Museum – History of Dr Pepper
- ^ "The History of Mr. PiBB". pibbthug.com. August 23, 2008. Archived from the original on March 27, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
- ^ "Dr Pepper Versus Pibb Xtra". HowStuffCompares. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
- ^ Ruggiero, Lorretta (January 17, 2019). "Is Dr Pepper the Soft Drink of Texas?". Houston Press. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
- ^ "Restaurant review: Welcome to Suntree, Charlie Graingers". Florida Today. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
- ^ a b Ayomari (October 27, 2025). "Mr. Pibb Is Making a Comeback—With More Caffeine And A Spicy Twist". Foodbeast. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
- ^ "Pibb Xtra – Freestyle Nutrition Facts | Product Facts". www.coca-colaproductfacts.com. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
- ^ United States Food and Drug Administration (2024). "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels". FDA. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "TABLE 4-7 Comparison of Potassium Adequate Intakes Established in This Report to Potassium Adequate Intakes Established in the 2005 DRI Report". p. 120. In: Stallings, Virginia A.; Harrison, Meghan; Oria, Maria, eds. (2019). "Potassium: Dietary Reference Intakes for Adequacy". Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. pp. 101–124. doi:10.17226/25353. ISBN 978-0-309-48834-1. PMID 30844154. NCBI NBK545428.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Pibb Xtra at the Wayback Machine (archived April 27, 2002)
- Mr. Pibb at the Wayback Machine (archived November 11, 1998)