Vintage Beverage: Merry

From Martin Klasch

Merry Ad, 1960s (probably late second half)

Merry was a Swedish soft drink
which was sold from 1963 (1964 nationwide). Its original flavor was lemon/lime, in other words it was a soft drink similar to 7up and Sprite, perhaps a just bit less sweet. Using aggressive market strategies, targeting the adult population, it pretty quickly became a popular product. The slogan was "Merry - med fullvuxen smak" (Merry - with mature taste).
It was cool and hip to drink Merry. For many people growing up in Sweden in the 60s Merry still has a place in their hearts and memories. That's why I think it's a bit strange that it's so hard finding information about the drink on the Internet. I'm pretty sure, though, that Merry survived the 70s but perhaps just barely. My own memories of Merry are not from the time of this ad - I was busy being born around then - but from, I guess, the second half of the 70s. I remember the Merry bottles coming in a completely different shape - they were short and stout and they had an extra large opening.

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Edit (July 2018):

image found here

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What are your memories or rather vad minns du av Merry?

Just as I was about to wrap this post up I found a couple of things. First one promotional photo showing bottles in three sizes. I found it at Skånes Näringslivsarkiv.

From Skånes Näringslivsarkiv

Secondly I found (here) a message - in Swedish of course - from the company Bjäre Industrier AB to its workers regarding the new product Merry. The year was 1963.

From Martin Klasch

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Two Merry ads at Uncle Sid's: 1, 2
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Links only in Swedish:
I bloggen Grisfötter och wienerkorv på burk. kan man läsa lite om AB Bjäre Industrier
och om hur ett Kristet ungdomsförbund siktade på en Rolls Royce
Läs om varför folk inte beställde taxi utan en merry istället.
Mer om Bjäre industrier från sid 20 i denna pdf (sid 19 enl sidnumreringen)
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Related Martin Klasch posts:
Vintage Beverage: Loranga
Vintage Beverage: Champis
Ephemera: Plonk! (Sound effect soft drink labels)
Ephemera: Swedish Soft Drink Labels
Vintage Beverage: Zingo
Vintage Beverage: Cuba Cola
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All posts with label soft drinks
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Vintage Beverage: Loranga

Mr Loranga

Loranga
is of the classic Swedish soft drinks introduced in the 50s that is still on the market. It used to be produced by Sandwalls ångbryggeri in Borås (I'm not sure if it was the first and only brewery to make Loranga but that would be my guess). Sandwalls brewery was bought and put to rest in the 70s/early 80s and Loranga has since been made by other brewerys. The card above is Mr Loranga in a set of Sandwalls happy families cards. Meet the whole family and the other charming Sandwalls families here.

PS. Yep, I've posted Sandwalls happy families before. It's worth it. Enjoy!

Loranga Enamel porcelain coated sign

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Related:
Vintage Beverage: Champis
Ephemera: Plonk! (Sound effect soft drink labels)
Ephemera: Swedish Soft Drink Labels
Vintage Beverage: Zingo
Vintage Beverage: Cuba Cola
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All posts with label soft drinks
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Vintage Beverage: Champis

From Farbror Sid

Champis
is a Swedish soft drink created by Robert Roberts in 1910. It was initially marketed under different name but since 1918 it has been sold as Champis. Along with the soft drinks Sockerdricka, Citronil, Pomril and Pommac, Champis is one in the first generation of Swedish soft drinks. The recipe is a well-kept secret by the way.

sources: link, link, link

More wonderful Swedish soft drink and lemonade ads from Uncle Sid:
Mer, Merry, Festis, Apotekarnes, Pommac
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Related:
Ephemera: Plonk! (Sound effect soft drink labels)
Ephemera: Swedish Soft Drink Labels
Vintage Beverage: Zingo
Vintage Beverage: Cuba Cola
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All posts with label soft drinks

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Ephemera: Plonk!

Even more Swedish Soft Drink Labels?! Yep, you bet! How do you like these beauties? I've tried - not very easy - translating the Swedish text from the site where they were found:

"Sound effects soft drinks. These four spectacular soft drinks were on the market in 1985-1986. They were soon to be criticized for containing questionable chemical substances... (!!)
Flämt! - Came in light blue and light green design and tasted smågodis. (various kinds of candy with a sometimes diffuse flavor to it)
Gulp! - With the taste of sega bananer (banana flavored foamy candy) and had an intense yellow translucent color.
Plonk! (!!) - Perhaps the least known of the quartet with a taste of godiskulor (ie, blueberries - and boysenberries candy flavourings)
Wroom! - Hallongelé (Raspberry jelly candy) colored beverage with the taste of ... raspberry jelly candy.

The images and the original Swedish text are found at den nostalgiska läsksidan via the (sometimes) very kind gåsmannen who also recommended this label collector site.

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Related:
Ephemera: Swedish Soft Drink Labels
Vintage Beverage: Zingo (important Update!)
Vintage Beverage: Cuba Cola
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All posts with label soft drinks

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Ephemera: Swedish Soft Drink Labels

Swedish Soft Drink Labels from brewery Värnamo bryggeri. More here.

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Vintage beverage: Zingo

Zingo 70s style. Image was found here.

"Zingo is a Swedish soft drink. Zingo was introduced during the 1950s as Ingo-dricka ("Ingo drink"), named after the boxer Ingemar "Ingo" Johansson. After Ingo lost the world championship in heavy weight boxing the drink was renamed Zingo in 1962." - From Wikipedia

A few more images here!




UPDATE!!:


Found here via Gåsmannen!!

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Related:
Cuba Cola
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Dr dr Zeno loves Zingo.

Vintage beverage: Cuba Cola

"Cuba Cola was the first cola in the Swedish market - introduced in 1953 and still going strong. The label has been kept unchanged over the years and is a good example of true 50s design. The taste is characterized by the robust taste of cola and many think this is what a real cola should taste like." - Krönleins Bryggeri

"The recipe is owned by Saturnus AB of Malmö and it's brewed on license by Vasa bryggeri, Heines bryggeri, Guttsta Källa and Krönleins." - Wikipedia

"Saturnus produced a great many products during the Second World War to supplement products that were in short supply, and thus became even more well known in Swedish households. " / ". At the same time, the trendy post-War fashions from the USA resulted in a great deal of interest in Cola drinks. The debate was heated, and Coca Cola wasn't allowed to market its products in Sweden until 1953. Saturnus was ready - Cuba Cola was launched a few months before Saturnus' American competitor began marketing its products." - Saturnus

"... beating Coca-Cola by three months. The soft drink has in reality nothing to do with the country of Cuba, although it serves as an alternative cola drink to the many anti-American (or anti-globalization) youths of Sweden." - Wikipedia


(Click image for larger)
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