7up 8 bubble 1942!

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SODABOB

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Reminder ...

Between about 1930 and 1935, 7up was basically still in its infancy, and during that same time period franchise bottlers were required to supply their own bottles, which explains why there were so many different sizes and colors of bottles prior to about 1935-36 when their standardized bottle was first introduced. And just when things were probably starting to look good for the company between about 1935 and 1940, the war comes along in 1941-1942 and things possibly got all messed up for the company. Why else would 7up bottlers plead to have their empties returned when during that same time period bottlers of Pepsi Cola and other brands didn't advertise the same need about returning the empties?

I might be on a wild goose chase with this, but I think I'll take a closer look at things and see what, if anything, I can find to explain some of this, especially why 7up bottlers desperately needed their empties back when it appears that very few if any other brands were advertising the same request.

Wild Goose Chase.jpg
 

SODABOB

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This is for those who might not be familiar with "all white paint" acl 7up bottles. This image was in my files and I did not include a date of production when I saved it. Nor do I recall where I got the image.

7up Bottle White Paint Only.jpg
 

iggyworf

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Hey, iggy

Do you believe that because a lot of early 1940s 7up acl bottles lack red paint that it was because of WWII rationing? As for myself, I've read numerous accounts over the years that say as much about the red paint but I have never been fully convinced that its true. Do you happen to know where that claim originated from and whether its true or not? And if it is true, exactly what years during the 1940s did it have an effect on 7up bottles? I'm starting to think something occurred within the 7up Company itself during WWII that might explain the lack of bottles produced and the lack of red paint on a certain percentage of those same bottles. The reason I'm bringing this up is because I'm starting to see a lot of soda bottles from 1943 but just no 7up bottles. Of the dozens of bottles I've looked at that are dated 1943, about 7 out of 10 of them are Pepsi Cola bottles, most of which have acl labels. But why there are so many Pepsi Cola acl bottles from 1943 is anyone's guess. Which brings us to this "Kist" acl bottle from 1943. Kist was a fairly major brand at the time and this particular bottle has more red paint on it than a typical 1940s 7up bottle does!

Owens-Illinois ~ 3 <(I)> 3. ~ Duraglas


View attachment 174327

View attachment 174328

Bob, I have only heard from other people that this might be true. From what I have read it is possible, but now that you brought up some questions about it, it might be that 7up was in some sort of trouble. I don't recall seeing to many other companies pleading for bottles to be returned either. Then we would assume red paint was more $ than white paint? The more I think about it if that was true, why red paint?

I am not sure where that claim came from either. I do have one 8 bubble bottle with just white paint. I know I posted it here awhile back but forget what yr it was from. Maybe 1938? I will have to dig it out.
 

SODABOB

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To clarify ...

I don't want to give the impression there were no return bottle campaigns during WWII because there were plenty of them as evidenced by the following three articles. There are tons of articles like this that appeared in newspapers coast to coast during the war. However, many of them are somewhat generic and for some reason there seem to be more of them that are directly related to 7up bottlers than there are for other brands. That's why I'm thinking 7up might have been hit the hardest, or at least hit hard enough to warrant ads like those I posted earlier where they said such things as "No more bottles." Notice the following articles don't say there was a complete shut-down of the glass industry, which is the impression I got from the 7up ads I posted. Instead, they say glass containers were replacing tin cans and that anything shipped overseas was not returned to the states later on. Thus, there was a shortage of readily available glass containers for the home-front.

By the way, does anyone know if 7up and/or other soft drink brands were shipped overseas during the war? I know Coca Cola was, but I'm not sure if other brands were, except maybe Pepsi Cola.

The Akron Beacon Journal ~ Ohio ~ May 17, 1943

WWII Bottles The Akron Beacon Journal Ohio May 17, 1943.jpg

Casconade County Republic ~ Owensville, Missouri ~ June 7, 1943

WWII Bottles Casconade County Republic Owensville, Missouri June 7, 1943.jpg

Monroe Morning World ~ Louisiana ~ June 20, 1943

WWII Bottles Monroe Morning World Louisiana June 20, 1943.jpg
 

SODABOB

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Rich / iggy

Thanks - I'll keep digging and see what I can find. I'm especially curious if 7up was shipped overseas during the war?
 

SODABOB

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I thought this article was especially interesting because of the various brands it mentions ...

The Monroe Morning World ~ Louisiana ~ June 20, 1943

(Same newspaper and date as the Monroe article I posted earlier - but from a different page)

WWII Bottles Monroe Morning World Louisiana June 20, 1943 (2).jpg

WWII Bottles Monroe Morning World Louisiana June 20, 1943 (3).jpg

( And still searching to see if 7up was shipped overseas during WWII )
 

SODABOB

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I spent the last hour searching for anything and everything I could find regarding the rationing of paint during WWII, and just about the only thing I could find was this article I copy/pasted from a Sherwin-Williams website. And even it is a little vague, although it does place some emphasis on "Linseed oil" and "Petroleum derivatives." However, if there was a restriction on paints used for acl soda bottle labels during WWII, you'd think it would apply to all brands and not just 7up. Can anyone think of a 1941 to 1945 acl soda bottle where the red or any other color of paint was intentionally eliminated from the label? I can't think of a single brand where this is evident.

Here's the copy/pasted article ...

World War II Brings Changes to Paint Industry


During World War II, the paint industry geared up for defense production. Thousands of military items required paints, including camouflage paint for tanks; aircraft, ship, and truck finishes; and coatings for guns and bombs. Every soldier was equipped with many painted items, some of which had their own special finishes. In addition, construction equipment, water supplies, and electrical lighting systems necessary to a military campaign also required paint.
Sherwin-Williams, a leading paint manufacturer based in Cleveland, Ohio, worked to accommodate this defense conversion. Plant engineers converted old equipment to new manufacturing uses. Chemists experimented with old, almost forgotten oils and resins and treated them with modern processing equipment. Purchasing agents combed the country for raw materials so that shortages would not halt production.
Shortages affected every corner of life during the war, from women who gave up stockings because silk was unavailable, to paint manufacturers who were required to ration linseed oil, a common paint binder. These constraints led Sherwin-Williams to accelerate their research into new coatings concepts. Their chemists took casein, a milk protein used by the ancient Egyptians for making paint, and emulsified (or suspended) varnish in it. They then added a number of other ingredients, with water as the largest component, to create a water-based paint.
The result was Kem-Tone[SUP]©[/SUP] paint, a fast-drying emulsion that met with instant public acceptance and would ultimately become one of the best-selling paints in the United States. Kem-Tone[SUP]©[/SUP] paint became the first widely accepted waterborne interior wall paint with sufficient binding power to allow washability.
Developed by a team of Sherwin-Williams chemists, Kem-Tone[SUP]©[/SUP]paint did not depend on organic solvents (based on carbon, such as petroleum derivatives), and it reduced the required amounts of traditional binders, which were in short supply because of the war. Technologically, the chemists at Sherwin-Williams showed that it was chemically and commercially possible for a paint emulsified in water to produce a durable coating.
Kem-Tone[SUP]©[/SUP] was registered as a trademark on Sept. 23, 1941. In the next three years, more than 10 million gallons would be sold.
 

SODABOB

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Hey, Rich

I've also been looking around for a 1943 7up bottle but can't find one anywhere! But make no mistake, there are ample examples of other 1943 soda bottles because I've seen pictures of them. But for some unknown reason I just can't find a 1943 7up. I wonder why?
 

SODABOB

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This is the best article I've found so far that explains the reduction of soda bottles during WWII ...

The Indianapolis Star ~ Indiana ~ June 5, 1943

WWII Bottles The Indianapolis Star Indiana June 5, 1943 (3).jpg

Especially this part ...

WWII Bottles The Indianapolis Star Indiana June 5, 1943.jpg
 
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SODABOB

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Bill Lockhart briefly mentions the red-orange-pigment in his 2007 article. But it doesn't sound as if he originated the theory. It sounds more like he is repeating something that he found elsewhere. But just where that might have been, I do not know.

This is the portion of the 9 page Soda-Fizz article where he mentions the red pigment in connection with WWII ...

7up Article Fizz (2).jpg

7up Article Fizz (13).jpg
 

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