For anyone lucky enough to live through the many popular snack fads of the 1990s, ranging from the “nutritional” Kudos Bars to lava lamp-like Orbitz beverages, these short-lived products were examples of an exceptional era in time. That is why many look back on the extremely short life of Crystal Pepsi with rose-colored glasses, since the drink was actually discontinued before reaching its first birthday.
But what exactly is Crystal Pepsi? Well, it was Pepsi’s attempt at creating a healthy alternative to regular Pepsi products following the jump in popularity of less caloric options like seltzers and juices. In order to achieve this, the drink’s brown coloring was replaced with corn starch in order to create a clear soda that was less sickeningly sweet than the original. Pepsi’s then-marketing executive David Novak was the genius behind the idea, and he even states that the concept was much better than its execution. In a 2007 interview with Fast Company, he said, “It would have been nice if I made sure the product tasted good” prior to releasing it.
The rise and fall of Crystal Pepsi
Clearly, Crystal Pepsi did not go down as a popular option. But it didn’t appear that way at first, as it was actually selling extremely well due to its odd presentation and shock value. The company sold $474 million of Crystal Pepsi in about four months and even scared its rival company, Coke, because of its immediate success. Everyone was fighting to get their hands on a six-pack of such a peculiar product, as it was a side of Pepsi that they had never seen before. However, the interest seemed to stop right after the first sip.
A product cannot survive with this type of attention, as most consumers didn’t head back to the store for another bottle after reluctantly finishing their first. After that, everything for Crystal Pepsi came crashing down. The product was ridiculed in a Saturday Night Live sketch about fictitious “Crystal Gravy,” and eventually earned a spot on Time magazine’s list of “The 10 Worst Product Fails of All Time” in 2014.
Unfortunately, Crystal Pepsi’s short run came to an end by early 1994, less than a year after its nationwide debut. While the product did crash and burn fairly quickly, Pepsi lovers liked the beverage (or fond memories of the ’90s) enough for the brand to release the soda for a limited time in 2022 for its 30-year anniversary. Congratulations to the crystal abomination, as it joins the pantheon of discontinued Pepsi products like Pepsi A.M. and Diet Pepsi Jazz, that we have come to know and … tolerate.
