TheSamba.com :: View topic - A Pepsi-Cola "Mug Bug" is in my shop.

Fri Dec 02, 2005 11:00 am

In the 1970s Pepsi-Cola got 100 or so brand new VW Type I and had them painted "rootbeer" brown (some were left red) and covered in "Mug" rootber labels. Then the cars were driven around to promote the, then new, Mug rootbeer, from Pepsi-Cola.

It's a neat little piece of beetle history. Unfortunately, the car was purchased at a truck auction, along with some old Pepsi-Cola delivery trucks, was sent to a restoration shop, and was stripped of it's decals and given a factory original paintjob. At any rate, the car has 16,000 original miles on it and is in considerably pristine condition, aside from a ho-hum repaint and some aging from sitting for all these years.

I will be doing a restoration on the car, and am putting 3 guys on it. Our goal is to get the car to a show condition by December 25th of this year.

If anyone knows of any good parts suppliers who are close to Pittsburgh, PA, and are very quick about delivery of parts, could you post their info here so I can get everything I need in time for my deadline? I would really appreciate it. There will be pictures to come for anyone interested in a practically all original 16,000 mile 1969 Type-I.

Fri Dec 02, 2005 12:18 pm

That wasn't in the 70's, it was like 1998.

Pepsi-Cola Canada capitalized on the launch of the new Volkswagen Beetle when it introduced its soft drink, Mug root beer, around the same time in the spring of 1998. John Grant, director of marketing, non-carbonated beverages at Pepsi in Mississauga, Ont., says the company chose the Beetle because "it was old-fashioned, and had a retro, authentic iconic image that fit well with our Mug's formulation."

Fri Dec 02, 2005 12:21 pm

Many were done at Bugstop in Martinez.

Edited.

The Coca Cola ones were done by bugstop, my mistake.

Fri Dec 02, 2005 12:24 pm

Found more on this:

All the major root beer companies launch expensive promoting campaigns, and take part in careful image-building. If A & W has the Great Root Bear, Mug has the Mug Bugs. In the summer of 1996, Mug Root Beer gave away 12 Volswagen Beetles, or "Mug Bugs," in collaboration with MTV: Music Television Network. In addition to MTV Beach Parties, where Mug Bugs featured, MTV also organized the "Mug of the Day" competition, the aim of which was to find the craziest face possible. Pepsico, the manufacturer of Mug Root Beer, considers VW Beetles as the perfect vehicles to drive good, old root beer to the 1990's. In the company's opinion, the Bug is a lot like Mug Root Beer; classic but contemporary, and very funny as well. The idea behind the cooperation with the youth-oriented MTV is to introduce root beer to a whole new audience, the generation of Coca-Cola, Sprite and Seven-Up drinkers.

Fri Dec 02, 2005 12:59 pm

i think that thing is 96 was a rerun of an old ad campaign in the late 60s/early 70s

Fri Dec 02, 2005 1:02 pm

YellowSplittie wrote: Found more on this:

All the major root beer companies launch expensive promoting campaigns, and take part in careful image-building. If A & W has the Great Root Bear, Mug has the Mug Bugs. In the summer of 1996, Mug Root Beer gave away 12 Volswagen Beetles, or "Mug Bugs," in collaboration with MTV: Music Television Network. In addition to MTV Beach Parties, where Mug Bugs featured, MTV also organized the "Mug of the Day" competition, the aim of which was to find the craziest face possible. Pepsico, the manufacturer of Mug Root Beer, considers VW Beetles as the perfect vehicles to drive good, old root beer to the 1990's. In the company's opinion, the Bug is a lot like Mug Root Beer; classic but contemporary, and very funny as well. The idea behind the cooperation with the youth-oriented MTV is to introduce root beer to a whole new audience, the generation of Coca-Cola, Sprite and Seven-Up drinkers. I remember the whole thing in hot vws.

Fri Dec 02, 2005 1:06 pm

UZI wrote: i think that thing is 96 was a rerun of an old ad campaign in the late 60s/early 70s

But Pepsi didn't purchase Mug until 1986.:

Quote: Mug Root Beer is a brand name of root beer made by the Pepsi company.

Mug was first produced by the Belfast Beverage Company in San Francisco, California during the early 1950s. Its name was changed to Mug Old Fashioned Root Beer. In the late 1960s, Sugar Free Mug (now Diet Mug Root Beer) was introduced. Mug Cream Soda (and Diet Mug Cream Soda) was later introduced, but is not as widely available. Mug was purchased by Pepsi in 1986.

Fri Dec 02, 2005 1:32 pm

I still have the issue somewhere (late 90's for sure), they converted like 100 bugs for that campaign and a few were given out in contests and one of the shops closed for the public for a year to get a bunch of them restored for the company.

So ya, not really vintage history. Not sure if I'd personally bend over backwards to get it back to "Mug Bug" specs but cool nonetheless

Fri Dec 02, 2005 1:35 pm

Someone in one of the local clubs around here had one for sale in the past year or so. Still had the graphics on it, but rust was starting to show through.

As I recall, the "restorations" we done pretty quickly and the cars haven't held up well.

Fri Dec 02, 2005 1:39 pm

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=85764&highlight=root+beer

Fri Dec 02, 2005 2:02 pm

Here is a pic of an original that belongs to a friend.

Fri Dec 02, 2005 2:33 pm

I almost bought one locally here in Maine about 3 years ago. It was a 74(?) Super that was pretty clean down low but mysteriously rotted between the top of the rear fender and the side of the deck lid. They wanted $2000 for it which was about $1000 more than it was worth IMHO.

Fri Dec 02, 2005 2:49 pm

I know of 3 of them that are within 20 minutes of my place. They're all early to mid 70's cars with a slapped together restoration including goofy things like two passenger seats, etc. One is a daily driver up here in Ontario Canada. The second was used for the kids to paint at a car show a couple of years ago and the latest one surfaced three weeks ago and was purchased by a club member for $800 USD. It's a 74 Super he intends to daily drive. No offense intended but just want to clarify the 'rarity'

Fri Dec 02, 2005 3:25 pm

All the information I was given was from the trucking outfit where the car was purchased.

If they passed bad info on to me, I am glad you guys caught it. The car isn't mine. I have a nice stock 69 bug, and an autobody shop. The customer wants the car back to it's original (not mug rootbeer looking) condition before Christmas. (hey, it's his money)

I am just looking for a good reccomendation for a parts supplier who is fast and reliable. I checked around in the parts dealer's listing, but there were over 200 different dealers and none stood out in my mind as being above average, or even close to where I am located.

EDIT: I just did some "googling." Not that it matters now, since the car is now an ex-mug bug...

a fellow named Earl Mann (Bug Shop) seems to be taking credit for building the cars for the entire campaign.
http://www.earlmannbugshop.com/pepsi_cola_mug_rootbeer_campaign.htm

again, sorry for posting misleading information about the origin of the car. I was suckered into a sales-pitch from the new owner who obviously was suckered into buying a fake rare car!

Fri Dec 02, 2005 3:30 pm

I know there was one running around here in Boise for awhile, havent seen it in a couple years though

Fri Dec 02, 2005 3:34 pm

Reminds me of the old "Beetle Boards" in the 70's

Fri Dec 02, 2005 3:52 pm

69stock_beetle wrote: All the information I was given was from the trucking outfit where the car was purchased.

again, sorry for posting misleading information about the origin of the car. I was suckered into a sales-pitch from the new owner who obviously was suckered into buying a fake rare car!

The question is, will you be enlightening the new owner? :wink: Would it jeopardize your project?

Fri Dec 02, 2005 4:23 pm

earl mann did the mug bugs and his shop is is ardmore oklahoma. pepsi contacted him and wanted the bugs really quick, so they converted whatever they could find or had on their lot. earl mann's shop does excellent work and his cars have won their class at the Classic. a few have also been featured in Hot vw's.

Fri Dec 02, 2005 4:56 pm

YellowSplittie wrote:

The question is, will you be enlightening the new owner? :wink: Would it jeopardize your project?

Yes I am deffinitely going to tell him about the Mug Bug campaign, and tell him that the car was previously restored by Earl Mann.

I am trying to weed through eveything and get the facts on this car.

From the info I have that came with the car, and the car it's self, I can tell you this...

It was an original mileage car. It was originally red, and was in good shape prior to being "mugged." The body panels on the car are all correct for a 69, as is the interior. The carpeting and seat covers were replaced, but that is expected with the cheap price of replacement parts.

I am still trying to sort it out. It doesn't look to be a quick restoration job done for a promotion. attention to detail is everywhere, except for the exterior paint which was obviously done recently.

Sat Dec 03, 2005 4:16 pm

There were other "muggers" for Pepsi. Kirk's VW in Buffalo, Minnesota
traveled through-out the Western U.S. with a semi, buying and hauling
solid shells back to Minnesota. Unfortunately, they ran into some
"title issues" (so I've been told) and many finished cars ended up in
a junk yard in French Lake, Mn. awaiting the crusher :cry: . I'm
sure that someone from the Twin Cities has better details.