The Decline Of Soda Contests

Does anybody remember when there was a contest with Mountain Dew where you could win a free 20oz bottle just by finding a winning cap? Now that was a deal. You’d just bring in your winning cap and come out with a Mountain Dew. Simple and effective, which of course meant that it wasn’t going to last long.

So it got cheaper. No longer could you win a free 20oz bottle. Instead, you’d get a “Buy 1 20oz Get 1 Free” cap. While definitely a downgrade, it was still a pretty good deal, although the only problem was you’d walk out with two sodas, even if you only wanted one.

True story: When I was working in Wisconsin, I’d occasionally have a friendly wager with one of my co-workers over the Packers/Lions games. However, during that time both teams weren’t very good, so neither he nor I had faith that our teams would win, and we didn't want to risk much. So, what we came up with was whoever lost had to buy a 20oz soda, and then using a Buy 1 Get 1 Free Cap that we already had, we’d get a free second and give it to the winner. This essentially meant that the deal was if you lost the best, you’d buy yourself a soda. Talk about your high rolling. (Note that I said it was a true story, and not necessarily entertaining or funny.)

Of course, the Buy 1 Get 1 Free deal has also ended. Now you get a code on the cap, which you’re supposed to enter on a website in order to have a chance to win prizes. Now I may be wrong, but this seems like a terrible idea. I’m assuming that once you register your code, along with an obligatory email address,, you’ll get spammed to the point of even if you won anything, it wouldn’t be worth it.

They even got rid of the NCAA basketball contest, where you’d get the name of a college under each cap, and if you got the eventual tournament winner, you’d get some sort of prize. This was always fun, mainly because you’d never get good teams, and instead teams with absolutely no chance of winning, like the Southwestern Idaho Fighting Porcupines or the North Central And A Little Bit Of Northwestern Kentucky Mighty Earthworms. At least I found it amusing. I’m not sure if anybody else did.

Anyway, the era of good soda contests is over, at least in my mind. It’s fallen by the wayside along with Airheads, which are now about a quarter of their original size and more expensive, and penny candy, which is really now fifteen cent candy.

Oh well. I probably shouldn’t be drinking soda anyway. It makes me jittery and keeps me up at night. Plus, Airheads are so chewy they’d probably pull out my fillings. And, now that I think about it, this topic will give me something good to complain about when I’m a crotchety old man, say in about ten years: “Why I remember when I was a kid, you used to be able to win a free bottle of pop, not like today, where you use your dang phones for everything and nobody remembers their manners and kids don’t respect their elders and – hey! Where are you going? I’m not finished!!”

So I should probably just go gnaw on some broccoli and quit living in the past, even though it's hard, since the past was so darn tasty. And inexpensive.