# Kik...Canada's Own Cola



## Canadacan

I was downtown today and stopped in at the Antique shop for a quick peek. At the back of the shop I found a 28oz Kik!.....now I only have a couple of 10oz bottles one from 1954 with Cola on it and a 1958 with no cola on it. And it had been a while since I've looked at any 28oz bottles online but this one looked different to me. When I got home I checked the pics from Tim Maitland's  collection and he dose not have this one pictured. So either because it's too common or he doesn't have it?...either way I don't really care and have wanted one forever. I Know it's not as tough as some of those earlier ones that Tim Maitland has and it's not mint shape but for $7 dollars I just could not leave it behind![]A couple of things to note...first is no printing on the back of the bottle! and second the embossed has the round ball and the ACL part has the oblong one...I think that's what caught my eye! Also the ACL is not the same as Tim's if you look close[:-]The bottle has a Dominion glass mark dated 1947. Here is the link to the other bottles.http://www.ecbw.ca/tim_ma...s/kik_beverages_01.jpg[attachment=2015-02-21 20.34.50_resized.jpg]  [attachment=2015-02-21 20.33.58_resized.jpg]


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## RCO

i don't have any kik cola bottles yet and don't recall finding any either , maybe wasn't sold much where I live . do recall seeing some other kik bottles for sale at antiques malls in my travels though .


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## CanadianBottles

That's a pretty nice one, looks like a transition bottle between the player on the neck and the orange peel neck.  I think you did pretty well for 7 bucks.  I never found any variations other than the regular no Cola ones which were pretty common in BC but I don't think I ever saw any in Ontario.


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## Canadacan

I just rechecked something on mine...It has the dot at 6 o'clock under the diamond indicating the Red Cliff Alberta plant, so it's a western Canadian variation.Yes I agree now looking at it more that it would be a transition bottle, still odd it has no printing on the back. how do you like the graphic?...the guy is holding the Kik instead of the ball!..lol....that was like a big Whoops![]I wonder who bottled and distributed Kik out here?...maybe Pepsi did?


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## CanadianBottles

I don't think he's holding Kik, I think his hand just disappeared behind it.  If he was holding that ball he'd either be a very small guy or that'd be a very large ball.  I don't know about Pepsi bottling it, seems like they wouldn't liked another cola calling themselves "Canada's Own Cola".  That slogan suggests it would have been bottled independently, but I don't know by whom.  I noticed that there's a cola called Kik bottled in Sri Lanka, I wonder if there's any relation between the two.


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## Canadacan

No I know he's not holding it it 's just the alignment of the graphics....anyways you gota admit the graphics were always a little goofy looking on those bottles[]Well you never know about a possible connection...just look at Solo as prime example of a name that lives on today.Could have even been Felix bottlers they were a total independent....we need Bob to search that out for us!..lol, I have too much soda can variation lists to compile right now.


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## mctaggart67

I'm under the impression that E.P. Taylor, of Canadian Breweries Ltd. (later Carling-O'Keefe) fame and very deep pockets, was behind Kik Cola somehow. If so, his pugnacity and heap of cash might have kept other cola producers at bay when it came to objections over the "Canada's Cola" tagline.


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## Canadacan

Today I added this nice 12 oz Kik cola to my line up!.....and in truth I did not know about the 12 oz size until recently, not sure on the scarcity of it but glad to have one. Cool to see the transitions.


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## Canadacan

[attachment=20151115_115239_resized.png]


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## Canadacan

This is my line up for Kik! 1947 28 oz....this particular label variation could be rare, it looks similar to others but has the players leg behind the K instead of out front. Then my new addition 12oz with the 'Serve Cold' dated 1950, 10 oz 1954 and a 10 oz 1958. [attachment=20151115_115058.jpg]


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## 2find4me

Very nice variations you have there!


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## Canadacan

Thank you very much!


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## iggyworf

Those are cool. I love seeing a run of the same make with different variations. Thanx for sharing.


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## Canadacan

Your welcome!... That's the whole idea on this site to share our collections. It took me a very long time to finally have enough bottles to show in this manner, I'm still missing an older 12 oz variation and several more 28 oz .


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## RCO

there was 2 KIK bottles in my yard sale assortment , a large 28 oz or 30 oz not sure but the acl is very faded and it bad shape but looks same as one in pics , try and take a picture of it tomorrow 

also a 12 oz with most of the acl still there , no city but lots of writing on back


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## RCO

here is the 28 oz bottle , not in especially good condition , does look to be the same as one in first picture though .


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## Canadacan

Hey yes it is identical to mine that I posted....I have not come across any new variations since posting, this variation is not shown on the Tim Maitland collection...very similar but my has no printing on the back and no stipling, plus the ACl is slightly different with leg kicking the ball where it meets the 'K'.
http://www.ecbw.ca/tim_maitland_collection/images/kik_beverages_01.jpg


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## Canadacan

RCO said:


> here is the 28 oz bottle , not in especially good condition , does look to be the same as one in first picture though .
> 
> View attachment 170331


Can you check to see where the . dot is around the diamond?.....be interesting to see if it was made at Redcliff Alberta or an eastern plant, if an eastern plant then that means this was a standard transition bottle used all across Canada.


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## RCO

Canadacan said:


> Can you check to see where the . dot is around the diamond?.....be interesting to see if it was made at Redcliff Alberta or an eastern plant, if an eastern plant then that means this was a standard transition bottle used all across Canada.



I looked at it , have no idea where it was made , did appear to have a D in a diamond , meaning dominion made it


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## CCG

Canadacan said:


> This is my line up for Kik! 1947 28 oz....this particular label variation could be rare, it looks similar to others but has the players leg behind the K instead of out front. Then my new addition 12oz with the 'Serve Cold' dated 1950, 10 oz 1954 and a 10 oz 1958. [attachment=20151115_115058.jpg]



The one with the football on it is quite rare here in Ontario, I've seen it go for some fairly high prices. 

I have a 28oz one that looks like your second one in there, but it has a bruise on the bottom which has just made it rather unappealing to me. The Kik stuff is pretty nice though.


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## Canadacan

Hey first off welcome to the Forum *CCG*!.....nice to see another fellow Canadian on the site! I'm pretty sure my 28oz was specifically made for western Canada? being that it was made in Red Cliff Alberta....I guess I really wonder if that specific graphic will show up back east at some point?....not sure if you seen the link in the previous comments for the Tim Maitland collection?...it shows his Kik bottles.
I passed up a 12oz Kik a while back similar to Tim's but instead of the circle with 5¢ it had just the round ball.....I had never seen it before!....but could not put down the cash on the asking price.

Here is a comparison of my bottle (left) and Tim's, another thing is that mine has a blank back.


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## CCG

Canadacan said:


> Hey first off welcome to the Forum *CCG*!.....nice to see another fellow Canadian on the site! I'm pretty sure my 28oz was specifically made for western Canada? being that it was made in Red Cliff Alberta....I guess I really wonder if that specific graphic will show up back east at some point?....not sure if you seen the link in the previous comments for the Tim Maitland collection?...it shows his Kik bottles.
> I passed up a 12oz Kik a while back similar to Tim's but instead of the circle with 5¢ it had just the round ball.....I had never seen it before!....but could not put down the cash on the asking price.
> 
> Here is a comparison of my bottle (left) and Tim's, another thing is that mine has a blank back.
> 
> View attachment 171753




Hey! Thanks!

That's interesting, you're right, I never saw the difference before between the two. I believe it was from Tim's collection where I learned about the scarceness of that particular bottle. If yours is a made for Western Canada bottle, that's very unique! Such a nice piece to add to any KIK collection. 

Great find!


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## Canadacan

*New bottle and a crate on the way!*

I just got this 28oz variation in today, it's an older version of the one originally posted...to be more precise it is dated 1941 and came from kik Beverages-Calgary, Alberta.....the bottles was made at Alberta's Dominion glass plant in Redcliff.






This is the crate that will soon grace my collection...I know they do take up a lot of space but how could I resist when it's from the city of my birth!





And a nice little ad from 1938....I have not figured out exactly when Kik set up in Winnipeg, a bit more research is needed, but this ad was probably not from long after.
The Winnipeg Tribune- Saturday 23 July 1938.....source newspapers dot com.


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## Eric

Love the crate... Gotta have them to display with your killer bottles! Great stuff!


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## Canadacan

Eric said:


> Love the crate... Gotta have them to display with your killer bottles! Great stuff!


Thanks Eric!....just got another long awaited kik In!


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## Canadacan

*Yahoo got my 5¢ Kik bottle!*

And yes another long awaited Kik came in for me...the coveted 12oz  5¢ bottle!..........I do have one more on the way soon, can't wait to share!


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## CanadianBottles

Very nice!  When I saw that ad I was wondering if there were any Kik bottles with the 5 cents on them, or if it was just a paper label thing.  Do you know how old those ones are?  I've never seen a Kik bottle that looked like that at all.


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## Eric

Man those are in nice shape... colors really vibrant... older red ACL seem to dull. You have a great collection there.


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## Canadacan

Eric said:


> Man those are in nice shape... colors really vibrant... older red ACL seem to dull. You have a great collection there.


Eric yes you are right, the colors are real bright on these last two...got lucky I suppose!


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## Canadacan

CanadianBottles said:


> Very nice!  When I saw that ad I was wondering if there were any Kik bottles with the 5 cents on them, or if it was just a paper label thing.  Do you know how old those ones are?  I've never seen a Kik bottle that looked like that at all.


Thank you!....so far I have only seen 5¢ on a 12oz.....the only other variant of 12oz I spotted was this past summer at a show and it just had the ball, kik my self now for not picking it up (pun intended!..lol). Paper label came as 8 ¢, 10¢...and probably 6¢ depending on region....maybe there is a paper 12oz?
So the 12oz I just got is dated 1949,,, but I may be wrong on that because it has the number code before the <D> and not a letter, which is 1940's ( keep getting messed up on that)...the 28oz is 1941. Kik was a Montreal company that came in around 1934....they came to Winnipeg in 1937 and probably across the rest of western Canada about the same time. There is some overlap in label generation as the new design was introduce in 1948.....oh yea forgot to mention that Crush bought them in 1945.

KiK Cola- The Winnipeg Tribune- Mon, Jul 26, 1948  source...newspapers.com


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## Canadacan

*My new crate and bottles!*

They arrived on the 24th Saturday! ..talk about great timing

The crate is everything I'd hope it to be, the color on the ends is a little weak to almost none existent on one end, but the faces are great, and the crate is all original with the dividers still in place.
This is my first paper label kik and I'm real happy with it!....the bonus was getting the paper label America Dry, these are both labels that are very very very difficult to come by.



*[SUB][SUP]
[/SUP][/SUB]*


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## Eric

Wow... Merry Christmas to You! Great Presents there!!!! Love them.. Paper labels in this condition are hard to find... Congrats!


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## iggyworf

Yes! Great X-mas gift for you. Congrats! I like them.


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## carling

Great thread!  Awesome bottles!  

Got a real Kik out of it.

Okay, that was bad.  Please don't Kik me.


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## Canadacan

Thanks fella's....glad you enjoyed!
 I'll have to do a group photo of the bottles I have to date...I'm still missing a 3rd generation quart but I'm sure I'll come across one some day, also missing a few earlier variations.

I found another cool ad to share!, it shows the exact bottle I have dated 1941...with the exception of the 8¢ because this ad is from Ottawa, and of course this ad is dated 1941! Something I noticed on the one ad I posted earlier is it depicts a neck tag and shows the bottle as a 30oz size for 1938 but yet in Winnipeg and west of that the bottles are all 28oz.
In addition I also discovered that the earliest slogan was 'There's Life in KIK'...my crate has it, my 12oz acl dose and my 28oz paper label has it, and embossed on the shoulder as well. My 1941 quart has the revised slogan 'There's Quality in KIK' on the ACL and embossed on the shoulder....just a way to tell when your looking at the earlier stuff...I will post some pics of the slogans later.

The Ottawa Journal, 15 Nov 1941, Sat.......source news papers dot com.


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## Canadacan

Here are some close up photos showing the three different slogans. I can't remember really noticing them before but I guess a person pays more attention to these details when you have the bottles in hand to examine.


This is the 12oz with 'There's life in KIK' from 1939....as far as I can tell so far this slogan was used from at least from about 1937 to 1940, but was probably use from when the company started out in 1934 and was based out of Montreal.




This is my paper label 28oz, I suspect it's from around 1940-41....note the shoulder has the 'There's life in KIK' so that indicates the bottle is obviously older. 




Then there is the 28oz ACl dated 1941 with the updated slogan 'There's Quality in KIK'.





And this 28oz dated 1947 with the updated ball and player as well as the new slogan 'Canada's Own cola'




Around 1950 they introduced the 'Cola serve Cold' on the bottles...this is from a 12oz example dated 1950.



Some time between 1950 and 54 they discontinued the 12oz and went to 10oz the bottles, then they just had 'Cola' displayed below the KIK, this bottle is dated 1954.





And finally the bottles simply displayed 'KIK'...this example is dated 1958...so that transition took place some time between 1954 and 58, that's as best I can say with out having more examples to verify the exact years these changes took place but it's still neat to see the changes over the years.


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## Eric

you have some great examples there.. I still can't believe how nice the red and white ACL has survived... reds usually fade/oxidize so fast... great collection you have going...
a mini KIK museum.


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## Canadacan

Thanks Eric...well hardly a museum but it's getting there  ....I need a 6¢ example maybe an 8¢...and a 28oz of the second last generation that would round that part out, still dreaming of picking up some of the KIK cans and a sign...always nice to dream I say!.....here is the current line up now, I forgot to get the crate in there!


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## nostalgia

Well here is one that I haven't seen on this thread.  A later 30oz size which is not that hard to find here in Quebec.


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## Canadacan

Ahhh yes thanks for posting that nostalgia!...I never really posted much for the last generation of bottles other than my 10oz in the group photo. I notice mine has a round shield, your 30oz has a rectangular shape to It...the 30oz bottle below may be a variation of that bottle?, and another 10oz I noticed has a shield shape.


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## Canadacan

*Finally got a 30oz!*

I managed to track down a 30oz KIK!...I do believe the western Canadian ones were only 28oz but still can't confirm that for sure but from what I have seen this seems to be the case.
This one is dated 1959 and has English/French print on the back, I would still like to locate a 28oz with the 'cola' on it.


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## Canadacan

Today was a good day!...I finally added my first Kik carton to my collection!


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## iggyworf

Congrats to your additions! Those are in very good condition.


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## RCO

forgot to mention the estate \ auction sale I bought some bottles at a couple weeks ago , also had a smaller Kik bottle I didn't win . 

but its odd the pictures showed the bottle had a cap on it and I wondered if it was an original ? but when I went to pick up the bottles I won , saw it on table and cap was plain gold colour with no writing so glad I didn't bid


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## Canadacan

Wow it's been over a year since I've had anything to add to my KIK collection!

Well I managed to add the earliest version of this 3rd generation quart to my line up just recently.
 I believe this was introduced around 1948, and has the see through 'COLA' and 'Serve Cold' in red...next one I need is the quart with just 'COLA' in solid red. The hunt continues!
Also on a recent trip to Lone Butte B.C. I acquired a palm push...and it's my first ever!. And one last thing to show is this KIK cream soda crown, I don't believe I've ever seen one before...this is not mine. So I wonder how many more flavors were made using the KIK name?









​


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## Donas12

Wow! Really enjoyed reading through this thread. Lots of great information you pulled together Canadacan!

Thought I would post a few of my KIK quart Acls. Although two of them have lost their red paint, I find them still appealing for display. They all have the slogan “There’s Life in Kik”.


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## Canadacan

Donas12 said:


> Wow! Really enjoyed reading through this thread. Lots of great information you pulled together Canadacan!
> 
> Thought I would post a few of my KIK quart Acls. Although two of them have lost their red paint, I find them still appealing for display. They all have the slogan “There’s Life in Kik”.


Thanks so much for the comment!...and for your contribution 
I wonder if those Kik bottles had the same problem as 7up's that also lost red paint? This seemed to happen around 1942 or so as it happens to be one of my 7ups with paint loss is dated 1942. 

Nice bottles BTW!...which reminds me I may have something new to share that I forgot about!

Cheers!


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## Canadacan

So I pretty much forgot to post about these two Kik cans and I finally got my own Cream soda crown! (pic shows black but its dark blue)...still missing regular kik ones though.
The can on the left is a flat top from 1960-65 and the other is a mid 70's maybe a bit later, that shows oz/ml and has a UPC code.


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## Jonnoi

Canadacan said:


> *Yahoo got my 5¢ Kik bottle!*
> 
> And yes another long awaited Kik came in for me...the coveted 12oz  5¢ bottle!..........I do have one more on the way soon, can't wait to share!
> 
> View attachment 176465


I just found one of these but it has Halifax NS on the back,
What interest is there in a bottle like that?


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## Canadacan

Jonnoi said:


> I just found one of these but it has Halifax NS on the back,
> What interest is there in a bottle like that?



Some collectors go for getting all the variations/city as they can. Condition is important to many.


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