Conspiracy Theory Time. Hit vs. Kik

[bottlebugs]

In my search for more details on the "Hit" bottle history I struck upon something
odd the other day. A popular cola in Georgia was Big Hit. It predates Hit and Kik
and their bottlers in Montreal by almost ten years. It was a belly-wash for kids.

Check this out...It prominently featured a baseball player. Of course we all know where
Coca-Cola was headquartered...Georgia.

It appeared to be bought out by Coca-Cola in the 1930s and was packaged in large
bottles to give credence to the name "Big" Hit. ACL bottles followed in the 1940s.

Now doesn't that look familiar?! Did America Dry copy the same bottle and use it just in Canada?

To compete with Pepsi=Cola in Canada (1934) a new cola was in produced by America Dry in 1936. Kik. Pepsi=Cola, and America Dry (Kik Kola) were all headquartered in New York City!

It featured another oddity. An American style football player from the 1920s kicking a
soccer ball? When Kik took off in the USA they quickly changed the Canadian slogan
and ball to the familiar football. There's Quality in Kik vs. Life in Kik.

So around the same time that Kik was getting traction in Quebec (1938), Orange Freeze
releases a new product called Hit. Strangely, it only opens plants in St. Boniface, Manitoba where Coke, Kik, and Pepsi were surprisingly absent. When Coke and Pepsi are
introduced to Manitoba, Hit shutters its operations. (1940)

So after the acquisition of Kik by Orange Crush International (HQ'd in TO) Kik became Canada's Own Cola, even though apparently it wasn't.

BTW...America Dry Ginger Ale and Canada Dry Ginger Ale were headquartered in NYC as well.

Big Hit was renamed as Big Giant the same year the New York Giants moved to San Francisco after 60+ years in the Big City. The year was 1958. However, it still pictured a baseball player.

Food for thought?

 

[CanadianBottles]

Wait, there wasn't any Coca Cola or Pepsi in Winnipeg until 1940? That seems way too late for that, I would think that at least Coke must have been operating there decades before then. There are Coke straight-sides from northern Ontario, I have a hard time imagining they were operating in Subdury but not Winnipeg.

I'm always surprised that Kik was headquartered in New York, I always thought it was entirely Canadian.

 

[bottlebugs]

Hi Canadabottles,

The aerated soda bottlers report from the government of Canada showed only Coke as of 1937. Coke was indeed in Winnipeg and also in Brandon.

Hit wasn't competing with Coke. It was competing with Pepsi and Kik. The combination of the two ("When Coke and Pepsi are introduced to Manitoba, Hit shutters its operations.") (1940)

I would have emphasized "and" but just now have seen the Bold selection so here we go....

Strangely, it only opens plants in St. Boniface, Manitoba where Coke, Kik, and Pepsi were surprisingly absent. When Coke and Pepsi are introduced to Manitoba, Hit shutters its operations. (1940)

so to summarize 1938 only Coke in Winnipeg and Brandon
1938-1939 Hit in St. Boniface
1939 Pepsi and Coke in Winnipeg
1940 Hit is gone.

 

[Step Back In Time]

That's really interesting! Thanks for the info.

 

[Historical-Info-Service]

Hi Canadabottles,

The aerated soda bottlers report from the government of Canada showed only Coke as of 1937. Coke was indeed in Winnipeg and also in Brandon.

Hit wasn't competing with Coke. It was competing with Pepsi and Kik. The combination of the two ("When Coke and Pepsi are introduced to Manitoba, Hit shutters its operations.") (1940)

I would have emphasized "and" but just now have seen the Bold selection so here we go....

Strangely, it only opens plants in St. Boniface, Manitoba where Coke, Kik, and Pepsi were surprisingly absent. When Coke and Pepsi are introduced to Manitoba, Hit shutters its operations. (1940)

so to summarize 1938 only Coke in Winnipeg and Brandon
1938-1939 Hit in St. Boniface
1939 Pepsi and Coke in Winnipeg
1940 Hit is gone.

View attachment 256224

View attachment 256225
View attachment 256226
View attachment 256227

Kik was in Winnipeg beginning Nov 29, 1937. They occupied the Stillwater Beverages Ltd plant. They were incorporated provincially as Kik (Manitoba) Ltd. Those reports are full of errors. If you look at the 1938 report, it shows Stillwater at 234 Pritchard Street, which appears to be a new plant, as the 1937 report shows them at a different location. The attached article provides the date that Kik went into operation at 234 Pritchard.

 

[Historical-Info-Service]

Wait, there wasn't any Coca Cola or Pepsi in Winnipeg until 1940? That seems way too late for that, I would think that at least Coke must have been operating there decades before then. There are Coke straight-sides from northern Ontario, I have a hard time imagining they were operating in Subdury but not Winnipeg.

I'm always surprised that Kik was headquartered in New York, I always thought it was entirely Canadian.

Kik was headquartered in Montreal. It was 100% Canadian.

 

[Historical-Info-Service]

In my search for more details on the "Hit" bottle history I struck upon something
odd the other day. A popular cola in Georgia was Big Hit. It predates Hit and Kik
and their bottlers in Montreal by almost ten years. It was a belly-wash for kids.

Check this out...It prominently featured a baseball player. Of course we all know where
Coca-Cola was headquartered...Georgia.

View attachment 256206View attachment 256212View attachment 256213

It appeared to be bought out by Coca-Cola in the 1930s and was packaged in large
bottles to give credence to the name "Big" Hit. ACL bottles followed in the 1940s.


View attachment 256207

Now doesn't that look familiar?! Did America Dry copy the same bottle and use it just in Canada?

View attachment 256208

To compete with Pepsi=Cola in Canada (1934) a new cola was in produced by America Dry in 1936. Kik. Pepsi=Cola, and America Dry (Kik Kola) were all headquartered in New York City!

View attachment 256209

It featured another oddity. An American style football player from the 1920s kicking a
soccer ball? When Kik took off in the USA they quickly changed the Canadian slogan
and ball to the familiar football. There's Quality in Kik vs. Life in Kik.

So around the same time that Kik was getting traction in Quebec (1938), Orange Freeze
releases a new product called Hit. Strangely, it only opens plants in St. Boniface, Manitoba where Coke, Kik, and Pepsi were surprisingly absent. When Coke and Pepsi are
introduced to Manitoba, Hit shutters its operations. (1940)


View attachment 256211

So after the acquisition of Kik by Orange Crush International (HQ'd in TO) Kik became Canada's Own Cola, even though apparently it wasn't.

BTW...America Dry Ginger Ale and Canada Dry Ginger Ale were headquartered in NYC as well.

View attachment 256210

Big Hit was renamed as Big Giant the same year the New York Giants moved to San Francisco after 60+ years in the Big City. The year was 1958. However, it still pictured a baseball player.

View attachment 256214View attachment 256215

Food for thought?

The US version of Canada Dry was headquarted in New York. The Canadian company, which did not take direction from the US company was headquarted in Toronto. The America Dry Company of Canada was headquarted in Montreal and operated independently of the US company America Dry Corp. You'll note that the trademark (not patent) registration for Kik in the US was filed by America Dry of Montreal, not New York.

 

[bottlebugs]

Kik was headquartered in Montreal. It was 100% Canadian.

I have seen this anecdotal information before. America Dry owned Orange-Bloom,
and as such owned the patent rights. Orange-Bloom purchased their concentrates
from America Dry Corp USA through their Canadian affiliate.

In the US trademarks cases involving America Dry were published showing provenances back to 1924. Here are more examples of the parent company (NYC) and some more US signage.

 

[bottlebugs]

The Kik label shown is exactly the same on both sides of the border.
The older version I had from NYC showed a more primitive ball player and
the bottler was Orange Crush. The bottle did not have the embossed image
so neck labels were employed.

 

[bottlebugs]

The US version of Canada Dry was headquarted in New York. The Canadian company, which did not take direction from the US company was headquarted in Toronto. The America Dry Company of Canada was headquarted in Montreal and operated independently of the US company America Dry Corp. You'll note that the trademark (not patent) registration for Kik in the US was filed by America Dry of Montreal, not New York.

If you review that post, you will see that the US trademark was registered on the same day, under SCOTCH PRODUCTS NY...and the Canadian Label was registered by AMERICA DRY GINGER ALE COMPANY, in Montreal, not America Dry Company of Canada.

In order to register a trademark in the US you must prove that the product was sold
internationally. Canada was convenient and many US corporations filed statements of
use including Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola and Celery-Cola.