The 33 on the bottom of every can and bottle was placed there back in 1937 or whenever they first started to make RR. Back in the day people were paid by how many numbers you submitted. Well whoever wrote that saying on the cans and bottles wrote 33 at the end so the powers that be knew how many words he had written, and how much to pay him. Well when they printed the saying on the cans and bottles, the 33 stuck at the bottom of all of them, and they just left it and that is why it says 33 on the bottom of every can and bottle of Rolling Rock.
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Please include a link to Cecil’s column if it’s on the straight dope web site. To include a link, it can be as simple as including the web page location in your post (make sure there is a space before and after the text of the URL).
Cecil’s column can be found on-line at the link provided by the much-admired bibliophage.
Bluto, your explanation is very similar to what Cecil Adams said in his column, except for the addition that the number was related to the financial compensation given to the author of the slogan. How do you know this?
Here’s an almost tangetial story:
A guy goes into a bar he’s never been to before. The regulars are chatting and having a good time. Somebody shouts, “Fifty-four!” Everyone laughs. A few minutes later, someone else yells, “Fourteen!” Everyone laughs. Then some guy hollers, “Thirty-three!” Everybody laughs. The new guy finally nudges the fellow next to him, and asks, “What’s the deal with the numbers?” The fellow explains, “Well, we’ve heard all these jokes several times, so we numbered them, and we just save time by calling out the number.”