# What did a can of "New Coke" look like? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 2, 2004, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-a-can-of-new-coke-look-like/272625 "2004-11-02T22:50:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-a-can-of-new-coke-look-like/272625/1 "2004-11-02T22:50:33Z")
Even though everyone calls it New Coke now, I remember the can saying _Coke II_ or _Coca-Cola II_ and everyone calling it ‘‘Coke two’’. Is this just a false memory or was there a can that looked like that? No one else seems to remember and I can’t find a picture anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-a-can-of-new-coke-look-like/272625/2 "2004-11-02T22:55:09Z")
It’s been a long time, but I seem torecall it looking like a regular Coke can except the “dynamic ribbon device” (the official name of the swirl logo) had a silver edge. Not surprisingly, there’s an [eBay auction](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=13604&item=7110821549&rd=1) for some. ---
**Author:** ![cstamets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/958977/32.png) [@cstamets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cstamets)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-a-can-of-new-coke-look-like/272625/3 "2004-11-02T23:51:38Z")
“New” Coke didn’t become Coke II until after the “original” Coke was brought back as Coca-Cola Classic. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-a-can-of-new-coke-look-like/272625/4 "2004-11-03T00:04:08Z")
[Snopes](http://snopes.com/cokelore/newcoke.asp) has a picture - and more. ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-a-can-of-new-coke-look-like/272625/5 "2004-11-03T00:12:27Z")
I’m not sure that CocaCola made a big deal (or any deal) out of the fact that they had changed their formula until it blew up in their faces. I remember buying a can of Coke from a vending machine, taking a swig and spitting it out with the comment, “OMG, that tastes like Pepsi.” (I’m not a Pepsi fan.) It was at least a couple of days later that it became big news that the formula had been changed and people didn’t like the change. My roommates and I were among the fevered masses frantically searching out the last of the Real Thing. We managed to score several cases, but still ran out before Classic Coke hit the shelves. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-a-can-of-new-coke-look-like/272625/6 "2004-11-03T00:18:20Z")
I remember a friend, who was absolutely addicted to Coke, buying up crates and crates of the “old” Coke. I didn’t care either way. Ho hum. I’m a Pepsi girl. ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-a-can-of-new-coke-look-like/272625/7 "2004-11-03T00:19:12Z")
> [@laina\_f](#): > > I’m not sure that CocaCola made a big deal (or any deal) out of the fact that they had changed their formula until it blew up in their faces. They made a HUGE deal out of it! ---
**Author:** ![cstamets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/958977/32.png) [@cstamets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cstamets)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-a-can-of-new-coke-look-like/272625/8 "2004-11-03T00:31:34Z")
> [@laina\_f](#): > > I’m not sure that CocaCola made a big deal (or any deal) out of the fact that they had changed their formula until it blew up in their faces. I remember buying a can of Coke from a vending machine, taking a swig and spitting it out with the comment, “OMG, that tastes like Pepsi.” (I’m not a Pepsi fan.) It was at least a couple of days later that it became big news that the formula had been changed and people didn’t like the change. My roommates and I were among the fevered masses frantically searching out the last of the Real Thing. We managed to score several cases, but still ran out before Classic Coke hit the shelves. The New Coke cans had the “NEW” banner on them. Not like they were trying to hide anything. New Coke was brought out with Coke’s [website](http://www2.coca-cola.com/index.html) has a heritage timeline. If you click on that and click on the 80’s link ('82-89 or something), you’ll see a can of New Coke - well, not just any can - the kind of can the astronauts took into space. Even that one has the “NEW” banner. Eventually, they had to take the “NEW” banner off. Only allowed to have it on so long by law (six months, I think). Click on 1985 and you’ll see a can of “new” Coke that no longer says new alongside the Coke Classic can. After Coke Classic had been out a while, “Coke” was used commonly to mean “Coke Classic”, and new Coke was renamed Coke II. This [link](http://www2.coca-cola.com/heritage/stories/new_coke.html) has some interesting stories.