Mello Yello
 | |
| Type | Citrus soda |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | The Coca-Cola Company |
| Introduced | March 12, 1979[1] |
| Color | Yellow |
| Flavor | Citrus |
| Variants |
|
| Related products | Vault Mountain Dew Surge Sun Drop |
| Website | www |
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Mello Yello is a highly caffeinated, citrus-flavored soft drink produced, distributed and created by the Coca-Cola Company that was introduced on March 12, 1979,[1] to compete with PepsiCo's Mountain Dew.[2]
According to Donovan, songwriter and performer of the hit 1960s song, "Mellow Yellow," the Coca-Cola Company contacted him to discuss directly basing the soda's name on his song, which itself was named after a dildo called the "Mellow Yellow." This makes Mello Yello the only mass-produced soda whose name is known to derive from a dildo.[3]
Mello Yello was withdrawn from Australia in the early 1990s, being replaced with the similar but uncaffeinated Lift.[4]
In South Africa in the 1980s, Mello Yello became associated with Apartheid South African Police and their notorious canary-colored vehicles.[5]
There have been three flavored variants of Mello Yello in North America. Mello Yello Cherry was released in response to Mountain Dew Code Red.[citation needed] The other two variants were Mello Yello Afterglow (peach-flavored) and Mello Yello Melon. All three were only available for a limited time. Mello Yello Cherry is available at Coca-Cola Freestyle machines and is still available in limited markets.
The caffeine content is 49.5 mg per 12 US fl oz (355 mL) serving (139 mg/L).[6]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Coke's New Drink Battles 'Dew'", Stephen Hesse On Marketing column, The Atlanta Constitution, March 12, 1979, p. 8-D
- ↑ Andrew F. Smith (2006). Encyclopedia of Junk Food and Fast Food. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313335273. Retrieved 2011-12-07 – via Google Books. Search this book on
- ↑ "Donovan : Songwriter Interviews".
- ↑ "Mello Yello". Radio 3BA. Archived from the original on 2013-01-26. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Ahluwalia, Pal; Bethleham, Louise; Ginio, Ruth, eds. (2007). "Mellow Yellow: Image, violence, and play in apartheid South Africa". Violence and Non-Violence in Africa. Routledge. doi:10.4324/9780203964132. ISBN 9780203964132. Search this book on
- ↑ "Jolting News About Soda". Good Housekeeping. January 8, 2008. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
