Spiffy Cola

Spiffy Cola entered the documented record in 1940, when Beverage Products Corporation of Philadelphia copyrighted the name, artwork and slogan “Spiffy—a swell Cola drink.” The brand arrived with a look that was difficult to miss: bold red, yellow and black graphics, playful lettering and a freckle-faced boy whose rosy cheeks and mischievous expression gave Spiffy an identity all its own.

Spiffy was marketed through independent bottlers rather than from a single local plant. A surviving 1940 label identifies Elks Bottling Works of Leavenworth, Kansas, while original bottles show that Spiffy was also produced by Spring Crest Beverage Company in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, and sold in Hanover, Pennsylvania. These widely separated bottling locations reveal that Spiffy was more than a hometown cola. It was part of a regional licensing and distribution program directed by Beverage Products Corporation.

The company supported its bottlers with a coordinated advertising campaign. Bottle caps, paper labels, painted glass bottles and colorful metal signs carried slogans such as “Make Mine Spiffy,” “Stop—Here’s Spiffy” and the memorable “A Swell Cola Drink.” Some advertisements showed only the mascot’s smiling face, while others pictured the full character proudly presenting a bottle of Spiffy. Together, they created the kind of cheerful roadside personality that helped small soda brands compete for attention during the 1940s.

How long the original Spiffy bottling network remained active has not yet been documented, and the brand eventually disappeared from regular production. Its distinctive mascot and surviving advertising, however, kept Spiffy from being completely forgotten.

Orca Beverage revived the cola preserving the character and spirit of the original campaign, giving a once-obscure 1940s brand another chance to live up to its wonderfully confident promise:

Spiffy— a swell cola drink.