Fizzy Memories

For our prompt of “Fizzy Drink” today, I made a sketch of a nostalgic cola that’s no longer available. When I was a kid, you’d see these pink cans of TaB cola everywhere, but the Coca-Cola Company discontinued the brand a couple of years ago in 2020. Though I no longer drink colas, and haven’t in years, it was still bittersweet to see something that was so prevalent in my childhood disappear from the shelves. True fans of this iconic drink, however, haven’t given up and are still hoping they can convince Coca-Cola to bring it back with a #SaveTaBSoda campaign. Personally, I’m not sure if I had a preference for the flavor, or if it was simply the pink can. I do love pink! And, in the late 80’s, for an extremely limited time, you could get Hubba Bubba soda, which also came in a pink can. I never tried that one as the idea of a soda that tasted like bubble gum was equal parts hilarious and disgusting, which now that I think about it, was probably the entire point at the time.

One quick update, in other news, I was recently featured on the Da Vinci website, so if you’re interested, you can check out my feature there! As for yummy bits of nostalgia, Philippe and I were watching a show recently that focused on a lot of the 80’s foods and drinks that are either hard to find today or impossible to find. Since Philippe was born and raised in Paris, he hadn’t heard of many of the items described. In most cases, I just hadn’t thought about many of those things in years. I remember seeing that they were discontinuing TaB cola, and even though I wasn’t a current drinker, it was still a piece of my youth disappearing. Indeed, I think it’s a mixed emotion to see something that’s been around your entire life disappear. On one hand, I’ve successfully managed to outlive a popular soda, and on the other, it just makes me feel rather old. Yet, it’s still fun to think back to products from that time that are now, simply a distant memory. Some products didn’t even survive the 80’s. But, that didn’t stop my family from gathering to play lawn darts in the 90’s, even though they were banned in 1988.

Today, I only drink an occasional carbonated water, as I still enjoy the fizz and bubbles. Most everything we buy at the grocery store doesn’t get purchased until Philippe has perused and signed off on the ingredients. It’s nice having a PhD scientist around for health reasons, but it’s equally frustrating when I’m told I can’t have something that I’m craving. My Inner Child starts pouting immediately as my Adult Mind feels cheated out of reliving perfectly good memories. It’s all for the best. Moderation has become the only real solution to eating anything that isn’t made from whole foods. Nearly everything in a can or box these days is simply not very healthy in comparison to something made from scratch. So, when my food choices are denied, I simply challenge Philippe to make his own version. This only works once, however, since he never tries again after successfully completing such a challenge. It’s still quite fun! And, as I get older each year, I’m reminded that even if I can’t eat like a kid again, I can still enjoy all of those fizzy memories.

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About the Doodlewash Sketching Stuff Coloring Set – Da Vinci Watercolors: Charlie O’Blue, Yellow Ochre, Opus (Vivid Pink), Quinacridone Red, Terra Cotta and Ultramarine (Green Shade). ZIG Cartoonist Mangaka Pen with black ink in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book. Want to purchase a print of this doodlewash? Send me a note and I’ll add it to my shop!

Charlie O'Shields

Creator of Doodlewash, founder of World Watercolor Month (July), World Watercolor Group, and host of the Sketching Stuff Podcast. Sharing watercolor illustrations and stories while proudly featuring talented artists from all over the world!

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