Soda has experienced a complete rejuvenation over the last few years thanks to brand like Olipop and Poppi. These brands sell “healthy soda,” soda that contains less sugar and prebiotics that promote gut health. Are these sodas actually healthy? Probably not. Poppi recently reached a $9 million settlement for false advertising related to its gut health claims. Regardless of health, these brands sell knockoffs of classic soda flavors reminiscent of discount store brand soda. To understand the future of Soda knockoffs, we must look at the past for guidance. Below are the five greatest Soda knockoff brands.

5. Dr. Perky

Dr. Perky is a Bonafide classic. A clever play on “Dr. Pepper” that took on new life with the rise of Percocet use in rap culture. Pouring up a glass of Dr. Perky is an instant trip back in time to a summer sleepover in 8^thgrade. The marketing team behind Dr. Perky struck lightening in a bottle. AI could never come up with such a brilliant play on words. One glance at Dr. Perky and you know exactly which soda it’s imitating. At the same time, it’s original enough to entice buyers with a creative twist on the original. Dr. Perky will always be a model for soda imitators around the world.

4. Flite

Flite takes a more direct approach to imitation. Quickly glancing at a bottle of Flite, one may not even realize that it’s a completely different product than Sprite. Flite isn’t just trying to be a Sprite competitor, it’s going right for the throat. Something as simple as lemon lime soda could be called anything, there is no mystery behind the flavor and thus no need to imitate another brand. But Flite does not care. Flite takes no detours, no shortcuts. Flite is bold, just like lemon lime soda should be.

3. ДВоР-КОЛА

It’s tricky to imitate American soda brands in Cyrillic. According to google translate, the name of this soda is Yard-Kola. While this soda imitates the Coke bottle, it proudly announces that it’s something different, something original. A Russian take on an American classic. This kind of drink screams patriotism, announcing to the world that Russia can craft its own delicious beverages. While the red color here is very similar to Coca-Cola, it could be argued that the red is intended to invoke communist symbolism. All that’s missing is the hammer and sickle. 

2. Mountain Lion

Mountain Lion is brave for its willingness to merge imitation with company branding. Produced by the company “Food Lion,” Mountain Lion is a clever combination of Mountain Dew and the company’s own brand name. Most Mountain Dew imitations require that the word “mountain” be included in the name. It’s such a unique tasting soda that consumers need the “mountain” terminology to know what they are purchasing. Food lion knows this but also appears to be extremely proud of their concoction. Mountain Lion is a proud statement by the company – we are proud of our imitation. I commend the bravery.

1. Dr. Doctor

The “Dr.” format of soda knockoffs is a wellspring for original material. You can put essentially anything after Dr. and people will know exactly which soda you are imitating. Dr. Doctor doubled down on this concept, advertising to the world that their soda is twice what Dr. Pepper is. It takes gumption to double down like that. Dr. Doctor isn’t trying to pretend it’s something else, it knows what it is and is proud of it. While some of these other brands try to add some of their own flair, Dr. Doctor knows what it is and isn’t afraid to show it. It is a man among boys.