Dr. Good Guy

Dr. Good Guy is bottled by Kalil Bottling Co. in Tucson, AZ. I do not have an extra can now that I can sample, but for your viewing pleasure, I will leave you with a link. Can you find the Dr. Good Guy reference?

Dr. Celeste

Suppose that you are at a big birthday party, and the cake has been cut and the slices have been individually placed on paper plates. Which one do you reach for? The flower piece with the most icing and hardly any cake? And do you like some coffee with your sugar? If this describes you, then Dr. Celeste is your beverage. And at 49 cents, that’s hard to beat. For those who generally prefer a Dr flavored soda to Dr flavored syrup, you might want to pass this one by. The Celeste brand line of sodas is distributed by The Pantry and is available in a number of convenience stores across the South. Dr. Celeste earns a two and a half Dr Pepper can rating.

Mr. Sipp

As excited as I always am to add another Mr. to the collection, Mr. Sipp is just plain boring. Boring can, but even more importantly.. boring taste. What does it take to get a little pep (if you will) these days. It is made by Iris and distributed at Smart & Final stores in Arizona, california, Florida, Nevada, and Mexico. Mr. Sipp earns a two dr pepper can rating.

Mr. Pig

One part dr, three parts bitter, five parts water gives us Piggly Wiggly‘s Mr. Pig. I had been searching several Piggly Wigglys around the South for some time to find Mr. Pig, and I finally tracked him down in Columbia, SC. It seems that this drink can only be found in 3L bottles. The saving grace of Mr. Pig is his funny name, and he earns a two Dr Pepper can rating.

Mr Pibb

Mr Pibb must be Dr Pepper’s most successful competitor. Mr Pibb is a product of Coca-Cola, and has now mostly been replaced by Pibb Xtra.  Despite what fast food and restaurant workers across the world might say, Mr Pibb is not the same thing as Dr Pepper. Mr Pibb tastes extremely weak in comparison to Dr Pepper. Mr Pibb earns a two Dr Pepper can rating. (I also might suggest that Mr Pibb should go back to school for more education before he tries to compete with the Dr.)

Mr. Green

Through the SoBe brand, Pepsi briefly sold Mr. Green. In a self-aggrandizing way, Mr. Green has billed himself as an energizing flavored soda with ginseng. Despite the boast of ginseng (which in the past, has been the kiss of death for a dr) Mr. Green is amazingly tasty. It’s a truely unique taste, that I can only describe as an appropriate and effective use of spice. The marketing force behind Mr. Green seems to be the in-your-face-Xtreme type of advertising that has been used so often. There are over 20 slogans under the cap, including —

1. Get a Job  [Good advice, but it’s this type of self-righteousness that knocked Mr. Green’s ranking from a 4.5 to 4 Dr Pepper can rating.]
2. Exercise your Brain
3. Lift Weights
4. Thank Your Parents
5. Use Spell Check
6. Raise Your Hand
7. Brush Your Teeth
8. Brush Your Hair

Bevnet review

MR. ahhh!

Although Mr. Ahhh!’s taste beats out many of the Dr imitations, his lack of motivation to seek out higher education prevents him from receiving a rating higher than three and a half Dr Pepper cans. Mr. Ahhh!’s name leads us to believe than he thinks that instead of imitating Dr Pepper, he is imitating Mr. You-Know-Who. Mr. Ahhh! is made by World Classics.

Texas Fizz

Although the name may not necessarily imply it, Phar-Mor’s Texas Fizz is undoubtably a Dr imitation. We must give Phar-mor credit for mentioning the birthplace of Dr Pepper, but the taste really leaves a lot to hope for, so Texas Fizz earns a two and a half Dr Pepper can rating. One of the few remaining Phar-mors can be found in Shawnee, KS.

Real Dr.

I have complained before (even today, I believe) about Drs being boring and letting this ruin the flavor. Others seem to be successful at using their boring (not bland) flavor to say “i’m not the best Dr ever to be made before, but I sure as hell am not the worst either.” Count Real Dr. in the ranks of those who settle in this way for such mediocrity. Real Dr. (made by Sunny Select) earns a three dr pepper can rating.

Pibb Xtra

Coca-Cola is test marketing Pibb Xtra in some locations in Texas (including Houston and Dallas), but judging from what some Pibb fans are saying, it may not stay around for long.  [Update:  I first wrote this when Pibb Xtra was introduced in 2001.  As of 2008, this flavor is still around with limited availability around the country.]  This formula is different from Mr PiBB, but contrary to what you might assume.. this drink does not have xtra sugar, xtra caffeine, or xtra sugar. In fact, what this drink does is to do away with the stale MrPibby flavor resulting in quite a palatable beverage. I will refrain from a ranting on why I don’t understand the marketability of the letter “X”, and I will award Pibb Xtra a four Dr Pepper can rating.

Complaints:  here and here.  Discussion of pibbxtra.com here.