KOOBA COLA...the Soda Pop That NEVER Existed!

In 1940, Victor Fox, publisher of WonderWorld Comics, Mystery Men Comics, Weird Comics, and other titles featuring The Blue Beetle, Samson, and The Flame, among others, conceived an audacious marketing scheme.

Inspired by the success of Pepsi Cola and Coca-Cola, he decided to promote Kooba Cola, "The World's Newest and Best-Tasting Soft Drink!" in ads across his entire line of comic books!

It was also "Delightfully Refreshing" and "Contained 35 USP units of Vitamin B-1 for the Sake of Health and Nutrition!"

And, when Fox's The Blue Beetle starred in a short-lived radio show that summer, he was sponsored by Kooba Cola!

Wait a second...
What's that?
You've never even heard of Kooba Cola?

That's because it didn't exist, except as a logo, a couple of mocked-up bottles used as props in ads and some art reference for illustrators.

(You'll note they couldn't even figure out what the color scheme for the label was!

It changed from ad to ad!)

Fox thought he could create a demand for Kooba, then license the name to one of the big soft drink companies, let them do the work of actually creating, bottling, and shipping the stuff, then he'd rake in royalties on the name!

It didn't work.

The "buzz" never developed.

The soda pop was never actually produced.

Even Kooba's "sponsorship" of The Blue Beetle radio show was just part of the show's script, not paid ads! (One of the reasons the show only lasted four months!)

But, such visionary hucksterness should not be forgotten!

(Besides, the ads were rather kool.)

So we at Atomic Kommie Comics™ decided to re-present the Soda That Would Not Die on collectibles ranging from Beachwear to mugs, messenger bags (and the irony of doing bags with "Kooba" on them hasn't escaped us!) and hoodies at KoobaCola 1 and KoobaCola 2!

So celebrate what could have been one of the bubbliest success stories of soft drink entrepreneurship, but instead fizzled out and fell flat!

(You just knew we were gonna do a pun like that, didn't you?)  ;-)

Was INAPAK the Chocolate Drink That NEVER Actually Existed?

Tuesday, we presented the miracle chocolate drink Inapak...

Now here's an interesting point...

It apparently never existed!

Really!

From extensive research (we're talking off-line and on-site) thru the archives of several dealers and collectors who handle related food ephemera like Ovaltine and Quik (now Nesquik) packaging and advertising, I've yet to come across anything (besides the comic book) relating in any way to Inapak!

Could it have been a proposed project that never got off the ground, like Victor Fox's Kooba Kola?

If so, who was behind it?

Magazine Enterprises, the publishers of the The Avenger, FunnyMan, and original Ghost Rider, produced the comic, and it's copyrighted in their name, not an outside corporation, as most licensed comics are!
Bob Powell is obviously the artist, though the writer is unknown.
It's theorized on the Grand Comics Database that Gardner Fox scripted the two stories in the book.
Speaking of which, here's the short tale from the back of the book...

Now, here's my theory about who Major Inapak is and how he came to be...
At this point (1951), there were a number of kids' sci-fi tv shows like Captain Video, featuring characters who also promoted their sponsors' products...

...and there was talk of a tv version of radio/comic/movie serial hero Captain Midnight (who was still owned by Ovaltine) with a heavier sci-fi flavor to compete with Captain Video, Tom Corbett: Space Cadet, Space Patrol, et al.
A Captain Midnight show eventually aired in 1954-56 with some sci-fi elements, but set present-day to keep the budget down.

And of course, it had lots of promotion for products...)

Could this book have been a tryout with the original, futuristic, format for Captain Midnight, spotlighting his sponsor, Ovaltine?

And, when it didn't sell, the story was reformatted with a new character and a non-existent chocolate drink to demonstrate what Magazine Enterprises could do for potential clients, and then used as a trade-show giveaway to drum up business for a licensed-comic division (similar to what both Marvel and DC have today)?

Think about it...

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It's Summertime! Drink KOOBA KOLA!

Wait a second...You CAN'T!
It doesn't exist!
(You can read the sordid tale of the soda that almost took the world by storm here!)

You can't DRINK it, but you can WEAR it!
It's the height of summer, and we at Atomic Kommie Comics™ decided to re-present the Soda That Would Not Die on collectibles ranging from BeachWear / NightShirts to mugs, iPad / netbook / messenger bags (and the irony of doing bags with "Kooba" on them hasn't escaped us!), and hoodies at KoobaCola 1 and KoobaCola 2!
So celebrate what could have been one of the bubbliest success stories of soft drink entepreneurship, but instead just fizzled out and fell flat!
(You just knew we were gonna do a pun like that, didn't you?)  ;-)

Design of the Week Redux--King Kola

Each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another, unless it sells really well, then we do a "redux"!
This week, once more, an ad for a soft drink (like Kooba Cola) that never existed!
What's even kooler is that the art is by the renowned creator of Plastic Man, Jack Cole, who did very little advertising art!
(Cole was working for Harry Chesler Studios when he did this ad which appeared in several Chesler comic books.)
We've digitally-remastered it from a mint-condition comic for large repro on thing like beach blankets and posters as well as t-shirts, mugs, bags and other collectibles that would be perfect for beach and vacation use!
Order now, because next Sunday, it'll be gone like an ice cream cone in the hot sun!

Design of the Week--King Kola

Each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!
This week, an ad for a soft drink (like Kooba Cola) that never existed!
What's even kooler is that the art is by the renowned creator of Plastic Man, Jack Cole, who did very little advertising art!
(Cole was working for Harry Chesler Studios when he did this ad which appeared in several Chesler comic books.)
We've digitally-remastered it from a mint-condition comic for large repro on thing like beach blankets and posters as well as t-shirts, mugs, bags and other collectibles that would be perfect for beach and vacation use!
Order now, because next Sunday, it'll be gone like an ice cream cone in the hot sun!

Over-Sized Pop-Art Shirts!

We're expanding our line of kool kollectibles to include a line of shirts with even BIGGER image areas on the front (and where applicable) the back.
This new line of shirts has an image area of 11" wide by 17" high, plus they're made by ethically-conscious American Apparel and Anvil KnitWear!

Among the designs at this new location are Flesh (NOT Flash) Gordon, Giant Generic Asian Monster, Only REAL Americans in Arizona! (It's NOT what you think!), two Robin Hood comic book designs, and two Kooba Kola designs, with MORE to come!
Order them a size larger than normal and use them as beachwear over your swimsuits (or as tops if you don't use swimsuits at all!)
Bookmark the page, cause we'll be adding MORE stuff regularly over the next few months...