RC Cola & Moon-Pies

[Mrs Glockrunner]

There may be no greater Southern stereotype than the combination of Moon-Pies and RC Cola. There is no shortage of references to that Southern tradition, from TV sitcoms to stand up comics; given that our mission is to respect and preserve all things Southern, we wanted to share some facts about the two great brands.

 RC Cola

 -RC Cola was initially called Royal Crown

-As recently as 2000, RC was the third largest producer of soft drinks in the US

-RC Cola was created in Columbus, GA., by Claud Hatcher in the basement of his family’s grocery store. The company left its Columbus operations in 2000.

-Offered its first pre-mix dispenser, like a vending machine/soda fountain, in 1960. It could mix three different flavors

-RC Cola’s parent company marketed the first low-calorie soft drink (Diet Rite) and the first caffeine-free soda (RC 100)

-RC was the first soft drink bottler to market their product nationally in cans (1954)

-Introduced fruit-flavored Nehi in 1924

-The legend is that Nehi got its name when a route salesman in the Columbus plant referred to a competitor’s bottle as being “knee-high.”

-At one time, the brand was endorsed by Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Joan Crawford, Heddy Lamarr, John Wayne, Rita Hayworth, Jerry Lewis, Gary Cooper, Shirley Temple, Ronald Reagan, Art Linkletter, and Lucille Ball.

-Coca-Cola sued RC in 1914, claiming that “cola” was their trademark. RC prevailed in court

-Dr. Pepper/7 Up Inc owns the brands today.

-The formula for RC Cola is top secret and guarded like Coke and Kentucky Fried Chicken, on a much smaller scale

-In 1976, the RC company purchased Arby’s

-Was the first national brand to offer a then-giant 16 oz. bottle.

 Moon-Pie

 -Was first produced by the Chattanooga Bakery

-The company now produces around 1 million Moon-Pies per day

-In the 1930s, when paired with an RC Cola, the combination was referred to as “a working man’s lunch.”

-Moon-Pie started in 1917 when Earl Mitchell, Sr., a bakery salesman, was in a store frequented by coal miners. He asked a miner what his ideal snack would be. The response was, according to the legend, “A snack as big as the moon.”

-Workers in the factory at Chattanooga Bakery would often dip graham crackers into marshmallows, which spawned the idea of a cookie sandwich that would then be covered in chocolate.

-Country star Bill Lister (Frequent Hank Williams’ opening act) released a single in 1951 entitled “RC Cola and a Moon-Pie.” The band NRBQ released an album called RC Cola and a Moon-Pie in 1986, with a single by the same name.

-Moon-Pies today are available in three sizes; mini (five flavor choices), single (four flavor choices), and double-decker (seven flavor choices)

-Since 1994, the town of Bell Buckle, TN, has hosted an annual RC Cola-Moon-Pie festival. There is a parade, 5k, and 10K runs contests, and entertainment, and it concludes with the cutting of the world’s largest Moon-Pie

-The Moon-Pie has been a part of Mobile, AL’s New Year’s Eve celebration. In 2008, the city partnered with Moon-Pie’s company to create a 600-pound Moon-Pie that lit up at midnight. They also served a 55-pound Moon-Pie and handed out 5,000 individual pies. The Moon-Pie drop is an annual event there

-Former NFL player and Georgia football All-American Mike Wilson is nicknamed Moon-Pie.

-Chattanooga Bakery has supplied Moon-Pies to US troops since WWII.

-Coastal Dairy Products once offered Moon-Pie ice cream, a light chocolate ice cream with pieces of Moon-Pie added.

[Batesmotel]

I’ll see your RC and a Moon Pie and raise you Peanuts in a Coke. 

[Batesmotel]

Now we just need a flat dirt track and some pulled pork. 

[Ramjet38]

RC & Moon pies, and also coke or pepsi with peanuts was a staple food item for me in the 60's.

[Mrs.Cicero]

My oldest daughter went off to college with a box of 70 Moon Pies, because youngest daughter’s boss wanted to be sure she wouldn’t run out!

[Wyzz Kydd]

I grew up in the Deep South, but never cared for RC Cola. Moon pies, sure.