Mr. Pibb is better than Dr. Pepper. I don't say this out of some contrarian nature, it's my genuine opinion. I will drink Dr. Pepper in some circumstances, and I'm talking only about the mormal Dr. Pepper, but at any opprotunity, I will avoid it in favor of a lemon-lime soda or Mr. Pibb. The flavored Dr. Peppers are more ambiguous regarding this mantra, and I will say this is the only thing Dr. Pepper has over Mr. Pibb.
With that said, some of my personal history with Mr. Pibb; I was born just a few days after Pibb Xtra was introduced, so I have never experienced the original formula of Mr. Pibb. I was aware Pibb Xtra existed, and that it was a new version of Mr. Pibb, for most of my youth, but I never really looked into it before I was around 14. I changed my online handle to Mr. Pibb and, if I recall correctly, I found pibbthug a while after. From there, I learned the odd and wonderful history of the soda. It's misunderstood, an underdog even, and I feel like I relate to it in a way. That probably sounds silly.
I used to be much more vocal about my interest in Pibb, using the Pibbhead as a profile picture for quite a while on multiple platforms. Always dissing the Doctor in favor of the Mister, which in itself I find a dichotomy of college-education and blue collar. I would always encourage people who thought Mr. Pibb was simply an off-brand to try it, and sometimes I did succeed in changing their opinion. I would post the classic Pibb Map, that venerable imagery of availability of Mr. Pibb in the continental United States. And, of course, I would post pibbthug, to show people the history of the soda, the various brand iconography, and the commercials.
Now, having used the name for a good few years, I wondered the legality of using the name for non-personal uses. Looking up the trademarks, it seems to me(though I have no experience on the subject) that the original Mr. Pibb trademarks are no longer held by Coca Cola. This potentially means that I could acquire the trademarks and copyrights to Mr. Pibb...
I have heard that somewhere in Japan, original formula Mr. Pibb is still made. I can find nothing online to back it up, but I would like to travel to Japan anyways at some point. If it exists, I will find it.
