Whatever Happened To Fruitopia, The Discontinued Drink That Ruled The '90s?

From the creation (and eventual demise) of Life Savers Holes to the origin of some of the internet's most popular Old Country Buffet memes, the '90s brought about some vibrant moments in food. One of the best examples of that short-lived vibrancy was Fruitopia, the trippy-hippie fruit drink released by the Coca-Cola Company in 1994.

Coca-Cola released Fruitopia under its Minute Maid brand. The aim of the drink was to coincide with the public's latest healthy food movement, which meant the drink was marketed as an alternative to soda. While Fruitopia's advertising promoted the idea of fresh fruits working in harmony together, the actual drink only contained a little bit of fruit juice accompanied by other ingredients. Regardless, the funky colors, fruit-focus, lack of caffeine, and overall peaceful aesthetic of Fruitopia made it both kid and adult-approved upon its release.

Unfortunately, much like Surge, another beloved 90s beverage that met its demise in the early 2000s, Fruitopia did eventually lose its steam among consumers. Where kaleidoscope images of fruit on television screens sent Fruitopia flying off shelves at one point, eventually the changing trends and the changing of advertisement agencies led to the end of Fruitopia in 2003. But before its final low, the fruit drink did hit a few highs.

At its height, Fruitopia made its way into McDonald's restaurants across the country and even received a shout out on an episode of "The Simpsons." Part of the beverage's charm was its unique flavor names like Citrus Consciousness, Grape Beyond, and Fruit Integration. The brand also used oddly deep and mystic tag lines like "Apples and pineapples don't fight in fruit integration. People could learn a lot from fruit."

After a major business merger created a conflict with Pepsi, the Fruitopia brand ended up in the hands of advertising agency, Leo Burnett. The agency came up with the tagline, "Find your own Fruitopia" in 1996 but had to replace it fairly quickly after the car company Saab complained it was too similar to its existing tagline, "find your own road." That same year, Fruitopia discontinued six of its flavors due to lagging sales.

Then, in 2000, Royal Crown Cola sued the Coca-Cola Company for bribing grocery stores to display Fruitopia more prominently. The company also tried to get schools in Madison, Wisconsin to make Fruitopia part of their nutrition courses. By 2003, Coca-Cola made the decision to end Fruitopia in the U.S.

Although the company officially phased out Fruitopia in the U.S. back in 2003, there are still remnants of its existence in some corners of the world. The easiest (but also the most expensive) way to get that sweet, fruity drink back into your life is to go on Amazon and order it.

Only two flavors remain available for purchase on Amazon — Strawberry Passion Awareness & Fruit Integration. Over in Canada, McDonald's customers have the rare opportunity to purchase Fruitopia as well. The flavors offered to the Canadian public include Strawberry Passion Awareness and Orange Groove at participating McDonald's locations. The Coca-Cola Company's Canadian website lists many more flavors like Raspberry Kiwi Karma, Blueberry Watermelon Wisdom, and Tangerine Wavelength.

If none of those options lift your spirits enough, there's also an internet petition ready to be signed that implores both the Coca-Cola Company and McDonald's to bring back the beloved '90s beverage. However, you should bear in mind that this petition was created in 2018 and still hasn't reached its goal of 2500 signatures.