home

RUSTYCANS.COM

"Anybody can brew beer, but only God can make rust!"

Search Entire Site:

search tips

COM: July 2010

Hillbilly Soda Cans

Mt. Dew Flat 1. Home Brew can. Moon Shine can.

This month I am show-casing some pop cans rather than beer cans. I have a couple small sub-collections of soda cans--Bicentential Cans from 1976 and cans with a Hillbilly theme. Here are the 3 of the cans I have from the latter group.

History of Mountain Dew

There are a number of really good websites with a history of this particular soft drink. I don't want to steal their material so please visit Coke Girl's site which has a nice brief history of the brand. Also, check the sites listed below under "Sources Used."

Mt. Dew Flat 1. Mt. Dew flat.2

I dumped this Mt. Dew flat as a kid, so it's one of the few cans from my original collection that I still have.

 

Mt. Dew can detail 2. Here is a close-up of the mountaineer from the label. He' shooting at another man running away.
Mt. Dew can detail1. The mountaineer from the side of the can along with Mountain Dew's 1960s slogan.

The Hillbilly as Icon

I am still writing this section and it may take awhile. Those interested in the history of hillbilly imagery should check the following sources:

Harkins, Anthony. Hillbilly: A Cultural History of an American Icon (Oxford, 2004)

Williamson, J.W. Hillbillyland: What the Movies Did to the Mountains and What the Mountains Did to the Movies. (University of North Carolina Press, 1995)

_____________ Southern Mountaineers in Silent Films. (McFarland, 1994)

 

 

Mt. Dew Tobacco.

Hill Billy Soda Cans

There have been several soda brands that used the hillbilly/moonshine theme. I found the following examples in "Collectible Soda Cans, 2007" by Dave Tanner.

Brand Maker Flavor When Label Design
Moonshine Faygo Citrus 1963 Hillbilly with can
Hugajug Dew Hugajug Citrus 1963 Sleeping hillbilly
Mountain Dew Mountain Dew Citrus 1964 Shooting Hillbilly
Mountain Dew Tip Corp. Citrus 1964 Shooting Hillbilly
Mountain Dew Mountain Dew Citrus 1964 all aluminum, shooting hillbilly
White Light-nin White Lightnin' Citrus 1965 lighting bolt
Moonshine Faygo Citrus 1973 Hillbilly w/ glass
Hill Billy Hill Billy Strawberry 1979 red can w/ Hillbilly
Hill Billy Hill Billy Grape 1979 purple? w/ hillbilly
Hill Billy Hill Billy Orange 1979 orange? w/ hillbilly
Hill Billy Hill Billy Citrus 1979 green w/ hillbilly
Hill Billy Joose Hill Billy Citrus 1979 hillbilly w/jug
Hill Billy Joose Hill Billy Citrus 1980 brown jug
Home Brew Home Brew Citrus 1978 white/red/green, reclining hillbilly, Winchester, VA
Hugajug Dew Hug A Jug Citrus 1967 sleeping hillbilly
Mountain Dew Mountain Dew Citrus 1966 shooting hillbilly
Mountain Dew Mountain Dew Citrus 1974 "Yahoo" no hillbilly
Mountain Dew Mountain Dew Citrus 1978 no hillbilly
Mountain Dew Sugar Free Mountain Dew Citrus 1980 red, no hillbilly
White Light-nin White Lightnin' Citrus 1979 outline of lighting bolt
Mountain Dew Mountain Dew Citrus 1960 10 oz, Canadian

Sources Used

Websites: (links open new window)

Mountain Dew Official Site

Dew Collector.com (Accessed in 2007, site no longer exists)

Mountain Dew, a collector's page (warning, Angelfire page so there will be pop-ups.)

Books/Articles

(These links each open a new window with that book's Amazon page)

Harkins, Anthony. Hillbilly: A Cultural History of an American Icon (Oxford, 2004)

Williamson, J.W. Hillbillyland: What the Movies Did to the Mountains and What the Mountains Did to the Movies. (University of North Carolina Press, 1995)

_____________ Southern Mountaineers in Silent Films. (McFarland, 1994)

 

     

 

    |   Site Map    Top     Contact Me    |  Privacy Policy | ©2001-2024 rustycans.com All Rights Reserved