[One More] - The 7UP "Bottle Cap Lottery" That Captivated Showa-Era Children

From the 1970s to the early 1980s,
the thing that captivated Showa-era children wasthe 7UP "Bottle Cap Lottery"

1. How the 7UP bottle cap lottery worked

The 7UP bottle caps (lids) of that time had a familiar design where the brand's signaturevibrant green color and the white "7UP" logostood out on the front.

• Peeling back the "transparent vinyl (liner)" on the back: On the back of the bottle cap, there was a piece of transparent or translucent soft plastic (vinyl) used to keep the carbonation from escaping. When you peeled this off firmly using your fingernail, a coin, or sometimes a bicycle key, letters or pictures were printed directly on the metal underneath. [1]

• The "One Free Bottle" text: If you peeled it back and saw the words "One Free Bottle," it was a huge stroke of luck that meant you could get another 7UP on the spot.

• The "Cash (Pocket Money)" prize pattern: In 7UP distribution channels (since many bottlers were affiliated with PepsiCo at the time, there were many campaigns shared with Pepsi and Mirinda), there were also bottle caps with"10 yen," "20 yen," or "50 yen" printed on them. If you took a winning cap to a local candy store or liquor store, they would exchange it for cash on the spot as pocket money.

2. The "strategies" and frenzy of Showa-era children

The interesting part of this boom was that children would desperately try to "look through the cap to see what was inside or try to deduce the winning caps."

• The "see-through" technique of peeking from the side: Before opening the bottle, many children would hold it up to the light, desperately checking to see if they could spot the "shadow of the letters" through the gap at the edge of the cap through the glass.

• Vending machine trash cans and bottle openers were treasure troves: At the time, bottle openers were integrated into bottled drink vending machines. Since adults weren't interested in the lottery, they would pop the cap off and drop it right into the machine's collection box or onto the ground. Children would gather them up and peel them with their fingernails to go on a treasure hunt for "winners."

CHEERIO existed too! You absolutely cannot talk about Showa-era bottled drinks without mentioning Cheerio and its unique winning system.

Let's look back in detail at the frenzy of Cheerio's "bottle cap peeling" and its unique characteristics.

1. Cheerio's unique rule: "Collect two and get one more"

While other drinks (like 7UP or Coca-Cola) mainly offered "one free bottle" or "cash" with a single cap, Cheerio had a very unique way of winning.

• The "combine to win" system: When you peeled the back of the cap, the letters were printed separately, such as"Che" and"rio",and there was a rule with strong collection elements where you could get another bottle if you brought both a "Che" and a "rio" cap to the store.

• The frustration of getting only one side too often: For some reason, children would end up with many "Che" caps but never find the crucial "rio" cap, leading to emotional ups and downs at the candy store storefront. It was a daily occurrence for friends to trade, saying, "Let's swap my 'Che' for your 'rio'!" Of course, there were also single-cap winners that simply said, "Here is one more bottle."

2. 'Overwhelmingly Large Capacity' Was a Friend to Children

The greatest appeal of Cheerio was its 296ml large-capacity bottle, which was unconventional for the time.

• The King of Best Value: Compared to regular bottles of Coca-Cola and others at the time (190ml), Cheerio contained about 1.5 times more liquid for a similar price (around 30 to 50 yen back then).

• A Staple After Club Activities or on Hot Days: For children with parched throats, Cheerio—being 'cheap, having a huge amount, and even coming with a winning lottery ticket'—was the ultimate luxury chosen first at candy stores.

3. A Diverse Array of Orange, Grape, and Apple Flavors

Unlike the all-green 7UP, Cheerio was lined up in a colorful variety.

• Vibrant Orange

• Rich purple Grape

• Refreshing amber-colored Apple
  Each color looked stunning in the clear glass bottles, and just looking at the colorful gradation before popping the cap was enough to get us excited.