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Dr Pepper Red Fusion launched in 2002 as the brand's first new flavor.
The cherry drink, mixed with berry and vanilla, sold for two years before being discontinued.
Though brief, its run as Dr Pepper's first flavor experiment left a lasting mark on soda history.
Dr Pepper launched Red Fusion in 2002, planning a brief market test to compete with new berry-flavored sodas.
The bright red drink blended cherry, strawberry, and raspberry flavors.
When grocery stores sold through their initial stock in weeks rather than months, Dr Pepper expanded distribution from test markets to nationwide shelves.
The drink stayed in production until 2004.
The 2002 Dr Pepper Red Fusion can featured metallic silver stripes cutting diagonally across a cherry-red background.
The traditional maroon Dr Pepper logo appeared in white, with "Red Fusion" written beneath it in silver bubble letters that sparkled under store lighting.
Unlike the classic Dr Pepper can's uniform maroon color, Red Fusion's design wrapped racing stripes around the full circumference of the aluminum.
Red Fusion sales dropped sharply after Dr Pepper launched the soda in 2002.
While initial store purchases soared, consumer demand plunged within 18 months as shoppers returned to familiar Dr Pepper flavors.
By September 2004, weekly sales had fallen to 15% of their peak, forcing Dr Pepper to halt production.
After Dr Pepper Red Fusion vanished from stores in December 2004, five hundred soda enthusiasts gathered on the RedFusionRevival.com forum.
Drafting a petition demanding the drink's return, collecting 2,347 signatures over three months.
Dr Pepper executives responded with a form letter in April 2005, stating that production costs and limited shelf space prevented the soda's revival.
Red Fusion marked Dr Pepper's first new flavor in the company's 117-year history.
Between 2002 and 2007, Dr Pepper released three more flavors: Berries and Cream tasted like strawberries mixed with vanilla, Diet Cherry Chocolate combined cocoa with dark cherry, and Cherry Vanilla added maraschino cherry sweetness to the original Dr Pepper taste.
Each new drink stayed on shelves for 6-18 months before Dr Pepper discontinued them due to weak sales.
Building on this launch, they filed trademark applications for "Blue Fusion" and "Dr Pepper Green Fusion," signaling plans to create a series of colored, flavored sodas under the Dr Pepper brand.
Blue Fusion and Green Fusion never reached production, and Dr Pepper abandoned the trademark applications.
This ended their brief experiment with the Fusion product line.
Dr Pepper Red Fusion sold from 2002 to 2004, attracting dedicated fans through its distinct cherry-berry flavor and bright red packaging.
Its red and silver design caught shoppers' eyes on store shelves.
Its unique taste earned it loyal drinkers who still remember it twenty years later as one of Dr Pepper's boldest experiments.
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