Hey there cola hearted woman
Come and drink from my loving cup
It will melt your cola heart babe,
Cause it is filled with 7up
7up embarked on the Uncola approach with its ads starting about 1970. They went straight for the youth (that would be US!) with its commercials featuring bright lights, rock and roll, and promises of romance.
The one featuring the can light stuck vividly in my mind.
My oldest brother’s wife actually bought me one of the dancing filament 7up lights. I was mesmerized by its rapid flickering, particularly in a dark bedroom with WLS on the radio.
The flickering filament wouldn’t last very long before burning out. And, they were expensive to replace. So most 7up can lights, mine included, ended up with regular bulbs in them.
I was recently delighted to find under my house (built in 1972) a 7up can that looks exactly like the one in the illustration. Perhaps I’ll turn it into a lamp someday.
I built these in ’70-71 for Jr. Achievement. Was an organization to teach kids about business. The bulb just recently burned out. My parents have had this since then.
My Company: Electro Specialties, Inc In Milwaukee, WI punch pressed the “key hole” and assembled the “Flickering 7 UP”lamp. The base was injection molded . The light socket was held in by a large nut designed for the thread on the socket. As this was not a machined thread, assembly to the socket was a difficult procedure. The bulbs were manufactured by a company in Chicago. We had a test procedure for the bulbs as they did not all function as required. The side key was injection molded. The original order was from a comany named “Dimensional Products, Inc.” We produced several hndred of the lamps.
After the order was complete, the company had a “Help Program” continue assembly of the lamps. We contnued punching the holes as this company did not have the Machinery necessary. This is where Davey must have worked on the lamps. Wlliam CEO of ESI. No longer in business as is DP products.
Very cool. My father-in-law supplied the magnets that mounted in the bulb which made the filament wiggle. I found a few of the bulbs when we cleared out his house and just ordered a vintage can off Ebay to make my own nostalgic lamp.
I actually still have mine from my teenage years and the last time I plugged it up it worked! Do you know if it is possible to still purchase a bulb ?
I’m looking for these bulbs too