Was that Josta? The inside scoop on Loki's retro soda love
The soda—which was the first energy drink ever mass-produced by a soda company—was only on shelves from 1995 to 1999.
TV News Josta
Smart, ‘90s-loving eyes may have spotted cans of Josta on Major Mobius’ desk during the premiere episode of the new Disney+ series Loki. But why? The soda—which was famously flush with whatever guaraná is and thus holds the dubious title of being the first energy drink ever mass-produced by a soda company—was only on shelves from 1995 to 1999. As with anything these days, there’s a grassroots campaign to bring it back, but 435 Facebook fans doesn’t a Marvel-endorsed movement make. So what’s the deal with Mobius’ vintage drink? Is guaraná the fuel of the future, or is someone in the prop department just making a deep Black Panther reference?
The answer, as it turns out, is kind of a combination of both. According to the Loki’s director, Kate Herron, the idea to include Josta—along with other defunct properties— was born in the show’s writers’ room, possibly by Loki’s Executive Story Editor Eric Martin or Marvel creative producer Kevin R. Wright. Head writer Michael Waldron said the Josta inclusion was born from the idea of asking, “How can we just put in little fun flourishes of discontinued things and things that feel alternate reality throughout the TVA? That’s that’s why you see that stuff popping up.” Director Kate Herron is particularly fond of the placements, because, as she puts it, “It’s really funny. They exist outside of space and time and they have access to all this stuff.” And yet, Mobius still chooses to drink Josta, a drink a blogger once said “wasn’t made from bat poop, but it tasted like it.” We guess even in the Marvel Universe, there’s no accounting for taste.
Waldron even teased an additional retro soda to keep an eye out for next week, saying that in Loki’s second episode, “Mobius is drinking BoKu, which Richard Lewis advertised back in the day as well.” Fans of wry commercials for adult juice boxes, consider yourself warned. Loki is coming for you, too.
19 Comments
Josta was good and deserves a comeback. Alternately, Surge was boring and does not deserve a comeback.
Josta was thick and somehow you could never get it cold.
I used to drink Surge cola. It’s a shameful period in my history that I don’t like to think about.
I used to drink 3 bottles a day out of the vending machine in high school. It was delicious. My wife on the other hand loved Surge and buys a lot of it if she sees it in random gas stations.
I too liked Josta. I seem to remember it tasting kind of like Cola with a bit of grape flavor?
Yeah, it was kind of a cherry/grape flavor. Frankly I think it tasted a little like that sweet cough syrup meant for little kids, but in a good way.
Surge already had a comeback for better or worse, so you’re too late there.
I like the idea that since the TVA exists outside time they have no concept of “retro.” A guy drinking Josta because it’s what he likes and it’s easy enough for him to come by while someone else is probably just discovering the Star Wars trilogy as if it were something nobody heard of before.Or the hot new music is classical because there’s been a surplus of cases taking place during that era so it’s just kinda earwormed it’s way back to HQ.
Bring back 7UP Gold, dammit!
The cola wars are over and the winner is Eastern Airlines Cola.
BoKu I’m my school lunch every day. The best juice box for the big fat adolescent in your life.
I was dating someone with Brazilian family at the time Josta came out. She was absolutely ecstatic that they were using guaraná in a soda and we must have gone through cases when it first came out. Sadly (for her) it vanished almost as quickly as it came in, though I could find occasional gas stations / liquor stores carrying it for seemingly a decade after they stopped carrying it at the grocery store.
The soda—which was the first energy drink ever mass-produced by a soda company—was only on shelves from 1995 to 1999.So we’re just ignoring Jolt Cola, which was released in 1985, then?
Jolt, and more specifically Jolt Espresso 🤤
Bring back Pepsi Kona thank you very much That’s all I would like to say here…I’m pretty sure the Japanese still get to enjoy it because they have taste
thus holds the dubious title of being the first energy drink ever mass-produced by a soda companyLucozade surely?
I nearly lost my shit when I saw those cans on the screen. *AND THEN OWEN WILSON DRINKS ONE!!!*
C’mon Disney, I will schedule a trip *TODAY* to one of your overpriced disease parks if you’ll sell Josta somewhere…
I mean, if I had access to all of time and space, I’d drink Josta all the time. Marshmallow Crispies for breakfast. Enjoy an Arch Deluxe for dinner…
As a former Josta drinker I remember this extinct beverage well. It basically tasted like a mashup of Pepsi and Red Bull. That said I cannot remember ever seeing a canned version — it was always in a 20oz plastic bottle.