A History of the World, As Told by Budweiser
Thursday, May 21st, 2009
I was mildly amused when a remodel of our small half bathroom uncovered an old Budweiser beer can hidden beneath the drywall. Amazingly, it was in great shape and not too dirty considering. The first puzzle was to figure out exactly how old it was. On the side was prominently featured the USA Olympic logo and rings and a message “Proud Sponsor 1988 U.S. Olympic Team.” I consider it unlikely that they were making that advertising emphasis much before or much after the 1988 Olympics, so let’s just call it a 21 year-old Budweiser can.
I didn’t think too much about it, other than, “hey, maybe an old Budweiser can is worth something on eBay.” That was enough to get me thinking about just how much times have changed in the last 20 years. What has changed on the Budweiser can itself and in the world around it?
Interestingly enough, although the can says “Recyclable Aluminum”, it also says “Pitch In!” with a stick figure man throwing a blob into a trash can. Throwing away metal cans with no recycling guilt definitely speaks of a simpler time, when throwing your beer cans away made you a much better citizen than the other popular option–tossing them out the car window.
There is also no Surgeon General’s Warning or mention of caloric content. Nevertheless, overconsumption was prevented by the tiny mouth of the can. The need to guzzle had apparently not yet been established, or at least endorsed by Budweiser. In those days, a helmet with upside-down beer cans and straws were apparently good enough. I suppose keg stands and beer bongs were around too, although I can’t really say definitively. I am a little behind on my 80’s pop culture.
There is no 800 number or .com address on the can; its most high-tech feature is a UPC barcode. Even though I clearly remember the days before popular public adoption of the Internet, it is now pretty weird to think about a time with no web site to visit to check out my favorite products. Maybe they had a Gopher site? I’m guessing not!
That’s all I have on this topic! However, I am taking offers for this piece of American history!