Is there a better soda ad campaign in history than the Coca-Cola polar bear? Ever since I first saw the smiling gentle giants lounging peacefully on a block of ice as it drifted slowly out on a moonlit ocean, clutching their cubs in one hand and an ice-cold bottle of Coke in the other that I decided if I ever drank soda it would be Coke (and the occasional Sierra Mist when hungover). So, naturally, we had to stop into the two-story Coke store smack-dab in the middle of the Vegas strip. There was the usual smattering of Coca-Cola-emblazoned, well, everything, including a soda fountain, and a wall of specially designed bottles (like the bears below). But nothing made our visit more worthwhile than what we spotted in the very back of the store..a little scary, a little cute and a lot fascinating was a 7-foot polar bear at the ready for photos. This wasn’t your run-of-the-mill Goofy at Disneyworld circa 1970s costume, the eyes blinked, the lashes fluttered, the mouth moved, he (she?) was impossibly white..and has a damn (and well-deserved) facebook fan page! It made me fall in love with Coca-Cola and those damn bears all over again. Las Vegas Coca-Cola Store, 3785 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
Polar bear bottles
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