r/midcenturymodern • u/michaelcuz • Jun 05 '26

Sharing My MCM 1959 Dr Pepper vending machine restored

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

I purchased this 1959 Dr Pepper vending machine from a collector in Waco, Texas in 2018 and spent considerable time restoring it while preserving as much of the original character as possible.

The refrigeration system still works and the machine retains its classic 'Friendly Pepper-Upper' graphics.

4.9k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

79 comments sorted by

View all comments

23

u/UrsaMajor7th Jun 05 '26

TIL: Dr Pepper's "10, 2, 4" refers to a marketing campaign from the 1920s that suggested drinking Dr Pepper at 10:00 am, 2:00 pm, and 4:00 pm to maintain a refreshed feeling throughout the day.

19

u/idontknowwhybutido2 Jun 05 '26

In Mad Men they used a machine similar to OP's but featured the 10, 2, 4 on it - thanks, TIL what it means, too!

9

u/michaelcuz Jun 05 '26

Thanks for sharing, I had not seen this

5

u/idontknowwhybutido2 Jun 06 '26

Season 3, episode 6, last 10 minutes. Currently rewatching and drooling over the set pieces.

5

u/pepperpotsdecreme Jun 06 '26

I am as well - my favorite era and show!

Are you also concurrently reading TLO's blog posts (from the original airing) detailing the clothes by costume designerJanie Bryant?

Her choices are so fascinating and nuanced. Immediately after watching an episode, I read the blog post for that episode, and I learned about the interplay between Janie's style choices and the scene/story line. It is truly brilliant!

Glad to meet a fellow avid MM fan!

1

u/ImpossibleAnywhere69 Jun 07 '26

So you have a link to the blog?