My take on the history of Sprite. The story starts in Germany. Back in 1959, Coca-Cola was looking for a way to compete with a popular clear lemon-lime soda called 7-Up. They created a drink in Germany called Fanta Klare Zitrone (“Clear Lemon Fanta”). It did well in Europe, so in 1961 they brought it to the U.S. with a new name: Sprite. The name wasn’t random—it came from a Coca-Cola advertising character named “Sprite Boy” (a little elf-like mascot used in Coke ads during the 1940s and 50s). Th