Coca-Cola plans big celebration of centennial of its iconic bottle

Beverage giant CocaCola will celebrate the centennial of its iconic “hobbleskirt” glass bottle with art exhibitions, a global media campaign and a commemorative song composed for the occasion, company representatives said.

Atlanta, where the company has its headquarters and CocaCola, considered one of the most profitable creations of modern industry, was born, will host the main show celebrating the anniversary on Thursday.

Atlanta’s High Museum of Art will open an exhibition, “The CocaCola Bottle: An American Icon at 100,” that includes works from artists, such as Andy Warhol, who over the past century depicted the bottle, patented on Nov. 16, 1915.

The exhibition will run until Oct. 3 at the museum in Georgia’s capital.

“The High is honored to present this exhibition celebrating an iconic American design that has influenced artists from the 20th century to the present day,” High Museum director Michael E. Shapiro said in a statement.

A touring exhibition, “The CocaCola Bottle Art Tour: Inspiring Pop Culture Over 100 years,” will visit Mexico, Colombia and Costa Rica.

The company challenged contemporary designers from many countries to “reinvent” the bottle for “a modern audience,” and their efforts are presented in the exhibitions and a book.

A global marketing campaign will bring consumers closer to figures such as Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and Ray Charles to refresh their experiences when they were “kissed” by the famous bottle.

There will also be centennial ads on television and the release of “Nobody Like You,” a song written by singer and composer Francesco Yates.

The company’s official history says CocaCola was invented on May 8, 1886, when Atlanta pharmacist John S. Pemberton tried to make a concoction to treat digestive problems that would also give energy.

Pemberton’s accountant, Frank Robinson, created the brand name and designed the logo in Spencerian script, and Jacobs Drugstore was the first shop to sell the beverage, dispensing it to customers in 1897.

Since different bottling companies were using a variety of containers to distribute the product, a contest was held in 1915 and the Root Glass Company of TerreHaute, Indiana, came up with the contoured bottle design, sometimes referred to as the “hobbleskirt” because it resembled the shape of the skirts worn by women at the time.

“The design was the result of a competition that challenged bottle manufacturers to develop a container recognizable even if broken on the ground or touched in the dark. The winning design’s subtle curves and green tinted glass ultimately had an outstanding impact on 20thcentury visual art and culture,” the High Museum said.