 |
For the pre-War soft drink, see Sunset Sarsaparilla. For Mojave Wasteland location, see Sunset Sarsaparilla headquarters. |
|---|
The Sunset Sarsaparilla Company was a pre-War soft drink manufacturer, well known around Las Vegas for its eponymous Sunset Sarsaparilla drink.
Background[]
Pre-War[]
The Sunset Sarsaparilla Company was founded in 1918,[1] making it 126 years older than the Nuka-Cola Corporation. According to Festus, a small town saloon owner decided one day to brew a new type of soft drink. He asked his usual patrons what flavor they would want it to be, but they were of no help. However, a stranger at the end of the bar suggested he make a sarsaparilla flavored drink, and would give his family's recipe to the saloon owner if he got to sample a bottle whenever he wanted to make sure the recipe was being followed to the letter. The saloon owner agreed, thinking it would make him rich. The stranger then left to meet him the next day at sundown. The next day, the saloon owner was told by the sheriff that the stranger was killed by bandits on the side of the town road. Cursing his luck, the saloon owner closed his store early that day, just as the sun began to set. But after he locked the doors, he found a bottle with a note under it sealed with blue wax in the shape of a star. Opening it, he found the recipe of a sarsaparilla-flavored drink. After sampling the contents of the bottle, and finding it singularly delicious, he began selling Sunset Sarsaparilla and even paid for the stranger's funeral, believing that it was the least he could do for his mysterious benefactor. To this day, some bottles of Sunset Sarsaparilla have a bottle cap marked with a blue star that some say the saloon owner mandated, while some say it is the stranger continuing to sample the bottles like he was promised.[2]
After years of selling their beverage and becoming known and loved across the West Coast, the company soon decided to invest in automation and robotics, specifically with the help of RobCo Industries.[3] While the custodial staff reaped the benefits of automation,[4] the regional distribution network unfortunately suffered replacement at the hands of an experimental robot.[5][6][3]
At some point before the Great War, a TV network broadcast an advisory about the health risks of their soda, with studies claiming a wide range of harmful side effects came from having too much of it. Sunset Sarsaparilla disputed the claims as unverified and based off larger quantities of Sarsaparilla than anyone could possibly drink. Nevertheless, the company took steps to improve its PR after the story aired.[7]
By 2077, the company had continued to boom, although they struggled with sales in the Northeastern region, they sold more in the Northern and Midwestern United States, continuing to sell extremely well in the American Southwest.[8] However, by sheer luck, a rumor of a contest surfaced, telling of the company having a contest to redeem starred bottle caps for prizes. Despite the complaints of staff,[9] the company decided to promote the contest rather than denounce the rumor, due to 300% increases in sales.[10] The company also went as far as to install an automaton in the lobby of their headquarters, as well as creating an advertisement campaign heavily based on cowboys.[11]
Before the Great War, a competitor attempted to negotiate a deal to buy out the Sunset Sarsaparilla Company, but the offer was declined. On the other end of the deal was none other than John-Caleb Bradberton, founder, CEO, and president of the rival Nuka-Cola Corporation. In response to this failed deal, he commissioned the development and release of a root-beer flavored variant of his signature drink. An exclusive for the Nuka-World theme park and other promotional deals like the Whitespring Resort, the result was Nuka-Cola Wild, an attempt by Bradberton to capitalize on the success of the Sunset Sarsaparilla brand.[12]
Post-War[]
The star cap story began as a simple promotional story before the Great War, yet Festus kept the story alive by motivating survivors to collect Sunset Sarsaparilla bottle caps, and as the years went by, a new legend began to circulate around the bottling headquarters in Las Vegas, which in turn led to the announcement of the running "Legend of the Star" collection campaign.[Non-game 1] Stories of the contest became very distorted following the Great War, and the actual simple prize (which consisted of a retelling of the fictitious story by the company spokesbot and a small metal Sunset Sarsaparilla deputy badge) became a bloated tale of pre-War technology, weapons caches, and all sorts of other amazing loot.[13]
Known employees[]
- Kenneth Aguilar, president
- Clark Weathers, vice president of operations
- Marcus Brody, vice president of technology
- Nathan Stanley, director of PR
- Paige, secretary
Known facilities[]
- Sunset Sarsaparilla headquarters - In the western outskirts of New Vegas.
Known products[]
- Sunset Sarsaparilla - with a special variant capped with a "Special Blue Starred Cap".
- Promotional items
Mascots[]
Notes[]
- Canadians purchased Sunset Sarsaparilla almost as frequently as Americans, according to the sales chart.
- When drinking a Sunset Sarsaparilla, a bottle cap is given. The bottle caps, upon looking at the icon on the Pip-Boy or removing them from the inventory, are Nuka-Cola caps.
- After completing the quest The Legend of the Star, any Sunset Sarsaparilla star bottle caps that are picked up or obtained from drinking a bottle will be added to the inventory as normal bottle caps, and will not show up as a star bottle cap.
- Festus mentions that before Sunset Sarsaparilla was invented, the main choices people had for soft drinks were water or Nuka-Cola. However, the Sunset Sarsaparilla Company was founded in 1918, 126 years before the foundation of the Nuka-Cola Corporation in 2044.
- The logo of the Sunset Sarsaparilla Company appears on a ruined car in the episode "The Head" of the the Fallout TV series.
Appearances[]
The Sunset Sarsaparilla Company appears in Fallout: New Vegas and is mentioned in the Fallout 4 add-on Nuka-World[16] and the Fallout TV series.[17]
Behind the scenes[]
- Although Sunset Sarsaparilla is fictional, generic sarsaparilla is a real world soft drink, popular in the United States beginning in the 19th century. It was originally made with safrole, an oil used as the flavor additive. In the United States, the FDA banned the use of safrole in 1958 as it had been shown to induce liver tumors in rats.[Non-game 2]
- Joshua Sawyer came up with Sunset Sarsaparilla being a competitor to Nuka-Cola.[Non-game 3]
Gallery[]
Creation Club
References[]
|
Non-game
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition p.308-309: "[2.17] Sunset Sarsaparilla Headquarters
The old headquarters of the well-known and loved "Beverage of the West Coast," this structure features a many-faceted glass bottle of the company's signature drink, Sunset Sarsaparilla. Before the war, an urban legend circulated that if you collected bottle caps marked with a star, you could send them in to the Sunset Sarsaparilla Headquarters and receive a prize. Now, this legend has taken on a life of its own; crazed individuals stalk the Wasteland searching for "SSSs" (Sunset Sarsaparilla Stars), a fact exacerbated by an automated robotic attendant, Festus, who prompts people with an option to present their Sunset Sarsaparilla Stars. Dare you find out the truth?
Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition p.308-309: "Festus
Sitting in his rundown saloon, Festus is the mascot for the old Sunset Sarsaparilla Company, and here to bring you great news of a competition, and the official word on that health advisory (keeps asking!). Requesting information on Star Bottle Caps begins Side Quest: The Legend of the Star. Returning with 50 or more Star Bottle Caps starts Side Quest: A Valuable Lesson. You can also play Lucky Horseshoes (speak to Festus about the rules)."
(Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition Tour of the Mojave Wasteland) - ↑ Sassafras at ScienceDirect
- ↑ Josh Sawyer Fallout 4 Project Mojave Mod Stream 13.11.2021 (reference starts at 36:23)
Joshua Sawyer: "'Who came up with Sunset Sarsaparilla being a competitor to Nuka-Cola?' That was... that was me."
