Fact Check: Is the Dr Pepper Black Licorice flavor real or fake? Viral image debunked

According to a Facebook post from October 4, Dr Pepper has seemingly introduced a new addition to its line of flavored soft drinks—Black Licorice. Uploaded by Brain Damage Studios, the post contains a picture of a can and a bottled drink from the brand, along with the page’s hashtag.

However, no official advertisement for such a new flavor can be seen on the brand's website or any of its social media pages. Certain words on the viral image also appear obscure, insinuating it could be generated using AI.

It is to be noted that Brain Damage Studios’ intro on Facebook describes it as a parody page meant for humor. The admin clarifies:

"ANY PRODUCTS HERE ARE JOKES. I am not affiliated with any company or sponsor. Nothing here is serious. Have fun!"

Thus, the image of Dr Pepper's new Black Licorice soda is fake, and the company has not launched any new beverages of this flavor.

A look at the other posts by Brain Damage Studios further confirms its satirical nature. The most recent posts are on Fritos Black Licorice corn chips, Dr Pepper Fried Okra soda, buttered popcorn Diet Coke, Ben & Jerry's Vampire Blood Chocolate Cherry ice cream, and Planters Strawberry Garlic Coated Peanuts, to name a few.

Needless to say, the bizarreness of these flavor combinations gives away the parody.

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Dr Pepper last launched a new flavor in May 2024

As seen on the beverage brand's recent social media posts, it has not launched a new flavor as a nod to Halloween. Instead, the company has shared a humorous post on its X account, where the brand's soda can is decked in a tissue to welcome the spooky festival. The October 3 post caption reads:

"We know the second one is scary we apologize"

In April, the company announced it would launch a new flavor for the summer — Creamy Coconut. The official release was on May 1 and the new soda was available in stores for a limited time. Its tagline read:

"she's smooth, she's delicious, and she tastes like summer"

They also introduced a sugar-free version of the soda — Creamy Coconut Zero Sugar. It was available in 12-ounce cans and 20-ounce bottles.

A new Blackberry-flavored soda by the company is rumored to be launched next year. IG account for junk food news @candyhunting shared the post on September 28, announcing the supposed arrival of this flavor, adding it will be featured in the 2025 shows for the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS)

This new Dr Pepper flavored soda is also reported to come with a Zero Sugar variant.