Fantanas
Encyclopedia
The Fantanas are a group of spokesmodels who were created to promote Coca-Cola's Fanta
Fanta
Fanta is a global brand of fruit-flavored carbonated soft drinks from the Coca-Cola Company. There are over 90 flavors worldwide. The drink debuted in Germany in 1941 and originally sold only in Europe.-History:...

 brand of soft drinks in the United States. The quartet has appeared since 2002 in advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...

 and personal appearances. There have been four different versions of Fantanas since its debut. Their jingle is "Wanna Fanta! Don't you wanna?".

The "story" behind the Fantanas

According to their website, they lived on Fantana Island and were accidentally discovered by an entertainment mogul named Sir Juan-Carlos Martinez after he fell off his yacht and washed ashore on that island, seeing their work. He later talked with an advertising mogul, Paul Gurbel, in a fictional New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 restaurant who brought them to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. In actuality, the ads were created by Ogilvy and Mather in 2002.

Original Fantanas (2002–2004)

The original Fantanas sported an island/party style. The members (with their real names) were:
  • Nina (K.D. Aubert) - red (strawberry
    Strawberry
    Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...

     Fanta)
  • Calli (Jennifer Diaz) - orange (orange
    Orange (fruit)
    An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....

     Fanta)
  • Leelee (Adrienne Janic
    Adrienne Janic
    Adrienne Janic , , sometimes credited simply as AJ, is an American actress and television host of Serbian and Mexican descent.-Career:...

    ) - yellow (pineapple
    Pineapple
    Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...

     Fanta)
  • Raquel (Andrea De Oliveira) - purple (grape
    Grape
    A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...

     Fanta)


They gained attention outside their advertisements for their camp
Camp (style)
Camp is an aesthetic sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its taste and ironic value. The concept is closely related to kitsch, and things with camp appeal may also be described as being "cheesy"...

iness and use of sexuality, and these original four were featured in a Maxim
Maxim (magazine)
Maxim is an international men's magazine based in the United Kingdom and known for its pictorials featuring popular actresses, singers, and female models, sometimes pictured dressed, often pictured scantily dressed but not fully nude....

magazine spread in December 2002.

"Mod" Fantanas (2004–2006)

In 2004, the Fantanas returned, this time with a new look inspired by the mod fashion styles of the late 1960s. The members (some real names being withheld or not known) were:
  • Capri (Katerina Graham
    Katerina Graham
    Katerina Alexandre "Kat" Graham is an American actress, singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and model. She has appeared in numerous television shows and film productions, as well as music videos...

    ) - red (strawberry
    Strawberry
    Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...

     Fanta)
  • Kiki - orange (orange
    Orange (fruit)
    An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....

     Fanta); leader
  • Lola - yellow (pineapple
    Pineapple
    Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...

     Fanta)
  • Sophia (Monica Flores) - purple (grape
    Grape
    A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...

     Fanta)

"Party" Fantanas (2006–2009)

In 2006, the next generation of Fantanas was introduced, this time sporting a contemporary party look. The commercials were filmed in Argentina. The members (real names being withheld or not known) are:
  • Kaia (Danielle Acoff) - red (strawberry
    Strawberry
    Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...

     Fanta)
  • Amie (Dena Cali?) - orange (orange
    Orange (fruit)
    An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....

     Fanta); Leader.
  • Mimi (Mimi Karsh) - yellow (pineapple
    Pineapple
    Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...

     Fanta)
  • Sophia (Monica Flores) - purple (grape
    Grape
    A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...

     Fanta); character held over from the 2nd incarnation

Return of the Fantanas (2009–2011)

In April 2009 in had been announced that New Fantanas would be advertising the drinks. With the original Fanta Flavors. Each of the Fantanas have an individual fashion style.
  • Summer (Diana Carr) - orange Indie, Organic Hippie style, Leader.
  • Melody (Katherine Wilkes) - purple (grape
    Grape
    A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...

     Fanta) Musical, Punk, Rockstar style.
  • Isabela - red (strawberry
    Strawberry
    Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...

     Fanta) Fashionable, sexy, chic style.
  • Brittany - yellow (pineapple
    Pineapple
    Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...

     Fanta) Cute, Chic Style. Brittany was voted the winner of the 4th Fantana Search in the summer/fall of 2010. Replaced Shakira

MadTV Parody

The Fantanas were twice parodied on the sketch comedy series MADtv
MADtv
MADtv is an American sketch comedy television series. It licensed the name and logo of Mad, but otherwise had no connection with the humor magazine outside the animated Spy vs. Spy and Don Martin cartoon shorts and images of Alfred E. Neuman that the show featured during the late 1990s. Its first...

.
Both appearances (Episodes #1004 and #1009, aired 6 November and 18 December 2004, respectively) starred Daniele Gaither
Daniele Gaither
Daniele Gaither is an American comic actress. Gaither is most notable for her membership in the recurring cast of comedians on sketch comedy series MADtv.-Early life:...

 as Capri, Stephnie Weir
Stephnie Weir
Stephnie Carmel Weir is an American actress and comedian, best known for her membership in the recurring cast on MADtv.-Early life:...

 as Lola, Nicole Parker
Nicole Parker
Nicole Frances Parker is an Emmy Award-winning actress and singer best known for her work on Fox's sketch comedy show MADtv. In July 2009, she concluded her run as Elphaba in the Broadway production of Wicked...

 as Kiki, and Paul Vogt
Paul Vogt
Paul C. Vogt is an American actor and comedian best known for his work as a cast member on the sketch comedy programs MADtv, The Big Gay Sketch Show and The Rerun Show.-Life and career:...

 as "Two-Liter" Beth. The commercials were similar to the actual Fantanas commercials, with Capri, Lola and Kiki offering Fanta to a series of men, only to be interrupted by Beth's attempts to seduce the men with her two-liter bottle of an odd savory flavored Fanta (And some blurred nudity
Pixelation
In computer graphics, pixelation is an effect caused by displaying a bitmap or a section of a bitmap at such a large size that individual pixels, small single-colored square display elements that comprise the bitmap, are visible to the eye...

).

The former episode featured the Fantanas representing similar Fanta flavors, but the latter episode (aired just before Christmas) featured the Fantanas representing holiday-themed Fanta:
  • Candy Cane
    Candy cane
    A candy cane is a hard cane-shaped candy stick. It is traditionally white with red stripes and flavored with peppermint or cinnamon; however, it is also made in a variety of other flavors and may be decorated with stripes of different colors and thicknesses...

     Capri (Gaither)
  • Cinnamon
    Cinnamon
    Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods...

     Spice Lola (Weir)
  • Frosted Gingerbread
    Gingerbread
    Gingerbread is a term used to describe a variety of sweet food products, which can range from a soft, moist loaf cake to something close to a ginger biscuit. What they have in common are the predominant flavors of ginger and a tendency to use honey or molasses rather than just sugar...

     Kiki (Parker)
  • Holiday Ham
    Ham
    Ham is a cut of meat from the thigh of the hind leg of certain animals, especiallypigs. Nearly all hams sold today are fully cooked or cured.-Etymology:...

     Dinner Beth (Vogt)

Other Parodies

The Fantanas also made an appearance in the popular animated show Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...

in the episode "Adoption's an Option" in 2006.

In the "Peter's Daughter
Peter's Daughter
"Peter's Daughter" is the seventh episode of the sixth season of Family Guy and originally aired November 25, 2007 and ended the first half of the season. When a flood hits Quahog, Meg winds up in the hospital in a coma, and an over-protective Peter vows he will take extra care of her from then on...

" Episode of Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...

, which first aired November 25, 2007, the Fantanas were parodied as four elderly women promoting Sanka
Sanka
Sanka is a brand of instant decaffeinated coffee, sold around the world, and was one of the earliest decaffeinated varieties. Sanka is distributed in the United States by Kraft Foods.-History:...

.

Australian comedienne Pam Ann
Pam Ann
Pam Ann is the air hostess alter-ego of Australian comedienne Caroline Reid. Performances focus on the nuances of air travel, identifying the individual quirks of some of the biggest international airlines and their media stereotypes. Her style leans towards camp humour, in the vein of Dame Edna...

 used the Fantanas' song as a catchphrase when she does her routine as Iberia Airlines stewardress Conchita Rosa María González Gómez in her shows.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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