1980s kids, rejoice: The popular, full-flavored soda of our youth has returned, and, like us, it's healthier now.
This Iconic ’80s Soda Brand Is Back
Published on Jan. 24, 2025
I was a senior in high school back in 1984 when Slice soda first came out, and boy, it was a revelation. When Slice showed up, the soda pop world was dominated by colas, with a few outliers like Orange Crush or A&W Root Beer, and suddenly, here was a new contender. (Speaking of the 1980s, here’s how to cook like an ’80s mom for a week, and here are retro ’80s recipes still worth trying.)
The drink first came out in lemon-lime flavor, but before we ’80s kids knew it, there was a whole orchard full of fruit flavors, including mandarin orange, apple and pineapple. And although I can find no online evidence that it ever existed, I will go to my grave swearing they had a pear flavor.
Sadly, Slice kept changing its flavors and its look, and eventually just kind of slipped away, vanishing like other 1980s favorites such as Forenza sweaters and The Facts of Life TV show. But now, it’s coming back!
Who brought Slice back?
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Slice was originally a Pepsi product, but in 2024, juice manufacturer Suja Life bought the brand. And like many a 1980s kid who cleaned up as they grew older and wiser, the new Slice is more focused on health and wellness.
The new Slice website brags that the revived drink is “back and better than the 1980s drink we once were.”
While new Slice will still be a “spunky, full-flavor soda,” its website says the updated version boasts fewer than 5 grams of sugar and 45 calories per can, is naturally sweetened, and contains no high-fructose corn syrup and no artificial flavors. It’s non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan and kosher. Its vibrant colors come from fruit and vegetables, not artificial dyes.
The site also reports that Slice contains prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics to support digestion and gut health.
Yet it’s still a carbonated, bubbly drink with a variety of flavors, including orange, lemon lime, grapefruit spritz, ginger ale, classic cola, strawberry and grape. And the can still has that flashy 1980s neon style.
Where to Find Slice Soda
As of January, the new Slice is reporting on social media that you should be able to find it in grocery stores, including HEB, Albertsons, Vons, Pavilions, Safeway and more. Different stores may offer different flavors. The strawberry, for example, is exclusive to SuperTarget, and the orange and lemon lime also include Costco in their store list.
Now, if we could only bring back Forenza sweaters and The Facts of Life. You take the good, you take the bad.
