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open to the public at Mechanics The Moxie Horsemobiles
Hall, Moxie made its move.
Construction of a 32-foot high
Moxie Bottle (with a 10-foot
diameter) began with the intent
to use it as a traveling promotional
item. The Bottle was a replica of
the actual Moxie Nerve Tonic
Bottle and featured its heavily-
copywritten label and bottlecap.
Constructed of oak, spruce, and
New England pinewood, doors
and windows were used to hand
out samples of Moxie to passersby.
The Boston Traveler wrote that the Bottle was a “monu-
ment to nerve building – a striking feature of the big
Food Fair.”
This first Moxie Bottle hit the road at attractions
throughout the Northeast, including at Luna Park in
Coney Island, and later rested at the Pine Island
Amusement Park in Manchester, New Hampshire. The
occasional adventurous visitor could enter the Bottle and
climb all the way up to a window that looked out at
Mount Uncanoonuc, and then slide back down to the
base on a slide placed on the exterior of the bottle. It was
there for over ten years. The Bottle was repainted at least
once and the label was updated when
the name changed “Moxie.”
Following the War, a giant Moxie
bottle was purchased by a couple who
then added it onto their house. It
continued to attract attention and
many visitors until the 1980s when the
property was abandoned. Today, the
Bottle House is at the Union, ME Fair-
grounds and is open in the summer to
visitors. A full restoration is in process.
The Moxie Man/Guy/Boy
The Moxie Man/Guy made his
debut in 1906 in a pose that is reminis-
cent of the “I Want You” Uncle Sam
Army posters used to recruit men dur-
ing World Wars I and II. He would become one of the most recognized
promotional icons of all time. But who was he? Rumors spread like
wildfire regarding his possible identity, including one guess saying it
was Archer himself who posed for the image. Given his age at the time
(50+) that appeared unlikely. Said Archer, “in almost every town and
city in the United States there is someone who believes they know the
original Moxie Boy. In view of the many thousands of different
opinions on this subject, we may offer a prize to the person who picks
the actual boy, furnishing us photographic proofs, etc. … the Moxie
Boy, now a man (and some man at that), who posed for this picture
many, many years ago, in fact before some of the readers of this article
were born.”
The Moxie Congress, a group of historians
dedicated to the history of Moxie, was able to
ascertain that the man was likely an on-call
model for the lithographers printing these adver-
tisements and, with confidence, it is thought that
the “Moxie Boy” was one John T. Chamberlain of
Revere, MA.
Looking to stay current, in the early 1960s, the
Moxie Guy was tweaked to look a bit more like
Frank Sinatra and the focus returned to promoting
Moxie as “healthful” by putting the gentian root
back in the foreground. Then in 2010, the image
was thought too “old fashioned,” and the Moxie
Guy was removed from the company label in 2010, only to be
reinstated one year later following numerous complaints from
long-standing customers.
22 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles
Back around 1918, Archer used the increasing pop-
ularity of the automobile as an element in one of his
most popular gimmicks, the Moxie Horsemobile. A
Moxiemobile consisted of a fake horse mounted on a
car. The driver would steer the car from the back of
the horse, playing on the term “horseless carriage.”
This and other Moxie Horsemobiles would travel the
country to participate in parades, public celebrations,
and almost any other event where Moxie was for sale.
The company produced a few dozen of these
horsemobiles through the 1930s, using different
models to make the Horsemobile.
Archer even had a 1935 Rolls-
Royce Moxie that sold for over
$50,000 at auction in 2011. In
2021, a 1929 Ford Model “A”
Moxie Horsemobile sold for
$61,290 at auction. The cars used
tended to be of a higher grade and
included a 1931 La Salle, and a
Buick Series K, and there are
rumors of a Pierce-Arrow used to
build a Moxie Horsemobile.
Moxie Marches On
Moxie was designated as the
official soft drink of the State of Maine
in 2005, as signed into law by
Governor John Baldacci. It is a favorite
of New Englanders who continue to
demand their Moxie.
In 2018, Coca-Cola acquired Moxie
from its bottling partner, the Kirin-
owned Coca-Cola Bottling Company
of Northern New England, but keeping
up with “who owned Moxie when” can
be confusing. According to New
England Today, “Since 2007, Moxie
had been owned by Bedford, NH-
based Cornucopia Beverages, who,
starting in 2011, also did business as
the Moxie Beverage Company. Cornu-
copia is owned by the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of
Northern New England (not directly affiliated with
The Coca-Cola Co.), which is a subsidiary of Kirin
Brewing Company, whose parent company,
Tokyo-based Kirin Holdings Company, Ltd., is part
of the Mitsubishi business group. … To their credit,
Coke’s early statements about their new acquisition
emphasized the importance of Moxie’s regional
footprint, and confirmed the brand’s production and
bottling operations will remain in New Hampshire.”
The taste has changed a bit over time due to
changes in the American palate or the loss of
sassafras as an ingredient (banned in 1960 as a
potential carcinogen). Another reason could be the
switch from sugar to high-fructose corn syrup.
But nothing can keep this soft drink down! Fans
continue to celebrate with Moxie wherever they may be!
top to bottom: The advertisement without the endorsement of President
Roosevelt; the very early but well branded delivery vehicle for Moxie; a
tin advertisement featuring the Moxie horsemobile; promotional Moxie
thermometer from the 1960s; the modern take on the original Moxie
Man; the “Frank Sinatra” Moxie Man; A can of Moxie with its
“Distinctively Different” tagline.