Sheeple Chase 5 - Coke-Conspirators

Summary

The Magnus Archives: Sheeplechase 5 – "Coke-Conspirators"

Release Date: October 30, 2025
Host: Georgie Barker
Co-host: Celia Ripley
Produced by: Rusty Quill

---

Overview

This episode of Sheeplechase—the Magnus Archives’ spinoff focused on conspiracies—dives deep into the mythology, controversy, and conspiracies surrounding New Coke, Coca-Cola’s notorious 1985 recipe change. Hosts Georgie Barker and Celia Ripley use their signature mix of skepticism, snark, and genuine curiosity to explore whether the ill-fated soda was a marketing blunder, a Machiavellian ploy, or something even stranger.

---

Main Discussion & Key Points

1. Social Media Drama (04:38–06:04)

• Georgie updates listeners about a recent spat with well-known paranormal investigator Melanie King, who publicly insulted Georgie’s podcast, calling it a “misinformation podcast.”
• Quote:
  • “After all, the ghost hunters came at me for being a Flat Earth Illuminati cult leader. Which, if they’d actually listened to our episode on the Illuminati, doesn’t even make sense.” — Georgie [05:04]
• Georgie thanks supporters and announces a break from social media due to the backlash.

2. Episode Introduction & Topic Choice (06:56–08:03)

• Celia reveals today’s topic—chosen based on Georgie’s joke from the previous week—is “New Coke.”
• Lively tone set with playful skepticism and banter, poking fun at 1980s corporate America.

3. The New Coke Debacle: What Happened? (08:03–10:54)

• Celia narrates the business history: Coca-Cola’s declining dominance in the market, loss to Pepsi, the appointment of CEO Roberto Goizueta, and the decision to overhaul the century-old recipe.
• They note the internal business logic: Baby Boomers moving to Diet Coke and Pepsi’s growing younger market.
• Quote:
  • “New CEO Roberto Goizueta now has one job. Beat Pepsi at any cost. And it’s time to shake things up.” — Celia [07:13]

4. Public Backlash and Cultural Reactions (09:55–12:41)

• The new formula performs well in taste tests but bombs publicly due to backlash. 10% of focus group participants hated the change, becoming extremely vocal.
• They discuss Americana and regional pride (Atlanta-based Coke versus New York’s Pepsi).
• Quote:
  • “Some Southerners even framed it as a continuation of the American Civil War… So people from Southern states were calling to complain that Coke was surrendering to the Yankees.” — Celia [10:12]
• Emotional public responses, escalated to the absurd:
  • “There are only two things in my life. God and Coca Cola. Now you have taken one of those things away from me.” — Quoted by Celia [12:29]
  • “We went to war in Japan over that freedom.” — Celia quoting a complainant [12:41]

5. Conspiracy Theories Explored

A. The “Deliberate Flop” Theory (13:05–13:43)

• Suggestion that Coca-Cola introduced New Coke intending it to fail, stoking nostalgia and love for the original.
• Key rebuttal:
  • “We’re not that smart and we’re not that dumb.” — Goizueta, quoted by Celia [13:22]
• But the marketing push does appear to have helped Coke win the “Cola Wars.”

B. Bottling Company Dispute Theory (14:05–16:08)

• Celia explains Coke’s messy business with bottling companies: bottlers complained that the value of Coke syrup was tied to its “unchangeable legacy,” which New Coke undermined.
• Theorized corporate machinations: The new recipe shifts the value debate and, after settling disputes, Coca-Cola buys up its bottlers.
• Quote:
  • “A monopoly with extra steps, essentially.” — Georgie [14:53]

C. Hidden Ingredient Change Theory (16:15–17:09)

• Celia unpacks the internet suggestion that New Coke distracted customers from a broader switch from cane sugar to high fructose corn syrup.
• Georgie cracks jokes about the infamous removal of cocaine, shifting into comedic territory.

D. The Cocaine Conspiracy (17:09–18:15)

• Georgie spins a theory: What if there was still cocaine in Coke up until 1985, and the whole New Coke debacle was a cover for removing it due to Reagan’s War on Drugs?

• Celia, surprisingly, notes Coke does have a special license to import decocainized coca leaves.

• The logistical and economic challenges of this conspiracy are raised and debunked with humor.

• Quote:

  • Georgie: “It just needs a little kick. A baby kick.”
  • Celia: “Babies can kick quite hard.”
  • Georgie: “A puppy kick, then. From a baby dachshund.” [18:54–19:11]

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “When they took old coke off the market, they violated my freedom of choice. It’s as basic as the Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence.” — Celia, quoting a letter [12:41]
• “All is fair in love and soda war, Celia.” — Georgie [19:16]
• “Conditional vindication.” — Georgie, on her half-baked theory [19:31]

---

Timestamps: Important Segments

• 04:38 — Show begins; Georgie addresses recent online drama.
• 07:01 — New Coke becomes the week’s topic.
• 08:45 — Taste tests and surprising public response.
• 10:12–10:22 — American Civil War & regional pride invoked in Cola disputes.
• 12:41 — Outrageous complaint quotes.
• 13:05 — First conspiracy: “They did it on purpose!”
• 14:05 — Bottlers’ dispute and “monopoly with extra steps.”
• 16:25 — “Hidden ingredient” and shifting blame away from recipe changes.
• 17:09–18:15 — The playful “cocaine theory” segment.
• 19:37 — Switch to sponsor/joke ad and episode wrap-up banter.

---

Tone & Style

The conversation is wryly comic, with Celia as the eternal skeptic and Georgie as the gleeful conspiracy theorist. Genuine business analysis and cultural history are peppered with absurd digressions (“puppy kicks of cocaine”), satirical fake ads, and mutual ribbing.

---

Conclusion

Sheeplechase 5: Coke-Conspirators treats the New Coke saga as a springboard for examining the overlap between public perception, marketing blunders, and the endless human appetite for conspiracy. While the hosts ultimately think there’s little evidence for dark corporate master plans—or secret 1980s cocaine in your Coke—they admit that the mixture of nostalgia, business, and collective hysteria was more than enough to fuel fiery debate for decades.

Final Takeaway:
“As long as soft drinks are involved, sometimes the truth is weirder and funnier than any conspiracy.”

Transcript

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[Georgie Barker]

Hello and welcome to Sheeplechase, the podcast where I, Georgie Barker, take a deep dive into all things conspiracy.

[Celia Ripley]

And where I, Celia Ripley, stand by with a bullshit detector and 20ccs of liquid skepticism.

[Georgie Barker]

Now, before we get started with today's episode, I think I should probably address something. Ah, I know some of you have seen Melanie King's socials, but for those of you who haven't, I sent her a DM inviting her to guest on the podcast. And she then posted a screenshot of the message with a caption about how she hates legitimate paranormal investigators like herself being lumped in with vapid grifters with misinformation podcasts. Now, I'm not here to rehash anything, but just to let people know, I am taking a break from social media. After all, the ghost hunters came at me for being a Flat Earth Illuminati cult leader. Which, if they'd actually listened to our episode on the Illuminati, doesn't even make sense.

[Celia Ripley]

At least she cropped your name out of it.

[Georgie Barker]

Yes, but people still figured out who it was from. And when people called her on it, she said she didn't think anyone would figure it out. Because my audience is so tiny.

[Celia Ripley]

Tiny and dedicated.

[Georgie Barker]

That's right. And thank you to everyone who's defended me online.

[Celia Ripley]

Yeah, sorry again. If I had socials, I would have used them.

[Georgie Barker]

It's fine. I can hardly blame you for not sharing my poison.

[Celia Ripley]

Tell you what, why don't we have a word from our sponsor?

[Georgie Barker]

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[Celia Ripley]

Celia, it's actually your suggestion from last week.

[Georgie Barker]

What's that?

[Celia Ripley]

Last episode you said I could pick something mundane like New Coke. So guess what I've picked.

[Georgie Barker]

Oh, right.

[Celia Ripley]

It's New Coke. This is a cautionary tale about arrogant marketing departments. It's 1985 and Coca Cola has slipped from being the undisputed king of cola to fighting an almost neck and neck race with Pepsi. New CEO Roberto Goizueta now has one job. Beat Pepsi at any cost. And it's time to shake things up.

[Georgie Barker]

Yeah, you really shouldn't do that to fizzy drinks.

[Celia Ripley]

Which is why he throws out the 100 year old recipe that made them an international sensation and replaces it with a new one.

[Georgie Barker]

What a great idea. I assume it was a roaring success?

[Celia Ripley]

Yep, it went great. Everyone loved it. End of episode.

[Georgie Barker]

Really?

[Celia Ripley]

You wish.

[Georgie Barker]

Boo.

[Celia Ripley]

Jokes aside, though, it wasn't as crazy as it first sounds. Baby boomers had historically been huge Coke drinkers, such cokeheads. But as they aged, they were switching to low sugar alternatives, while younger drinkers were all in on Pepsi.

[Georgie Barker]

So what were baby boomers switching to?

[Celia Ripley]

Diet Coke?

[Georgie Barker]

Wait, wait, wait. So they were still drinking Coke? Of course.

[Celia Ripley]

Coca Cola was still making money hand over fist. But one of their bragging rights was possibly in danger.

[Georgie Barker]

Gosh, that sounds like a real capitalist crisis. Someone might even lose a bonus over it.

[Celia Ripley]

Right, so they had no choice but to release a new, even sweeter recipe. And it worked. In taste tests, almost everyone preferred the New Coke recipe to Pepsi or old Coke.

[Georgie Barker]

So far, this doesn't sound much like a conspiracy. Hey, is this what it feels like to be you? Nothing suspicious here. Coincidence. Coincidence.

[Celia Ripley]

But that's what they want you to think. And the new Coke made Ronald Reagan kill a guy.

[Georgie Barker]

Oh, wow. Really? No, that was mean.

[Celia Ripley]

I know. So anyway, despite having the winning recipe, the new Coke launch didn't go quite as planned. The first problem was the press conference announcing it. Gozueta came out with the confidence of 10 mediocre white men crowing about the success of a product that wasn't even on sale yet. And even worse, Pepsi had allegedly paid off reporters to ask hostile questions like, is this change an admission that people like Pepsi better? And does this move represent the company's break from traditional American values?

[Georgie Barker]

That last one can't be real.

[Celia Ripley]

Oh, yeah. Somehow the idea that New Coke was anti American was a bafflingly common complaint. And some Southerners even framed it as a continuation of the American Civil War.

[Georgie Barker]

What? What? Why?

[Celia Ripley]

Because Coca Cola's based in Atlanta and Pepsi's based in New York. So people from Southern states were calling to complain that Coke was surrendering to the Yankees.

[Georgie Barker]

I mean, I almost respect their dedication, but mostly I'm just confused.

[Celia Ripley]

Yeah, it's actually fascinating. It turns out when they did the focus groups, although most people preferred New Coke, about 10% of people hated it to the point they felt angry at the thought of it replacing old Coke. And they were so vocal that they completely skewed the vibe and convinced other participants they didn't like it, even after already saying they did.

[Georgie Barker]

I would have thought the people who liked it would have just peer pressured the rest into going with it.

[Celia Ripley]

I don't know what to tell you. Apparently only haters are contagious.

[Georgie Barker]

That shouldn't surprise me. So I'm guessing when the haters escaped quarantine, they infected the whole population.

[Celia Ripley]

Possibly. Or that 10% were just so unbelievably loud that they drowned out everyone else. New Coke did increase sales at first, but then sales started to plummet. Coca Cola received 40,000 complaint letters and their hotline calls shot up to over 1500 per day. And these calls weren't just saying, I like Coke better the old way. People were really emotional. Coca Cola even hired a psychiatrist to sit in on some calls. And they said callers were showing textbook signs of grief, as if they had lost a family member.

[Georgie Barker]

You can't be serious.

[Celia Ripley]

Ah, just you wait. I've got quotes.

[Georgie Barker]

Oh, no.

[Celia Ripley]

Quote, at first I was numbing, then I was shocked, then I started to yell and scream and run up and down.

[Georgie Barker]

Okay, bit of an overreaction, but could be worse.

[Celia Ripley]

Yeah, how about, I couldn't have been more surprised if someone told me I was gay.

[Georgie Barker]

Why would. What? What? Actually, you know what, buddy? Me too. I would also be equally surprised to be told I was gay as I would to be told a soft drinks recipe was changing slightly.

[Celia Ripley]

Okay, how about there are only two things in my life. God and Coca Cola. Now you have taken one of those things away from me.

[Georgie Barker]

Okay, that one is funny.

[Celia Ripley]

Then you'll love this. When they took old Coke off the market, they violated my freedom of choice. It's as basic as the Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence. We went to war in Japan over that freedom.

[Georgie Barker]

Okay? We went through funny and back out into scary.

[Celia Ripley]

The backlash was so bad, they brought back original Coke as Coke classic after only 79 days.

[Georgie Barker]

I mean, that is suspiciously quick.

[Celia Ripley]

And this is where the conspiracies come in. The main one is that Coke put out new Coke knowing it would flop, just to remind people how much they loved old Coke. I could believe that Goswetta always denied it, famously saying, we're not that smart and we're not that dumb.

[Georgie Barker]

Nice quote.

[Celia Ripley]

Yeah, and there's no real evidence for it other than how quick they went back to the old formula.

[Georgie Barker]

But did it work? Did people buy more old Coke afterwards?

[Celia Ripley]

Oh, yeah. Most market analysts think the big advertising push Coca Cola did around bringing back classic Coke won them the cola wars.

[Georgie Barker]

The Cola wars?

[Celia Ripley]

Yeah, that's an actual phrase taught in business. And honestly, I'd say people cared about it that much. People were buying hundreds of cases of Coke to hoard the old formula, and when it came back, they were so thrilled, they kept on buying it.

[Georgie Barker]

Mmm. Pretty plausible. So what other conspiracies you got?

[Celia Ripley]

I am so glad you asked, Georgie. How about New Coke was intended to Derail complaints from Coca Cola's bottlers.

[Georgie Barker]

Go on.

[Celia Ripley]

Okay, so technically, the Coca Cola company doesn't make drinks.

[Georgie Barker]

Bit harsh. They're not good for you, but they are technically potable.

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Fair.

[Celia Ripley]

You see, they actually make syrups, which they then sell to bottling companies who add carbonated water and package up the drinks for venues that use them in soda fountains.

[Georgie Barker]

Hang on. My capitalist bullshit detector is going off.

[Celia Ripley]

Yeah, so it's not a good deal for the bottling companies who have to sign a contract saying they'll only bottle Coca Cola products and in order to get access to the syrups, the recipe, and, of course, the branding.

[Georgie Barker]

So a monopoly with extra steps, essentially.

[Celia Ripley]

So in 1985, Coca Cola was in the middle of a mass dispute with its bottling companies. They said that Coca Cola had always charged more for the old Coke syrup than their others on the basis that it was more valuable for being so established and unchanged. Now with New Coke, they argued that it was too hard to sell after years of marketing Coke's consistency with slogans like still the same great taste. And some said they were even being ostracized by their friends and family because of their association.

[Georgie Barker]

Yikes.

[Celia Ripley]

So naturally they said, well, it's changed now, so lower the price, you greedy bricks.

[Georgie Barker]

Oh, no, I see where this is going.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah.

[Celia Ripley]

By arguing that New Coke syrup was worth less because it had changed, they were seen to accept that old Coke syrup was worth the higher price.

[Georgie Barker]

So people think New Coke was bad on purpose just to bait the bottlers into tanking their own court case.

[Celia Ripley]

Yeah, and there's some weight to the allegations since after the suit was dropped, Coca Cola went and bought major stakes in all their biggest bottling companies.

[Georgie Barker]

Of course they did. Well, I think I might need a new conspiracy to wash the taste of classic conspiracy out of my mouth.

[Celia Ripley]

Say no more. How do we feel about claims that Coca Cola made big temporary changes to their recipe to hide smaller permanent changes?

[Georgie Barker]

What, like taking out the cocaine? That would explain a lot of the 80s.

[Celia Ripley]

Close. That was actually in 1903, back before people decided giving piles of cocaine to children might be a bad idea. No, this alleged change was the swap from cane sugar to cheaper high fructose corn syrup, with New Coke being deliberately sickly sweet so that the corn syrup would taste better in comparison.

[Georgie Barker]

But I thought most people preferred New Coke.

[Celia Ripley]

Oh, yeah. If Coca Cola had planned on releasing an unpalatable drink, they absolutely beefed it. And it would have been pointless since high fructose corn syrup had already been phased in for Five years, Celia, I have a theory. I'd expect nothing less.

[Georgie Barker]

Okay, so you said Coca Cola stopped using cocaine in the early 1900s, right?

[Celia Ripley]

Yes.

[Georgie Barker]

So what if they never took the cocaine out at all? They just said they did, but they were secretly still making good old fashioned cocaine. E. Cola all the way up to 1985.

[Celia Ripley]

Sounds expensive.

[Georgie Barker]

Not if it was just an itsy bitsy, teeny, tiny, child friendly amount of cocaine.

[Celia Ripley]

Oh, right. Well, that's different.

[Georgie Barker]

But then in the 80s, Reagan's all in on his war on drugs and it's just too risky to keep it up anymore. So you finally need to change the recipe and take it out. So you cover it up with a bullshit recipe change?

[Celia Ripley]

I hate that. This almost makes sense.

[Georgie Barker]

People love the new taste, but for some reason it just hits different than old coke and they can't figure out what's missing. It must be the American values. They think that's why they're craving the old recipe so much. This one's un American. They demand you change back to the old one. So you switch to the original formula minus the cocaine, and hope it's close enough a few people notice, but luckily you've already started mixing in garbage sugar syrup, so you can pass it off. Then, hey, presto, you're out of the drug game and your share price is up. All in less than three months.

[Celia Ripley]

Okay. Couple of questions.

[Georgie Barker]

Shoot. I'm on a roll.

[Celia Ripley]

So it's true that Coca Cola does have a special license to use coca leaves.

[Georgie Barker]

They do? Oh, my God, I'm right. I've cracked it.

[Celia Ripley]

But they have a special supplier, Stepan Co. Who imports coca leaves from Peru and Bolivia and then decokainizes them.

[Georgie Barker]

Unless they're paid to do a rubbish job, sure.

[Celia Ripley]

But even then it doesn't make any financial sense. A can of Coke in 1985 was what, 25 cents? But I bet cocaine was a smidge more expensive.

[Georgie Barker]

It's Coca Cola. I'm sure they'd be getting wholesale prices even with that.

[Celia Ripley]

They'd have to be using absolutely minuscule portions.

[Georgie Barker]

But that's what I'm saying. It just needs a little kick. A baby kick.

[Celia Ripley]

Babies can kick quite hard.

[Georgie Barker]

A puppy kick, then. From a baby dachshund. They've only got tiny little legs. Hmm.

[Celia Ripley]

I'm not convinced. That's a lot of risk and expense just for a soda.

[Georgie Barker]

But all is fair in love and soda war, Celia.

[Celia Ripley]

Hmm? I mean, if you could categorically prove they were somehow getting massive amounts of cocaine for cheap in the 80s.

[Georgie Barker]

Not impossible.

[Celia Ripley]

Not completely impossible.

[Georgie Barker]

I'll take it. Vindication. Very, very partial. Conditional vindication.

[Celia Ripley]

Oh, just do your ad and get on with it. Wow, Georgie. I can't believe Mia Hill from Manic Pixie Scream Girls came to your birthday party.

[Georgie Barker]

Oh Celia, you're so gullible. That was just a lookalike. I was impressed with you having stepdad who works at Nintendo at your barbecue. That was really relatable.

[Celia Ripley]

Haha. I don't even have a stepdad. That was a look alike too.

[Georgie Barker]

What? But Celia, how can you hire a lookalike for someone who doesn't exist with Everybody doubles?

[Celia Ripley]

Of course everybody doubles. You can hire a look alike, but any overly specific but still normal looking character you can think of. Maybe you need to pretend to colleagues you have a girlfriend who is allergic to dogs, or you need an overly authoritarian personal trainer to get out of running with a friend. Maybe you just want to hang out with a retired parasailer. We've all been there. Whatever. And whoever you need can be found at Everybody Doubles. Everybody Doubles Agents are untrained professionals incapable of performing impressions or basic tasks.

[Georgie Barker]

Well, that's about it for this week, but we'll be back next time with more tales of collusion and cover ups.

[Celia Ripley]

You doing anything exciting before then? Any more bungee jumping dates?

[Georgie Barker]

I do have another coffee date with the instructor, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

[Celia Ripley]

What's wrong now?

[Georgie Barker]

The tortoise hates me.

[Celia Ripley]

I'm not even gonna try to unpack that. Thank you everybody for listening. And remember, if you think something tastes funny, don't worry, they haven't removed all the cocaine. The manufacturers just hate freedom.

[Georgie Barker]

I might need to cut that for the sponsors. Sheeplechase and the Magnus Protocol are podcasts distributed by Rustyquill and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution non Commercial Sharealike 4.0 International License. Sheeplechase was created by Sasha Sienna, directed by April Sumner, and based on the works of Jonathan Sims and Alexander J. Newell. This episode was written by Sasha Sienna and edited with additional materials by Jonathan Sims and Alexander J. Newell with audio edits by Nico Vertesi, mastering by Meg McKellar, and music by Nico Vertese. It featured Sasha Sienna as Georgie Barker and Lori Ann Davies as a Celia Ripley. To subscribe explore exclusive extras and enjoy early Access ad Free episodes. Visit members rustyquill.com or join our Patreon rate and review us online, follow us on social media or email us@mail rustyquill.com thanks for listening.

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[Thrive Cosmetics Announcer]

Feel good, especially this time of year, and that includes changing up your makeup look for fall. From lashes for days with the Viral Liquid Lash Extension Mascara to enhancing a smoky eye with your favorite shade of brilliant eye brightener, Thrive Cosmetics is your go to for completing every fall look. Whether you want a simple just gotta get out the door routine or fall glam that wows from the office to all your favorite fall festivities, you'll always look and feel radiant with Thrive Cosmetics. Plus, every product is 100% vegan, cruelty free and made with clean skin loving ingredients. And for every product purchased, Thrive Cosmetics donates to help communities Thrive. So every time you use your favorite Thrive Cosmetics product, you're helping communities you care about too complete your fall look. Go to thrivecosmetics.com cozy for an exclusive offer of 20% off your first order. That's Thrive Cosmetics. C-A U S E M E T I C S.com cozy did you know that parents rank financial literacy as the number one most difficult life skill to teach? Meet Greenlight, the debit card and money app for families. With Greenlight, you can set up chores automate allowance and keep an eye on your kids spending with real time notifications. Kids learn to earn, save and spend wisely and parents can rest easy knowing their kids are learning about money with guardrails in place. Sign up for Greenlight [e-mail] podcast hello.

[Shahan]

It'S Shahan, voice of Sam in the Magnus Protocol. Today I'm here to advertise the 12 Elms conspiracy, a new fantasy mystery audio drama from Ira Major, the same talented creator behind Remnants Not Quite Dead and Spirit Box Radio. Follow Cyan Goodman, who does not belong at Twelve Elms, a university that's trained the finest majors in majordom for centuries. He only just found out it existed and he's out of his depth. Cian's only in because another student mysteriously vanished. But digging deeper, he realizes the conspiracy reaches far beyond one missing student and into the very foundations of Magdom itself. The 12 Elms conspiracy pulls you into a hidden magical world just out of sight, a secret world fraught with social and class tension, where the legacy of terrible choices haunts every corner. Search for the Twelve Elms Conspiracy wherever you listen to your podcasts or go to www.rustedquill.com or twelveelms. That's T W E L V E L M-S.com for more information. Have fun and see you later.

[Karim / Kareem]

Hi everyone, it's Kareem, the voice of Simon Fairchild from the Magnus archives. Today I'm here to advertise Remnants, a podcast on the RQ Network. Remnants is a weekly dark fantasy thriller audio drama with a new mystery each week and is from the brilliant creator behind other great shows that include Spirit Box Radio, Not Quite Dead and the Twelve Elms Conspiracy. When we die, the Remnants of us return to the first and last place. Our fate is then decided by sir and his new apprentice, who read our Remnants to determine whether they should be reshelved or discarded. The Apprentice soon discovers that when we judge others, we often expose truths about ourselves. You can find the whole first season of Remnants or follow the second season as it releases by searching for Remnants, an audio drama wherever you listen to your podcasts or for more information go to hangingslothstudios.com remnants or www.r Rustyquill.com. have fun. See you later.