Fantanas
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The Fantanas were a dance group created to promote the Fanta brand of soft drinks. Four women representing fruit flavors lip synced the jingle "Wanna Fanta! Don't you wanna?" The jingle itself was produced by John Alters, and co-written by John Alters and Eric Kupper. The quartet has appeared since 2002 in advertising and personal appearances, with the original group disbanding in 2006. There have been five rebrands of The Fantanas to keep up with the latest in pop culture, with the most recent group reintroduced as a co-ed dance ensemble promoting inclusivity in 2017.
The "story" behind the Fantanas
[edit]According to the Fantanas' website, they lived on Fantana Island and were accidentally discovered by an entertainment mogul named Sir Juan-Carlos Martinez III after he fell off his yacht and washed ashore. He later talked with an advertising mogul, Paul Gurbel, in a fictional New York restaurant who brought them to the United States. In reality, the advertisements were created in partnership with Coca-Cola and Ogilvy and Mather in 2001[1].
Incarnations
[edit]Original Fantanas (2001–2004)
[edit]The original lineup of Fantanas donned an island/party style. The members (with their real names) were:
- Nina (K.D. Aubert) - red (strawberry Fanta)
- Calli (Jennifer Diaz) - orange (orange Fanta)
- Leelee (Adrienne Janic) - yellow (pineapple Fanta)
- Raquel (Andrea De Oliveira) - purple (grape Fanta)
They gained attention outside their advertisements for their campiness and use of sexuality, and these original four were featured in a Maxim magazine spread in December 2002.
"Mod" Fantanas (2004–2006)
[edit]In 2004, the Fantanas returned with a new look inspired by the mod fashion styles of the late 1960s. The members (some real names being withheld or unknown) were:
- Capri (Kat Graham) - red (strawberry Fanta)
- Kiki - orange (orange Fanta); leader
- Lola - yellow (pineapple Fanta)
- Sophia (Monica Flores) - purple (grape Fanta)[2]
"Party" Fantanas (2006–2009)
[edit]
In 2006, the next-generation lineup of Fantanas was introduced, this time with a contemporary party look. The commercials featuring this Fantanas roster were filmed in Argentina.[3] The members (some real names being withheld or unknown) were:
Return of the Fantanas (2009–2011)
[edit]In April 2009, it was announced that New Fantanas would be advertising the drinks with the original Fanta flavors. Each of the Fantanas would have an individual fashion style. The lineup of the Fantanas had these members (some real names being withheld or unknown):
- Summer (Diana Carr) - orange (orange Fanta); indie, healthy hippie style, leader.
- Melody (Katherine Wilkes) - purple (grape Fanta); music-loving, punk, rockstar style.[6]
- Isabela (Marilinda Rivera) - red (strawberry Fanta); fashionable, sexy, red-hot style.
- Lily (Brittany Hampton) - yellow (pineapple Fanta); cute, chic style. Brittany was voted the winner of the 4th Fantana Search in Summer/Fall 2010. Replaced Shakira Barrera.
"Be More Than One Flavor" Fantanas (2017–present)
[edit]In 2017, Fanta reintroduced the Fantanas with a modern style and encourages consumers to "be more than one flavor". It is the first time the group includes a male member.
- Eva (Eva Gutowski) - orange (orange Fanta)
- Coco (Coco Jones) - purple (grape Fanta)
- Jordan (Jordan Fisher) - red (strawberry Fanta)
- Lauren (Lauren Riihimaki) - yellow (pineapple Fanta)
MADtv parody
[edit]The Fantanas were twice parodied on the sketch comedy series MADtv. Both appearances (Episodes #1004 and #1009, aired 6 November and 18 December 2004, respectively) starred Daniele Gaither as Capri, Stephnie Weir as Lola, Nicole Parker as Kiki, and Paul C. Vogt 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 a two-liter bottle of Fanta Grape (and some blurred nudity, but only from the waist up). 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 Capri (Gaither)
- Cinnamon Spice Lola (Weir)
- Frosted Gingerbread Kiki (Parker)
- Holiday Ham Dinner Beth (Vogt)
Other parodies
[edit]
The Fantanas also made an appearance in the popular animated show Robot Chicken in the episode "Adoption's an Option" in 2006.
In the "Peter's Daughter" episode of Family Guy, first shown on November 25, 2007, the Fantanas were parodied as four elderly women promoting Sanka.
The Australian comedian Pam Ann uses the Fantana jingle as a catchphrase when she does her routine as the Iberia Airlines stewardess Conchita Rosa María González Gómez in her shows.
Notes
[edit]- ↑ "The Fascinating Evolution Of The Fantanas, A Soft Drink Dance Group". Yahoo Entertainment. 2025-01-10. Retrieved 2026-07-16.
- ↑ "About Monica Flores". Retrieved 14 August 2021.
- ↑ "SpecialEvent | Financial Business". Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
- ↑ On the Fanta website, Aime's signature reads "Amie". Shown in image above.
- ↑ "MORE ZAP PRODUCTIONS & MANAGEMENT | Talent Management". Morezap.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-03. Retrieved 2014-01-25.
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yG4I-2rtX6I , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1atdIPQvJiI , Also starred in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pxsjWapuHA