Mana, mana. (Doot doo, do do do.)
Ah, the venerable power-up, staple of video games since the days of Pac-Man. You pick up a little something-something, and you get healthier, or more energetic, or more powerful, or, via some means or other, enhance your ability to do unto others before they do unto you. You know, kind of like tequila.1
Making the obvious link between the burgeoning energy drink market to the gaming lifestyle in a way Jolt Cola never did, there’s even an energy drink called, in a stroke of Obvious Product Name Is Obvious the likes of which haven’t been seen since Shoot ‘Em Up was released, “Mana Energy Potion.” Today, the little blue pill bottles were rewarded with a couple of industry accolades. However, there was no word in the press release on whether these drops were, in fact, purple.
“Competing against some of the largest energy drink manufacturers in the world, independent gamer-focused energy drink Mana Energy Potion has been awarded the 2008 “Coolest Packaging” award from Screaming Energy Drink Reviews. And, for the first time ever, Screaming Energy awarded an energy drink manufacturer a second annual award by also naming Mana Energy Potion as its 2008 “Most Original” winner.
“This is an epic win for us,” said Aaron Rasmussen, co-founder and vice president of marketing for MEP’s manufacturer, Harcos, Inc. “Mana Energy Potion was created by just the two of us gamers in a garage, and to be able to defeat some of the largest brands in the world is so exciting! We are also very proud to be the first company ever awarded two annual Screaming Energy awards. How cool is that?”
I’m going to say, “Uh, Pretty cool? Very cool? Is Decidedly Nifty a viable option?”
Having been gifted with one of these small blue orbs over the holidays, I can indeed vouch for their efficacy, and the fact that they taste pretty decent. Admittedly, I will drink just about anything that blue, but, still, I’ve tried a whole bevy of different energy drinks, both large and small, and Mana Energy Potion works just as well as any of them, and tastes better than most. Plus, as evidenced by their recognition by SEDR, the bottle, despite being tiny (the drink itse;f is just over an ounce and a half), is pretty swank looking.
Gratz, guys!
MEP, and its somewhat more ominous red companion, are available at their web site, though a brief check a few minutes ago did say they were sold out of their rather spiffy t-shirts (at least for the moment).
1 Oddly enough, Redneck Rampage and Leisure Suit Larry‘s various iterations seem to be the only ones to actually use booze itself as a buff.
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Are these available in the UK yet I wonder, its a total gimick, but im a sucker for gimmicky things and the bottles do look like a cool wee keepsake.
Ah well if they aint available in the UK I’ll have to hunt in florida for em when i get there in sept.
I’ve sent an inquiry to the folks at their site, passing along your question (and, if you haven’t checked out their contact us page, it’s worth it, if only to see the email addresses they’ve set up for certain, uh, situations).
When I hear something, I’ll let y’all know.
Aaron, the Main Marketing Minion (not his real job title, which is boring) got back to me, and said:
“I can speak to the international availability. Thinkgeek.com will ship the product internationally now, and we are currently working on international distribution in a variety of markets. Looks like your reader should hunt for them in Florida, international shipping is expensive.”
So, there you go!
I wonder if they will ever come to Australia