Dad's Root Beer

Dad's Root Beer is an American carbonated soft-drink brand whose roots date to Chicago in the 1930s. Partners Ely Klapman and Barney Berns developed the beverage in the basement of Klapman's home, with the product reportedly in use under the Dad's name by February 1937. The brand was named Dad's Old Fashioned Root Beer in honor of Klapman's father, giving it a deliberately traditional and family-oriented identity. The brand's early commercial development was formalized through trademark activity. An application for the Dad's name was filed on September 24, 1938, and the trademark was granted on February 14, 1939, to the Dad's Root Beer Company of Chicago. The business subsequently built a distinctive presentation around family terminology and multiple package sizes. Its smallest bottle was marketed as Junior, the quart format as Mama, and the half-gallon format as Papa. The young boy shown on the Junior packaging was identified as Gene Berns, the son of co-founder Barney Berns. A notable 1940s promotion offered the Mama quart for one cent when customers purchased a Papa half-gallon at the regular price. Dad's also became associated with packaging innovation in the root-beer category. It was among the earliest brands to use the six-pack format developed by the Atlanta Paper Company in the 1940s and was credited with being the first brand to market root beer in a half-gallon bottle. These formats supported the brand's positioning as a beverage for household and family consumption rather than only an individual serving. The brand established a strong regional identity in Chicago through outdoor advertising, including signs along the Edens Expressway and near Lake Shore Drive bearing the question “Have you had it lately?” In the mid-1950s, Dad's sponsored the syndicated television adventure program Sheena, Queen of the Jungle on a regional basis. Its advertising also used a short, repetitive jingle performed over a conga-style rhythm, with emphasis on the word “Beer.” Ownership and distribution changed over time. The Klapman and Berns families sold rights to the Dad's name and logo to IC Industries of Chicago in 1971. Monarch Beverage Company of Atlanta acquired the brand from IC Industries in 1986. At that point, Dad's was distributed through the Coca-Cola bottler network, reportedly sold approximately 12 million cases annually, and held the second-largest share of the root-beer category behind A&W, according to the cited historical account. In 2007, Hedinger Brands, LLC acquired Dad's together with the Bubble Up, Dr. Wells, and Sun Crest beverage brands. Dad's was licensed to Dad's Root Beer Company, LLC, which handles the brand's selling and marketing. The operating headquarters associated with the brand is in Jasper, Indiana. Dad's current portfolio includes its flagship old-fashioned root beer, a diet version, several cream-soda variants, and related legacy beverage brands. In 2025, the company expanded the Dad's identity beyond beverages with a Root Beer Float ice-cream release. Dad's also maintained a motorsports marketing presence as an associate sponsor in the IndyCar Series from 2007 through 2011.

Dad's Root Beer emerged from a partnership between Chicago-area entrepreneurs Ely Klapman and Barney Berns. The drink was prepared and developed in the basement of Klapman's home, and the Dad's product name was in use by February 1937. The name Dad's Old Fashioned Root Beer honored Klapman's father and established the traditional, family-centered tone that became central to the brand's identity. Trademark protection followed in the late 1930s. An application was filed on September 24, 1938, and registration was granted on February 14, 1939, to the Dad's Root Beer Company of Chicago. The brand developed a packaging system organized around family roles: Junior referred to the smallest serving, Mama to a quart bottle, and Papa to a half-gallon bottle. The Junior label featured a child identified as Gene Berns, the son of co-founder Barney Berns. During the 1940s, the company promoted the larger formats through a one-cent offer in which a Mama quart was available for one cent with the purchase of a Papa half-gallon at the regular price. Dad's became associated with the adoption of larger and multipack formats. It was an early user of the six-pack format created by the Atlanta Paper Company during the 1940s and was credited with introducing a half-gallon root-beer bottle. These packaging decisions reinforced the idea of Dad's as a beverage purchased for family consumption and shared occasions. Advertising gave Dad's a visible Chicago presence. Signs on the Edens Expressway and near Lake Shore Drive used the recurring question “Have you had it lately?” The brand also employed a compact jingle repeated over a conga-style beat. In the mid-1950s, Dad's sponsored the syndicated adventure television series Sheena, Queen of the Jungle on a regional basis, extending the brand beyond point-of-sale advertising. The founding families sold the rights to the Dad's name and logo to IC Industries of Chicago in 1971. Monarch Beverage Company of Atlanta purchased the brand from IC Industries in 1986. Historical material describes Dad's at that time as being distributed through the Coca-Cola bottler network, selling about 12 million cases each year and ranking second in the root-beer category behind A&W. In 2007, Hedinger Brands, LLC purchased Dad's together with the Bubble Up, Dr. Wells, and Sun Crest brands. Dad's was licensed to Dad's Root Beer Company, LLC, which sells and markets the beverage. The associated company headquarters is in Jasper, Indiana. The portfolio includes the core old-fashioned root beer, a diet version, cream sodas, and related legacy soft-drink labels. The brand also pursued promotional activity in motorsports, serving as an IndyCar Series associate sponsor from 2007 to 2011. In 2025, Dad's extended its name into frozen desserts through the launch of Root Beer Float ice cream.

• 2025

  Root Beer Float ice cream introduced

  [1]Dad's Root Beeren.wikipedia.org

  Dad's expanded into frozen desserts with a Root Beer Float ice-cream product.

• 2007

  Hedinger Brands becomes owner

  [1]Dad's Root Beeren.wikipedia.org

  Hedinger Brands, LLC acquired Dad's and several related beverage brands, while Dad's Root Beer Company, LLC received the selling and marketing license.

• 1986

  Monarch Beverage Company acquires the brand

  [1]Dad's Root Beeren.wikipedia.org

  Monarch Beverage Company of Atlanta acquired Dad's from IC Industries.

• 1971

  Rights transferred to IC Industries

  [1]Dad's Root Beeren.wikipedia.org

  The Klapman and Berns families sold rights to the Dad's name and logo to IC Industries of Chicago.

• 1940

  Family-oriented packaging expands

  [1]Dad's Root Beeren.wikipedia.org

  During the 1940s, Dad's used Junior, Mama, and Papa naming for different package sizes and promoted the Mama and Papa formats through a one-cent sales offer.

• 1939

  Trademark granted

  [1]Dad's Root Beeren.wikipedia.org

  Trademark registration was granted on February 14, 1939, to the Dad's Root Beer Company of Chicago.

• 1938

  Trademark application filed

  [1]Dad's Root Beeren.wikipedia.org

  The Dad's Root Beer trademark application was filed on September 24, 1938.

• 1937

  Dad's Root Beer name enters use

  [1]Dad's Root Beeren.wikipedia.org

  The Dad's Root Beer product name was in use by February 1937 after Ely Klapman and Barney Berns developed the beverage in the Chicago area.

An old-fashioned, family-oriented American soda brand emphasizing traditional root-beer flavor, nostalgic packaging, and multipack or large-format household consumption.

• Root beer · 1937

  Dad's Old Fashioned Root Beer

  The flagship carbonated root beer associated with the Dad's name. Its “old fashioned” positioning draws on the brand's traditional American soda identity and its long-running family-oriented packaging and advertising.

• Diet root beer

  Diet Dad's Old Fashioned Root Beer

  A diet variant of the core Dad's root beer offering, extending the brand into a reduced-calorie soft-drink segment while retaining the old-fashioned root-beer naming and identity.

• Cream soda

  Dad's Old Fashioned Cream Soda

  A cream-soda expression in the Dad's Old Fashioned range. It broadens the brand beyond root beer while maintaining the nostalgic, traditional presentation associated with the parent beverage.

• Flavored soda

  Dad's Old Fashioned Orange Cream Soda

  An orange-and-cream flavored carbonated beverage sold under the Dad's Old Fashioned line.

• Flavored soda

  Dad's Old Fashioned Red Cream Soda

  A red cream soda variant within the broader Dad's flavored-soft-drink portfolio.

• Flavored soda

  Dad's Old Fashioned Blue Cream Soda

  A blue cream soda variant marketed as part of the Dad's old-fashioned soda range.

• Frozen dessert · 2025

  Dad's Root Beer Float ice cream

  A frozen dessert introduced in 2025 that extends the Dad's Root Beer identity into the root-beer-float flavor space.

• Lemon-lime soft drink

  Bubble Up

  A related legacy carbonated-soft-drink brand acquired alongside Dad's by Hedinger Brands in 2007.

• Orange soda

  Sun Crest Orange

  A related orange-soft-drink brand included in Hedinger Brands' 2007 acquisition of the Dad's portfolio.

• Carbonated soft drink

  Dr. Wells

  A related legacy soft-drink brand acquired with Dad's and other beverage labels by Hedinger Brands in 2007.

• 2007IndyCar Series associate sponsorship

  United States

  Dad's Root Beer became an associate sponsor in the IndyCar Series.

  Outcome. The relationship continued through 2011 and gave the brand a motorsports marketing platform.

  Source
• 1955Sheena, Queen of the Jungle television sponsorship

  Regional United States television markets

  Dad's sponsored the syndicated adventure television series Sheena, Queen of the Jungle on a regional basis during the mid-1950s.

  Outcome. The sponsorship connected the soda brand with serialized television entertainment and expanded its regional media presence.

  Source
• 1950Chicago outdoor advertising

  Chicago metropolitan area

  Dad's used prominent signs on the Edens Expressway and near Lake Shore Drive, including the recurring question “Have you had it lately?”

  Outcome. The signs became recognizable features of the Chicago advertising landscape.

  Source
• 1940Mama and Papa one-cent promotion

  United States

  Dad's promoted household-sized packaging by offering the Mama quart bottle for one cent when customers bought a Papa half-gallon at the regular price.

  Outcome. The promotion reinforced the brand's family-oriented positioning and encouraged purchase of larger formats.

  Source

• 2025

  Expansion into Root Beer Float ice creamProduct launch

  Background

  The brand extended its long-standing root-beer identity into a related dessert category.

  Action taken

  Dad's introduced Root Beer Float ice cream.

  Aftermath

  The launch broadened Dad's branded product range beyond packaged carbonated beverages.

  Source

• 2007

  Hedinger Brands portfolio acquisitionM&A

  Background

  Dad's was grouped with several legacy soft-drink brands in a broader portfolio transaction.

  Action taken

  Hedinger Brands, LLC acquired Dad's, Bubble Up, Dr. Wells, and Sun Crest, then licensed Dad's to Dad's Root Beer Company, LLC for sales and marketing.

  Aftermath

  The brand continued operating from Jasper, Indiana, under the ownership and licensing structure associated with Hedinger Brands and Dad's Root Beer Company.

  Source

• 1986

  Monarch Beverage Company acquisitionM&A

  Background

  Dad's was transferred from IC Industries as the brand continued its development within the American soft-drink sector.

  Action taken

  Monarch Beverage Company of Atlanta acquired Dad's.

  Aftermath

  The brand was distributed through the Coca-Cola bottler network and was described as the second-largest root-beer brand by category share at that time.

  Annual case volume. Approximately 12 million cases annually (1986)

  Source

• 1971

  Sale of brand rights to IC IndustriesM&A

  Background

  The Klapman and Berns families no longer retained direct control of the Dad's name and logo after the brand's early family ownership period.

  Action taken

  Rights to the Dad's name and logo were sold to IC Industries of Chicago.

  Aftermath

  The transaction placed the brand under corporate ownership and preceded its later acquisition by Monarch Beverage Company.

  Source

1. 1Dad's Root Beeren.wikipedia.org