Vimto is a soft drink first sold in Lancashire in the United Kingdom. It was first manufactured as a health tonic in cordial form, then decades later as a carbonated drink. It contains the juice of grapes, raspberries and blackcurrants (at a 3% concentration), flavoured with herbs and spices. The original recipe was invented in 1908 by John Noel Nichols. Nichols was born in Blackburn, England and educated at the then Blackburn Grammar School. Vimto has also been made into a sweet (made under license by McCowan's) and an ice lolly. It is available in cans and bottles and as a draught soft drink in pubs. History Vimto was created in 1908 in Manchester by John Noel Nichols (1883–1966), a wholesaler of herbs, spices and medicines. He saw the market opening for soft drinks due to the temperance movement and the passage of the 1908 Licensing Act. It was originally sold under the name Vim Tonic, which Nichols shortened to 'Vimto' in 1912. Vimto was originally registered as a health tonic or medicine, which was then re-registered in 1913 as a cordial. In 1910, production moved to a warehouse at Chapel Street, Salford, then to Old Trafford in 1927, and in 1971, to a state-of-the-art plant in Wythenshawe, Manchester. In 1999, the company's head office moved to Newton-le-Willows in St Helens, Merseyside. From the 1990s to 2003, Vimto print advertisements used the cartoon character Purple Ronnie, along with slightly rude poems by Giles Andreae, the creator of Purple Ronnie. In 2003, Purple Ronnie was dropped, and a new creative direction was adopted, revolving around the benefits of 'Shlurpling the Purple'. This, in turn, led to the launch in 2006 of Billy and his Dad's Pants–a modern-day morality story in which, despite turning up at the swimming pool with his Dad's pants in the middle of his rolled-up towel, Billy wins out with ingenuity and humour. The theme tune 'Dad's Pants' become something of a cult classic, and was based on the Loudon Wainwright III song "Dead Skunk". An oak sculpture entitled "A Monument to Vimto" was created by Kerry Morrison and installed on Granby Row–the location of the original Vimto premises–in central Manchester in 1992. The statue was restored and repainted in 2011. Manufacture Vimto is currently produced by Refresco (formerly Cott Corporation) in both Leicestershire and Yorkshire on behalf of Vimto Soft Drinks, a division of Nichols plc. Nichols