Daria Fizz Ed

Soft drinks take over Lawndale High, driving the principal insane and spurring Daria (voice of Tracy Grandstaff) to action in this episode of the animated MTV series Daria. With budget woes affecting everything from Lawndale High’s classes to its clubs and sports teams, the town is in desperate need of a tax increase. But when voters reject such a move for the third year in a row, Ms. Li (voice of Nora Laudani) signs a contract allowing the manufacturer of Ultra Cola exclusive rights to market on campus. The initial PR campaign and pervasive soda machines are bad enough. But soon, to hit the contract’s sales quotas, Ms. Li must turn the entire school into a giant billboard and force-feed the sugary beverage to her students — with disastrous results. A disgusted Daria urges Jodie (voice of Jessica Cydnee Jackson) to take a stand, but Jodie throws Daria’s principles right back at her. Soon, Daria and Jane (voice of Wendy Hoopes) are meeting with the school board superintendent and urging him to cancel the beverage contract. He reluctantly agrees to visit the school, at which point he witnesses Ms. Li on a caffeinated, sugar-crazed rampage. Soon, the marketing blitz has been reduced to an echo of its former self, but Daria is still miffed about the cola company’s less pervasive but still powerful influence. “Fizz Ed” was inspired by true-life conflicts between powerful marketers and cash-strapped schools around the country., From February 2001: Daria fears the ethical consequences when Principal Li allows a soda company to advertise its product in Lawndale High in exchange for money and school supplies., When Lawndale High suffers a budget crisis, the cure may be worse than the disease., In the fifth season opener, Daria fears the ethical consequences when Principal Li allows a soda company to advertise its product in Lawndale High in exchange for money and school supplies.