Bartle Skeet

PepsiCo

The exact origin of Bartle Skeet is a mystery. We do know is that emerged online in 2017, when it was added to the slang-hoard Urban Dictionary that November, as a nickname for PepsiCo’s Mountain Dew, a green-colored, citrus-flavored soft drink known for its caffeine.

Bartle Skeet may have originated as playful nonsense, perhaps styled to sound “redneck-y,” as Mountain Drew has a reputation for being popular among young, rural, working-class white men—a reputation embraced by many of them.

In February 2018, automotive enthusiast and YouTuber Cleetus McFarland (a very Bartle Skeety username) posted a humorous internet challenge he dubbed the “Bardle Skeet Challenge.” The first person who brought him a Bartle Skeet, or a Mountain Dew, to his location at an area Target store got on a joyride in his sports car.

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BARDLE SKEET CHALLENGE! FIRST person to bring a Bardle Skeet to Target on the corner of Dale Mabry and Gandy gets a ride along over the bridge in the C7… May the Bardle Skeets be ever in your favor! #bardleskeetchallenge

A post shared by Cleetus McFarland (@garrett_1320video) on Feb 23, 2018 at 8:22pm PST

McFarland appears to have popularized Bartle Skeet, at least among his audience. If you’re inclined, you can buy a t-shirt showing a can of Mountain Dew labeled Bartle Skeet from his website.