Justin Guarini "Justin Guarini Returns to TV in Funny "Lil' Sweet" Diet Dr Pepper Commercial. From Idol to ads! Justin Guarini is back on television 13 years after he made his debut on 2002's inaugural season of American Idol."

Since 2015, Guarini has been starring as Lil' Sweet in Diet Dr Pepper television commercials, and web marketing.

Despite what seems like a pretty obvious Prince influence, Guarini contends the character is a general glam rocker who is not based on any single figure. Deustch also denies he's based on Prince. (Nobody is confusing him for Ziggy Stardust, though … and some commenters seem to think it actually is The Purple One.)

Once standing, it turns out that the soda guru (who in real life stands at 6ft) is a lot smaller than he first appeared, only about 4ft tall. His ensemble included a thick forest green head band to hold back his long red locks, which matched his leather trousers and sparkly scarf.

Dr Pepper Zero Sugar is sweetened with a combination of aspartame and acesulfame potassium, which makes it slightly more syrupy (read: realistic).

David Walsh Naughton David Walsh Naughton (born February 13, 1951) is an American actor and singer known for his starring roles in the horror film An American Werewolf in London (1981) and the Disney comedy Midnight Madness (1980), as well as for a long-running "Be a Pepper" ad campaign for beverage maker Dr Pepper.

Originally made in Morrison's Old Corner Drug Store in Waco, Texas, the drink's unique flavor was a hit when it was first sold in 1885. Wade Morrison, the drug store owner, named it "Dr. Pepper" after Dr. Charles Pepper, a Virginia doctor who was the father of a girl Morrison was once in love with.

Dr Pepper Zero Sugar is sweetened with a combination of aspartame and acesulfame potassium, which makes it slightly more syrupy (read: realistic).

Originally made in Morrison's Old Corner Drug Store in Waco, Texas, the drink's unique flavor was a hit when it was first sold in 1885. Wade Morrison, the drug store owner, named it "Dr. Pepper" after Dr. Charles Pepper, a Virginia doctor who was the father of a girl Morrison was once in love with.

Originally created to refresh the brand's diet portfolio, Lil' Sweet's role has expanded from exclusively singing the praises of Diet Dr Pepper to now extolling the original - a testament to the mascot's staying power. But the rocker has done more than dole out soda.

Dr Pepper is America's unique flavor and was created, manufactured and sold beginning in 1885 in the Central Texas town of Waco.

David Naughton For a textbook example of an ad campaign that ticked both of those boxes in a big way, look no further than Dr Pepper's immortal "Be a Pepper" series. Premiering 45 years ago in 1977, the hugely popular spots featured David Naughton extolling the virtues of the sweet-tasting soda in spirited song-and-dance numbers.