What is WE8?

It's something every Coke collector will want to know about!

Leading up to the Olympic Games in August, Coke is coming out with a special set of international bottles.

Coke asked eight artists from China to create designs (centered around the idea of the world coming together for the Olympics) for aluminum contour bottles. Then each design was paired with specially composed music (by eight musicians from around the world). For each limited-edition bottle design, a popular recording artist from the West has composed a special, companion WE8 song.

So WE8 is "West meets East" with eight designs and songs.

You can read all the details, see the bottles, learn the names or the artists and musicians, and hear the songs here. I've included a photo of the collection of bottles and two bottles so you can see them up-close, but you can see all of the designs at that link as well and read how this fits into the "Coke Side of Life" campaign for the Beijing Games.

And, because I know Coke collectors, I do have some information on how you can get the bottles!

Where you can find the bottles
The bottles -- available this June through August -- won't be offered everywhere, so this could be the start of a real hunt for true collectors.

The eight bottles follow different themes. One themed WE8 bottle will be available in these areas: Australia (the bottle called "Happiness"), Belgium ("Peace on Earth"), Brazil ("Global Harmony"), China ("Healthy World"), France ("Individual Perseverance"), Great Britain ("Uplifting Moments"), Greece ("Human Collaboration") and New Zealand ("Active Optimism"). All eight bottles periodically will be available in the U.S. at selected Simon Malls around the country. (I don’t know which malls or when, though -- sorry!)

And, if you're heading to Beijing for the Games, the WE8 bottles should be there as well! If you're not heading to China, a WE8 collector's set, with all eight bottles and the eight music tracks, will be available through the online Coca-Cola Store, the New World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta and the Coke stores in Las Vegas and at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.